An ordinary girl’s longing to return to the way things were sets off a chain of events that lands her and her best friend in the Underwild in this second book in the New York Times bestselling middle grade fantasy series The Underwild—perfect for fans of Greenwild and Rick Riordan.
The best ways Anya knows how to cope with the struggles life throws her way is to keep her head down, stay invisible, and stick close to her best friend, Lizzie. Lizzie has been Anya’s rock since second grade. Together, they pretend the world away. But when Lizzie moves out of state, Anya is left adrift and desperately lonely.
One day, Anya follows a strange girl home from school and is shocked to see her go into the home of the woman who everyone in town swears is a witch. As Anya spies on the pair, she realizes the woman really does have magic—including a set of magical keys that can deliver you anywhere you want to go…keys that could reunite Anya with Lizzie. Anya has seen all she needs to; as soon as she has the chance, she steals the keys.
But magic always has a price. The keys do bring Anya to Lizzie, but then the girls are transported to the dark and chaotic world of the Underwild. Before long, Lizzie is snatched away by a terrible creature! Now wracked with guilt and paralyzed by fear, Anya has no choice but to trust the girl from school, Senka, when she unexpectedly shows up and offers to help. But can Anya find the bravery locked away deep inside herself in time to rescue her friend?
The series
There are places the living aren’t meant to go, and The Underwild is one of them. Winding beneath the surface of the world, it is a realm stitched together with memory, shadow, and forgotten names. Souls drift down its ghost-lit rivers, watched over by old magic and even older rules. But when one determined girl arrives from the world above, that silence begins to unravel.
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At the center of this haunting middle-grade fantasy is Senka, a twelve-year-old who serves as apprentice to Charon, the Ferryman. Her role is clear: guide the dead, never interfere. But the arrival of Poppy, a living girl desperate to find her brother, upends that order. Their journey through the Underwild is not a heroic quest, but something quieter and far more personal. They face not monsters in the traditional sense, but grief that wears many faces, and choices that bend even the most ancient laws.
This is a story shaped by loss and loyalty, where lanterns flicker over still water and ghosts cling to their last memories. The worldbuilding is rich with mythological echoes like dragon chimeras, trickster spirits, and memory-thieving shadows, yet every element feels grounded in emotional truth. The narrative flows with an eerie, lyrical tone, softened by humor and heart. Even the Ferryman, grim as he seems, collects odd t-shirts and brews strong coffee between ferry rides.
Quietly powerful and visually evocative, The Underwild stands out for the way it blends atmosphere with feeling. It has earned early recognition from major booksellers and critics, not through spectacle but by offering something rare in children's fantasy: a story that trusts young readers to sit with sorrow, ask hard questions, and find light in unexpected places.
This isn’t a world to rush through. It’s one to linger in, to explore slowly, and to remember long after the last page.
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