When Gran and his family move to Carousel, he has no idea that the town is built atop a secret. Little does he suspect as he walks his sister to school or casually eats a banana, that mysterious forces lurk mere inches beneath his feet, tearing up the earth like mini-hurricanes, and causing the town to slowly-but-surely sink.

When Gran’s friend, the difficult-to-impress Catalina Catalan, presses a silver handle into a hillside and opens a doorway to underground, he knows that she is extraordinary and brave, and that he will have no choice but to follow wherever she leads. With luck on their side, and some discarded hockey sticks for good measure, Gran and Catalina might just find a way to lift their town—and the known world—out of danger.

“This book is a ripper, full of all the good stuff: adventure, mystery, and lots of great jokes.”
Mac Barnett, Caldecott Honor-winning author of Extra Yarn

“Full of surprises, magic, and heart.”
Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me

Chosen by students for The Grand Canyon Reader Award

A Junior Library Guild selection

Purchase The Lifters here or at your local bookstore!