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Young Underground #8
Touch the Sky
Book 8 in The Young Underground for middle-grade readers. Barely escaping a plane crash, Peter discovers a concealed handgun in the plane's cockpit. What is Matthias hiding? Who is involved in the nighttime rendezvous?
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1997
7 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Robert Elmer
90 books68 followersRobert Elmer is the author of more than fifty books, including contemporary novels for the adult Christian audience, nonfiction devotionals like Piercing Heaven and Fount of Heaven (Lexham Press), and seven series for younger readers. Among kids, he is best known for his historicals such as the Young Underground, Adventures Down Under, Life Behind the Wall, and Promise of Zion books. When he's not at the keyboard, he enjoys beachcombing and travel with his wife, and spending time with their three kids and families.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 28, 2014
The end of one of the BEST series of juvenile fiction.
Robert Elmer wove such great stories into the Young Underground series. I'm sad that it had to stop with book #8, but... as they say, all good things must come to an end.
I especially enjoyed Touch the Sky because it brought a few running plots to completion, and ended perfectly.
I'm a fan of this series because of a few key points:
- The books contain solid, Christian morals.
- They bring the World War II/post-war era to life for the reader.
- Fun adventures are experienced through the power of words.
These are books I'll keep in my family forever. Buy the series for your kids and grandkids to read! (Available in print or ebook formats.)
Robert Elmer wove such great stories into the Young Underground series. I'm sad that it had to stop with book #8, but... as they say, all good things must come to an end.
I especially enjoyed Touch the Sky because it brought a few running plots to completion, and ended perfectly.
I'm a fan of this series because of a few key points:
- The books contain solid, Christian morals.
- They bring the World War II/post-war era to life for the reader.
- Fun adventures are experienced through the power of words.
These are books I'll keep in my family forever. Buy the series for your kids and grandkids to read! (Available in print or ebook formats.)
December 28, 2016
This is the last book in the "Young Underground" series and it is definitely my favorite!
In this adventure the kids try to decipher a confusing letter left by Henrick's father. It leads them on an exhilarating journey. There are so many secrets that are revealed, decisions made, and issues resolved to end the series.
In this adventure the kids try to decipher a confusing letter left by Henrick's father. It leads them on an exhilarating journey. There are so many secrets that are revealed, decisions made, and issues resolved to end the series.
August 5, 2024
What an ending to the series!!! I was very uncertain how anything was going to turn out. Things didn't look good at all. But wow - that ending is just perfect. And I love this book and this series soo much.
Touch the Sky is possibly my favourite, or at least one of my three favourites, in the series. It has all the suspense of the early books, as well as some great character development and friendships. I think this one is in a way Henrick's story even more than Peter and Elise's, and it gives his arc the ending I've been longing for - with a couple unexpected twists and turns along the way.
As for Matthais - that was a very interesting side to the story, and I was definitely surprised by the way it ended. It was unexpected, but I was happy with it. I don't think I could have really been happy with anything else, unless there had been many more books to further out his story. Since there wasn't, this was the perfect ending, as it leaves you with hope that all did eventually end happily for all parties - including Henrick.
I was also glad to see Karl and all the others again, even if they weren't in it much.
Normally, the climax scene is my favourite in these books, but although the climax was great, I think the best and the most suspenseful part of the book was Elise (no spoilers). Seriously, I didn't know HOW that was going to end. And I think it tied in with Henrick's arc perfectly and brought the story to where it needed to be.
In all, this was really the perfect ending to an amazing series. A series I stumbled upon by accident, and fell in love with instantly. If I had to say what it is I love about these books so much, I would have a hard time. There are some things I don't agree with, and some writing issues that got on my nerves, and I never really got past the modern dialogue even though I know the Danish-English thing makes it much more excusable than it would be otherwise. But. The series is so suspenseful, so unique, and so full of good lessons, that I just loved it despite all. Unique - I mean, how many books are there out there set in post-war Denmark... for that matter, how many set in war-time Denmark? How many series begin in the late stages of WWII and then continue well after the war ends, into a part of history no one ever really thinks of? When I think back, this series brought in heroes and villains that were Danish, German, Russian, British, American, Arabic, Jewish... almost everything. It brought in bombings, spies, refugees, undercover agents, prisons, pigeons, arson, boats, submarines, planes... and a whole lot more. I have never read a series quite like it. And the heroes of it all are two Danish twins and their Jewish best friend Henrick, ages 11 to 13. And yet, even though it would be great for an audience of that age, it is not something that becomes dull to older readers - or at least, I certainly didn't find it so. Rather, the suspense is gripping and the stories unique and exciting. If I had had this series when I was about 12, it would probably have been my favourite series. As it is, it's definitely one of them. I love how each book is complete and never ends on a cliffhanger, but the series is a continuous story that couldn't be read out of order. Some threads, begun in the first book, run all the way through to the last. And yet you could probably read one on its own and pick up the next months later, and still know exactly what's going on. Not that I could wait more than a day in between books, once I got started. But they are incredibly well crafted books that hold your interest from first to last, with climaxes you'll never forget, little known parts of history expertly woven into the stories, solid friendships and great families, unique characters, and good themes and morals.
This is a series I would recommend for almost any age, and equally for boys and girls. The main character is a boy and the stories are from his perspective, but Elise is very much also the main character and the stories are definitely appealing to anyone. I would also especially recommend it to anyone who loves WWII and post-WWII fiction. It's definitely a series I'd read again, and I hope to read more by this author. So, so, so good.
Touch the Sky is possibly my favourite, or at least one of my three favourites, in the series. It has all the suspense of the early books, as well as some great character development and friendships. I think this one is in a way Henrick's story even more than Peter and Elise's, and it gives his arc the ending I've been longing for - with a couple unexpected twists and turns along the way.
As for Matthais - that was a very interesting side to the story, and I was definitely surprised by the way it ended. It was unexpected, but I was happy with it. I don't think I could have really been happy with anything else, unless there had been many more books to further out his story. Since there wasn't, this was the perfect ending, as it leaves you with hope that all did eventually end happily for all parties - including Henrick.
I was also glad to see Karl and all the others again, even if they weren't in it much.
Normally, the climax scene is my favourite in these books, but although the climax was great, I think the best and the most suspenseful part of the book was Elise (no spoilers). Seriously, I didn't know HOW that was going to end. And I think it tied in with Henrick's arc perfectly and brought the story to where it needed to be.
In all, this was really the perfect ending to an amazing series. A series I stumbled upon by accident, and fell in love with instantly. If I had to say what it is I love about these books so much, I would have a hard time. There are some things I don't agree with, and some writing issues that got on my nerves, and I never really got past the modern dialogue even though I know the Danish-English thing makes it much more excusable than it would be otherwise. But. The series is so suspenseful, so unique, and so full of good lessons, that I just loved it despite all. Unique - I mean, how many books are there out there set in post-war Denmark... for that matter, how many set in war-time Denmark? How many series begin in the late stages of WWII and then continue well after the war ends, into a part of history no one ever really thinks of? When I think back, this series brought in heroes and villains that were Danish, German, Russian, British, American, Arabic, Jewish... almost everything. It brought in bombings, spies, refugees, undercover agents, prisons, pigeons, arson, boats, submarines, planes... and a whole lot more. I have never read a series quite like it. And the heroes of it all are two Danish twins and their Jewish best friend Henrick, ages 11 to 13. And yet, even though it would be great for an audience of that age, it is not something that becomes dull to older readers - or at least, I certainly didn't find it so. Rather, the suspense is gripping and the stories unique and exciting. If I had had this series when I was about 12, it would probably have been my favourite series. As it is, it's definitely one of them. I love how each book is complete and never ends on a cliffhanger, but the series is a continuous story that couldn't be read out of order. Some threads, begun in the first book, run all the way through to the last. And yet you could probably read one on its own and pick up the next months later, and still know exactly what's going on. Not that I could wait more than a day in between books, once I got started. But they are incredibly well crafted books that hold your interest from first to last, with climaxes you'll never forget, little known parts of history expertly woven into the stories, solid friendships and great families, unique characters, and good themes and morals.
This is a series I would recommend for almost any age, and equally for boys and girls. The main character is a boy and the stories are from his perspective, but Elise is very much also the main character and the stories are definitely appealing to anyone. I would also especially recommend it to anyone who loves WWII and post-WWII fiction. It's definitely a series I'd read again, and I hope to read more by this author. So, so, so good.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews