Surface Tension

by Meg McKinlay

When Cassie and Liam start swimming at the lake neither of them realises the dark secrets that lie beneath. As summer heats up and the lake waters become lower and lower, the shocking truth is slowly uncovered. And soon, both their lives will change - forever

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Juvenile

234 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Meg McKinlay is a children's writer and poet living in Fremantle, Western Australia.

She has published twenty-five books for young people, ranging from picture books through to young adult novels, and a collection of poetry for adults. Her work has won awards including the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award, and the WA Premier's Book Award, among others.

A former academic, swimming teacher, Japanese interpreter and tour guide, Meg has accidentally lived her life in accordance with the song lyrics, "If you see a strange door to your left/then drop your things and run for it"*, which is how she found herself wrangling words for a living. Meg has no plans to drop writing, though, and is always cooking up more books.

* From 'Wildflowers', by Things of Stone and Wood

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I didn't really realize this was a 'middle grades' YA book until about nowish, coming here to review it, but actually - that makes me all the more impressed with this book. It's a quiet sort of narrative - lots of inner monologue and a slowly unfolding plot that does a good job of keeping up the suspense. I really liked the main character and the way her relationships with her family were developed because I think the narrative choices made by the author keeps it very true to the age of Cassie. There is this huge gulf between self and family in the early teens and the things that you don't tell your parents are an important part of creating your self-identity. I really liked the few false leads used as a central mystery unfolded because they felt very true to life. Overall, I am super impressed at how well written this is and frankly it's a heck of a lot better than a lot of "adult literature" (Please mentally read that LIT-tra-chure") that I've read.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Surface tension quite slow yet it was still intriguing to keep me reading. Around half way through the book takes a turn and the pace picks up.
This is a rather quiet novel with unique characters. As the characters open up, the story really is quite captivating.
My age recommendation – 10-14 year olds plus anyone else who enjoys reading lower end YA

[Aly Engaged · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me on my toes small town drowned and people sat and barbecued while they watched it sink. But not her parents know she was early. There was always something strange about the city they kept me on my toes because every secret that comes in an out of its pages it kept me going. Wanting to know more

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book, suprise ending, but i knew something was going on but could not figure it out

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The day that I was born, they drowned my town. The mayor flipped the lever, and everybody cheered. There were streamers and balloons and a really lame brass band. The people of Old Lower Grange ate sausages and potato salad while they watched their lives sink beneath a wall of water.

Cassie was born early. As a result, she has been plagued with breathing difficulties throughout her entire young life thus far. Her doctor has instructed her to swim six laps a day, every day, to make sure she is strengthening her lungs as much as possible.

Cassie was the first baby born in the new town, after the old one was completely drowned -- on purpose. Old Lower Grange was a town in the perfect location -- the problem, though, was that it was the perfect location for a dam, to provide easily accessible water to surrounding areas. So, the town was ceremoniously drowned with the switch of a lever and all of the townspeople were relocated to a new place, intended to look nearly identical to the home they left behind.

Although the old location is clearly sectioned off with signs warning that no swimming is allowed, Cassie has never really been one to pay attention to signs. After all, Old Lower Grange is a modern day Atlantis, hiding many secrets under the waters. And with the summer being hotter and drier than ever, the water has been gradually receding, threatening to expose the dark secrets that someone intended to hide.

You'd think that when you sink something under five thousand swimming pools' worth of water, it'd be drowned and gone. You'd think it would be done with. But somewhere inside me, I knew -- you can't just drown a town and call it over. Eventually, things have a way of floating to the surface...

Can Cassie discover what is being hidden by the waters of Old Lower Grange? Or will those who have secrets to hide do everything in their power to stop Cassie -- and everyone else -- from seeing what lies below?

----

I really have to give kudos to McKinlay for the concept of Below -- I mean, what could be more exciting and intriguing than a literal hidden city and a teenage girl who is curious enough to uncover its secrets? The whole imagery here is just fabulous -- I was really able to picture this modern day Atlantis being explored by two curious, imaginative teens, which really helped to make this a compulsively readable little novel that seems geared towards the older middle grade or younger young adult audience.

Now, I can't deny that I was a tiny bit let down once I learned the secrets of Old Lower Grage, because although the discovery was definitely huge and scandalous for the town, I think I was expecting something a little more frightening down there in the depths of the floods. To be fair, I don't think BELOW is intended to be a scary novel, and it *is* intended towards a bit of a younger crowd, so I do think the outcome is probably entirely fitting and relevant to its audience.

BELOW is definitely worth the read, overall, and I encourage anyone who wants a quick read with a unique premise to go ahead and pick this one up when it is released on May 14.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to preview an electronic version of the novel.

[Emily Chanez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The day Cassie was born, her town got submerged. While her mom was going into labor with her they were going the opposite way from the other people. As her town was slowly getting rid of water she felt like she was drowning with all the mysteries.
It all started the day Cassie was born. The day Cassie was born it was a chaotic day because she was eight week early, her town was being submerged, and instead of going to safety she was going to the hospital because she was giving birth to Cassie. Twelve years later Cassie feels like she was a mistake and that her parents thought that too. There would be two types of conflicts in this book. One would be considered person vs. person because Cassie has doubt about herself and she thinks she was a mistake. The other one would be considered nature vs nature because the town was submerged by water.
The title relates to the book because Cassie's town was "below" water. The setting adds to the conflict because she has doubts about her self or her town. There isn't the only conflict in the book. She slowly starts discovering secrets from her town as there is less water.
I was satisfied with this book because of all the things that happen and how she reacts to them. If I were the author I would have added more twists. I would have added more twists to make the book more interesting.
I give this book a three out of five because it needs more twists to make it more interesting. Not one of my favorites but not one of the worsts.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cassie's family was not present when the mayor flipped a switch and drowned the town of Old Lower Grange. Residents then moved up the hill and formed the town of New Lower Grange. Cassie decided to enter the world when the old town was drowned; 8 weeks early. Having been a preemie baby Cassie has breathing trouble and therefore swims 6 laps a day. She gets tired of the local pool and decides to swim in the lake that is Old Lower Grange. School friend and town-pity case, Liam, soon joins her. Liam was involved in a horrible accident with his father when he was only 5 weeks old, resulting in awful scars covering his legs.

Cassie and Liam quickly realize that something is wrong with the lake; it's shrinking. When they mention this to the town mayor, he becomes quite upset about it. Why? What's at the bottom of the lake that he doesn't want anyone to see? Readers would expect a murder mystery, or something truly awful. But all that's found is a rusty Mercedes, once belonging to the mayor. It becomes known that the mayor was involved in the crash that permanently maimed Liam. It was a hit and run.

Yes, a hit and run is shocking, but it's not what reader's expect at the end of this story. Not a good ending, anyway. It's rather anti-climatic.

Recommended for reader's who have nothing better to read.

[Justin D · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book Below By: Meg McKinlay, a kid believes that there is a flooded town in the lake she swims in and her mom thinks she is crazy and tells her she needs to stop. Then later in the story they dive under and find a road under the water which leads her to further exploration. At the end of the story they another party that makes the main character think she will be flooded and she makes a big deal over it but then comes to find out that is not what will happen and in the end they are all happy. I think it was a great book you should definitely read the book. You will love the book after the first few pages and will be hooked. I highly recommend it.

[Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, a realistic fiction book has captivated me with its story. This book was slightly like a mystery, without the characters knowing it was a mystery. Then at the end, when all was revealed, it felt like we had known it all along and all of the small details added to that amazing ending. It was like a murder mystery, once the murderer is revealed you feel like it was so obvious, except here, you didn't even know there was a murderer till the end. I know that's a bad way of explaining it, you'll just have to read it for yourself. Overall, this book was amazing with its story of unlikely mystery and hidden truth, it deserves every one of those five stars.

[Carolynn Markey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this middle grade book! It was short but not to short, didn't include any tacky love stories and had an awesome mystery! I do so hate it when people try to make twelve year olds fall in love, instead of just be twelve. This book is a perfect slice of life, and I need to check out more of this authors books...

[Kelsey Sunderland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting quick read. If this had been an adult fiction book I bet it would have gotten very dark and creepy;seeing that it was a young adult book it had th appropriate amount of mystery. I enjoyed the plot and th description of the "drowned town" a lot.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very enjoyable children's (maybe YA? ) book is subtly, but distinctively Australian.

Subtle, because it never rubs your nose in it; there are no dropbears rushing at you, nor even koalas as a backdrop. There is a dam and eucalypts trees and a just a general sense of being that creeps up on you slowly until you are sure that it is in fact Aussie.

Our main protagonist is Cassie, who was born twelve years ago on the day that someone pulled a lever and drowned her town. It was ok, it was planned and the whole town of Lower Grange moved into New Lower Grange directly after, but Cassie always felt a strange connection and fascination with Old Lower Grange, lying not far away, below the waters.

Cassie has a lung condition and is expected to swim a certain distance each day to help build up her lung capacity. I just loved the description of the town pool, with it's noise and chlorine smell and the fact that seeing seven Band-Aids floating one day was the final straw that sent her off to swim in the dam. Or 'lake' if you will.

She is swimming in the 'no trespassing' zone, which is closer to town and is joined eventually by another classmate and they swim in the dam all summer as the waters sink (and water restrictions loom closer). There is aa slow reveal of mystery, embedded in day to day details that make this book very nice to read indeed. How come the legit swimming area is so far from town? Why does no one know the details of the accident Liam's father had when Liam was a baby? Other small things that slowly reveal themselves as Cassie and Liam swim in the shrinking dam.

As I said, the setting really made it for me, the main and secondary characters, the descriptions of minutiae in a tiny village. The only thing I found odd was that the author refers to the dam as a 'lake' and I have never heard that done before. To be fair, I have not spent that much time in WA, maybe it is a thing over there.

[Tessa Wooldridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lower Grange is celebrating its 100th anniversary and Cassie’s older sister, Hannah, is preparing the centenary book for the local council. The town’s history is split in two: eighty-eight years after settlement, the old town was flooded and now lies at the bottom of a lake. Hannah’s version of that pivotal time is all about ‘progress and improvement and sparkling new swimming pools’, a time when ‘all the headlines were happy and shiny’. Cassie knows that her sister has glossed over the protests, the anger and the divisiveness.
Twelve-year-old Cassie was born prematurely on the day the town was drowned. She swims to strengthen her lungs and it’s her ‘six laps a day without fail’ that takes her from ‘new’ Lower Grange’s busy pool to the isolated lake where it will be ‘still and peaceful’ and ‘bandaid-free’. Cassie is discovered by her classmate Liam and the two forge a covert friendship over the long summer holidays.
Drought has caused the lake’s water level to drop and the tip of the old fir tree is now visible. Launching themselves from the tree’s platform, Cassie and Liam dive down to investigate the old town’s remains. Their Enid Blyton-tinged curiosity and persistence uncover a long-buried secret.
McKinlay’s novel provides an allegory for studying history. Hannah’s simplistic approach argues that ‘it’s a matter of choosing what’s important’, but Cassie does the hard work of searching below the surface. In the process, she not only reveals a more complete version of Lower Grange’s history, she and Liam expose the circumstances of a fatal car accident involving Liam’s family.
A version of this review first appeared in Fiction Focus: New Titles for Teenagers, 25(2), 2011

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's just a kids book but there's a few brilliant things about it, such as the way it explains how history works (without being didactic), the way stories get changed and currated, sometimes for malicious reasons but more often for relatively innocent ones or because a particular narrative fits something in the current time. It also looks at art, PTSD, disability, friendship and there's a bit on awkward, budding adolescent romance - maybe - it's kept nice and vague.

It is never explaiend just why the town had to be flooded (surely not just because of the secret) but the links between past and present are nicely built. The idea of drought revealing things people are comfortably oblivious to usually was a good one too, but the author didn't really make it clear where all the water topping it up was coming from (I mean yes from the dam but if it's a drought...). That's just my crazy brain - the ending was excellent actually illustrating the character growth of the very vulnerable and unwanted (at the beginning) Cassie whereas the dominant, confident Liam becomes mere spectator. The sibling relationships are nicely done too- wholesome without being too sweet.

I found it a page turner to the point where a man on the bus randomly commented on how fast I read (true) and asked what I was reading. I was embarrassed as it's a kids' book.

[Varsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was veryyy mysterious throughout, from start to finish.

It started with a girl named Cassie. She was born eight weeks early, just a day late to seeing her almost-hometown be drowned in 200 feet of water. Cassie's lungs were not developed enough yet, and she was required to do exactly six laps of swimming everyday. Swimming in the public pool where Cassie lived included too many interruptions for her, the last day having a particular interruption named Liam, who was pushed into her while she was in the water.

Liam's family went through a horrible and mysterious car accident weeks after Liam was born, they lost Liam's brother, and his father was put in a coma. No one knew the cause of this unfortunate event, but Liam blamed himself.

Meanwhile, Cassie sought a more private place for her swimming, and resorted to the "lake", the body of water containing the remains of the old town in its depths. But she didn't swim in the public part of the lake, she swam in the part that clearly said "do not swim". But she did, and one time, in her peaceful getaway lake, she got a leg cramp. This event led to Liam saving her, and starting a new friendship that would lead them to tackle one of their town's biggest mysteries.

[Sarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason we had this book stickered as scary. I did not find it so. It has suspense to it, but it's not what I would call a horror book or a scary book.

I did enjoy this book. Cassie's feelings of inadequacy were well-drawn, and I liked the friendship between Cassie and Liam. I dd figure out right away what happened, but younger readers might not. Good for a school visit.

Book description:
On the day Cassie was born, they drowned her town. The mayor flipped a lever and everyone cheered as Old Lower Grange was submerged beneath five thousand swimming pools’ worth of water. Now, twelve years later, Cassie feels drawn to the manmade lake and the mysteries it hides — and she’s not the only one. Her classmate Liam, who wears oversized swim trunks to cover the scars on his legs, joins Cassie in her daily swims across the off-limits side of the lake. As the summer heats up, the water drops lower and lower, offering them glimpses of the ghostly town and uncovering secrets one prominent town figure seems anxious to keep submerged. But like a swimmer who ventures too far from shore, Cassie realizes she can’t turn back. Can she bring their suspicions to light before it’s too late — and does she dare?

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book.

I very much appreciated Cassie, the protagonist. I thought Cassie was a thoughtful, sensitive, likeable character, who read a very realistic. I also enjoyed the friendship that developed between Cassie and Liam, especially as McKinlay wisely refrained from turning that relationship into a cheesy love story. Finally, the supporting cast of characters seemed to be realistic and interact with one another in the way that I would expect them too, including the dysfunctional relationships between Cassie and her family members, and they amongst themselves.

For me there were only two minor drawbacks. One is that the book had a few too many repetitions - really how many times do I need to have the spiky ladder on the fire tree described to me? (fewer than was in the book). The other is that I was also looking for a bit more depth, but then again, this was a short book aimed at the average young reader, so it is possible that aspect is a function of me being outside the target audience.

Yes, overall, an enjoyable read that dealt with some serious topics but without ever feeling bogged down or heavy with them.

[AquaMoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have long been fascinated with the idea of whole areas (towns, forests, farmland, etc.) being flooded to create man-made lakes for the purpose of providing water for growing communities. I don't have the connection to this situation as does Cass, but I DO live near a pretty huge one. I've been to the dam several times and often explored the exposed shoreline during off-season, when the water levels are lowered. Sources say around 2,000 acres of land were flooded back in the 1950s to create this reservoir, and with something THAT big, there's just GOT to be something mysterious about it somewhere.

I didn't like Below as much as I did Cold in Summer, but it was an enjoyable story just the same. Bit of a slow burn, though. It took a long time to really get into it for how short it was and I do wish certain things had been fleshed out more. Also, I expected more of a twist than I got. Still, a good read.

A solid 3 stars...and maybe even 3.5.

[Libby Ames · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is a great mystery for its intended middle grade audience who won't think too much about the premise, so I highly recommend it for tween readers. However, for me, I just couldn't get over the fact that they drowned their old town with no really good explanation. It was kind of covered, but not adequately for my adult sensibilities.

Twelve years ago, on the day Cassie was born, they flooded her town. Everyone moved to New Lower Grange and they covered Old Lower Grange with water. Although she never saw it, Cassie is fascinated by Old Lower Grange and the mysteries surrounding it. She spends her summer swimming in the restricted area of the lake, wondering what is below her. As the summer heats up and the lake begins to recede, Cassie and her friend Liam begin making discoveries. But in their exploring they begin to uncover a secret someone wants hidden.

Below is a middle grade mystery with an interesting setting and premise. Cassie and Liam are relatable characters with unique lives and circumstances. It is a short mystery that is intriguing without being gruesome or scary. Good for readers 10-12 years old.

[Danna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely interesting it had such a plot twist at the end which I really liked. Although I would have loved it more if there was more going on between the two main characters that were Liam and Cassie. In my opinion it needed more mystery or another like story, I thought that is was going kind of slow in the beginning but towards the end the story was quite fast and that is why I think the story would've definitely had more potential if it was a bit longer and had more character building or setting building. Overall it was very interesting and fun, and I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a short story that is engaging and easy to read.

[Cooper Gorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a pretty good book that is a pretty fun and easy read. Although the book is a little slow getting to the good stuff it can kinda be expected with the genre of this book. But other than that it is a pretty good read that I beleive would be a really good read for people that are just kind of getting into the whole mystery and adventure genre as it's not a hard book to understand But a solid book.

[Jaelle Caudill]

The main character is Cassie. She was the first one born in New lower grange. She is very curious about what is in the old town. She is also smart. I enjoyed this book even though it's not really my thing. I liked it because there was a mystery and it made you think a lot. I didn't like it because it was a little boring reading about the same thing basically over and over. The ending was alright even though it didn't tell me what happened to our one character which was stupid.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads really needs half stars, because this is a 3 1/2. The plot is original and I like the parallel between the two characters, Cassie and Liam. But there's a lot of internal thinking/symbolism here that doesn't quite seem natural to a 12 year old. Still, I enjoyed it, and it's a quick enough read that I think my students will find it engaging.

[Goya · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I found the concept of the "drowned town" quite bizarre but I did start to warm to the idea as the characters started to discover "secrets" regarding the lake. It does end rather anti-climatically. I appreciate the tension that builds throughout. If the target audience wasn't YA, it would certainly be darker!

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part mystery, part a story of courage and self-discovery, I loved this. The author does an awesome job with the characters, making them at once vulnerable and strong. The setting of the lake, the fire tree, and other elements made this come to life.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. Not necessarily one of my favorites. Honestly I was expecting a very awesome book. This book was good but was a bit....uh....well, boring!
I would recommend you to read it though cause it is kind of good!

4/5 stars

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

We listened as a family as an audiobook on a road this. It was ok. Would be better as a short story. Small twist. Unsatisfied wrap up at the end. A lot of redundancy. Kids didn’t particularly enjoy it.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting imagery, of literal and figurative surfaces and things buried beneath them. The mystery element adds suspense -- but it's not a horror book at all (though bodyless heads are involved).

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting/weird/cool book. I personally enjoyed this book at certain points. It is a little boring at some parts but enjoyable. Worth a read
Actual Review: 3.5/5 stars

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a hauntingly good mystery this is! The creepiness of a town submerged in water is a great setting for a hard-to-put-down story.