Below the Surface

by Allison Finley

A thirteen-year-old boy finds a pocket watch linked to a local legend about a lost treasure.

Theo is happy spending his summer searching the river for treasure. Even if he mostly just finds empty cans and fishing lures. But when he discovers a pocket watch in the waters beneath a bridge that's said to be haunted, he is sure his luck has changed. Theo soon learns that the pocket watch is linked to a local legend about a ghost and buried treasure. Theo is determined to solve this mystery and posts his progress online. Even after he receives an anonymous threat telling him to leave things alone, Theo continues to dig deeper. He learns that the death of a traveler decades earlier may not have been an accident. And that there’s someone out there who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Mystery

112 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2023

About the author

Allison Finley is an author and editor of children's fiction and speculative fiction. She has lived in California, London, and Vancouver—all places whose official language is English, but that can't agree on spelling. In addition to fiction, she's consulted on magic shows and comedy sketches. Her stories tend to share the themes of searching for belonging, exploration and adventure, and lost mysteries.

A life-long nerd, she plays tabletop RPGs, is an aviation aficionado, and collects enamel pins both new and vintage. As a neurodiverse writer, she strives for her work to contribute to a better understanding of and more empathy for underrepresented experiences.

Reviews

[Amanda Hallam-Taillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part ghost story, part mystery, part coming of age. This short and sweet early middle grade novel moves through its paces quickly and is suitable for reluctant readers. The plot is engaging and easily understood, the characters relatable. As an adult and quick reader, this took me under an hour to read, I suspect that for a less experienced reader it would only take a night or two at bedtime (mind that it is a ghost story though it is not scary).

[Julie Smallwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and entertaining read!
I enjoyed the character growth that Theo went through. His journey felt very relatable.
I spent a lot of this book wondering if it was based on a true story, it completely pulled me in. Allison does a great job of dancing on the line between eerie and adventurous.
Such a satisfying ending! I wish this book was around when I was in middle grade.

[Barbara McVeigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these little mystery novellas from Orca. This story resolved rather quickly but I liked the buildup. Good for ESL students.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.