Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Undercurrent
    Undercurrent
    Undercurrent
    Ebook276 pages4 hours

    Undercurrent

    By Paul Blackwell

    3/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    In Undercurrent, Paul Blackwell's fast-paced teen thriller, sixteen-year-old Callum Harris survives a plummet over a waterfall but wakes to find himself in a life that's totally different from the one he knew.

    His parents were separated. Now they're together. His brother, Cole, was a sports star. Now he's paralyzed. And Callum, who used to be quiet and sort of unpopular, is suddenly a jock with two hot girls after him. But there's one difference that matters more than all the others combined: His former best friend wants Callum dead. And he isn't the only one.

    Tense and original, Undercurrent is a psychological thrill ride with sci-fi elements that will appeal to fans of Neal Shusterman. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books said, "the riveting opening and intense final scene will keep genre fans satisfied and breathless," while ALA Booklist called it "a menacing, suspenseful thriller."

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperTeen
    Release dateJul 23, 2013
    ISBN9780062123510
    Undercurrent
    Author

    Paul Blackwell

    Paul BLackwell never went over a waterfall himself, but he has jumped off a sixty-foot cliff. Once was enough. This is his first book for teens. He lives in Montreal, Quebec.

    Related to Undercurrent

    Related ebooks

    Young Adult For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Harrow Lake

      Jun 17, 2020

      RELEASED 9 JULY 320 pages | Paperback/ebook/ audiobook Author Kat Ellis Publisher Penguin Books Author Kat Ellis Publisher Penguin Books Harrow Lake taps neatly into nostalgic hooks, and one of its key strengths is in creating a very believable histo

      1 min read

    • Article

      THE OUTLAWS SCARLETT & BROWNE

      Mar 24, 2021

      400 pages | Paperback/ebook ▶ Author Jonathan Stroud ▶ Publisher Walker Books What a fun little adventure this is – although that’s hardly a surprise, given that it’s penned by the author of the Bartimaeus and Lockwood & Co series (the latter current

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Book Eaters

      Aug 10, 2022

      The Book Eaters
      1 min read

    • Article

      Don’t Have A Bird

      Aug 2, 2020

      There are so many rites of passage you’ve already missed out on, and the school ball is destined to become another item on that ever-growing list. You try to delay the inevitable until every breath from your lungs sounds as if cystic fibrosis is cack

      12 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems

      Nov 1, 2023

      I settled for the reverse narrative. The after ever, happily. I’d purchased a dragon, a handful of teeth in a tin (they’d advertised it as arattle!), a surgeon’s veil, some Oil of Olay, a few parasites. The water rippled, and I stood very close to it

      2 min read

    • Article

      After “The End”

      Oct 10, 2022

      I walked down the road with a hunched back and a wet cigarette in my mouth—the fire had died a while back. My hands were tucked into the pockets of my jacket, and my hair fell over my face, limiting my sight. But I wasn’t really seeing where I was go

      10 min read

    • Article

      I, Von Economo

      Oct 10, 2022

      I’d never seen a Bentley Mulsanne in the flesh, not even in the chop shops where I sold the luxury cars I boosted. Yet there it was, parked behind an inner-city soup kitchen with its signature hood ornament of silver wings stretched wide to the heave

      12 min read

    • Article

      Notes From A Nothing

      Feb 14, 2020

      Notes From A Nothing
      13 min read

    • Article

      Chosen

      Aug 2, 2018

      Chosen
      10 min read

    • Article

      What The Magpie Says

      Oct 16, 2022

      What The Magpie Says
      8 min read

    • Article

      Blackberries

      Apr 5, 2023

      Blackberries
      24 min read

    • Article

      Penny

      Jul 2, 2020

      Penny
      6 min read

    • Article

      Rising Sign

      Feb 4, 2021

      Rising Sign
      10 min read

    • Article

      Letting Go

      Oct 30, 2021

      Letting Go
      7 min read

    • Article

      Letting Go

      Oct 29, 2021

      Letting Go
      7 min read

    • Article

      Why the Egg Matters

      Mar 2, 2020

      Why the Egg Matters
      9 min read

    • Article

      Sweet Sorrow

      Aug 19, 2019

      Sweet Sorrow
      8 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reads

      Dec 30, 2019

      Summer Reads
      7 min read

    • Article

      Now That I’ve Arrived

      Dec 30, 2020

      Now That I’ve Arrived
      5 min read

    • Article

      Sylvie Baumgartel

      Jun 15, 2018

      I walked in the door, took off my coat, took off my sunglasses, set them down with my keys, took off my shoes and socks, my jeans, my shirt, my bra and underwear, set them all on the chair by the door, walked into the house naked, went to the fridge,

      10 min read

    • Article

      Dark Tales

      Dec 2, 2021

      Dark Tales
      6 min read

    • Article

      Honey

      May 18, 2020

      It’s dark in here but I don’t mind. I wish I had a cushion, though. The floor is hard and I have pulled my knees close to my chest, arms around them, to try to keep warm. It’s a strange place to hide but I find the familiar scents of my family comfor

      3 min read

    • Article

      Small Tortoiseshell

      Mar 8, 2022

      Small Tortoiseshell
      5 min read

    • Article

      Unwante Guests Ed

      Aug 3, 2021

      Unwante Guests Ed
      4 min read

    • Article

      An Eye In The Throat

      Mar 19, 2024

      My father answers the phone. He is twenty-three years old, and, as everyone does in the nineties, he picks up the receiver without knowing who is calling. People call all day long, and my parents pick up and say, “Hello?” and then people say, “It’s C

      35 min read

    • Article

      Good Bones

      Mar 19, 2020

      Good Bones
      18 min read

    • Article

      Tomorrows

      Mar 15, 2022

      The night, as most nights, was like a dream. At ten, once I’d fed the dog the last scraps off the stove. Once I’d cursed the cat for scratching up my mama’s antique furniture, then welcomed him back into my arms. Once I’d slicked my hair into a ponyt

      26 min read

    • Article

      Heave’s Whisky

      Feb 27, 2024

      Heave’s Whisky
      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Undercurrent

    3/5

    19 ratings7 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      I received a copy of this from the publisher for review via Edelweiss.

      This is another HarperTeen book, so it’s safe to say I heard of it on Tea Time (not that I remember for sure). I’m slightly obsessed with all things HarperTeen, so when I see a book of theirs on Edelweiss, I request it, and I was lucky enough to be approved to read and review an e-ARC of Undercurrent.

      I’m having a hard time even collecting my thoughts on Undercurrent, and I finished it two days ago. I really liked the beginning, and how it jumped right into the story. The very first page talks about Callum going over the Crystal Falls and waking up in the hospital. It doesn’t take him long after waking up to realize that things have changed for him, though. People he thought were his friends aren’t around, and people he barely knows are buddying up to him.

      From there, though, I kind of felt like I failed to connect to it. I don’t know exactly what it was about it that made me feel that way. I think part of it was probably a mood thing. You see, Undercurrent is a bit darker of a story than the other alternate reality books that I’ve read and loved, and I’m just not sure that’s what I was in the mood to read. I gathered from the description that it would be a bit of a thriller, but I felt like everything in Callum’s new world was twisted and dark. Also, I found myself very confused. We don’t find out until close to the end of the book how or why Callum is in this new reality or a lot of what is going on around him, so I just found myself often confused. One other thing that bothered me, but not to the extent of what I’ve already mentioned, was that there was a bit of predictability in the ending of Undercurrent. Not the full thing, but from the very beginning, there is a mysterious character that Callum sees, and I quickly predicted who he was.

      Also, I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the characters. Callum specifically grated on my nerves. He very quickly realizes that things aren’t as he remembers them, but he almost seems to spend most of the story in denial, rather than trying to figure out what was going on. Also, I felt like he was really isolated a lot of the time. Unlike other stories I’ve read, he didn’t really have a confidante or that one person that was always by his side, and it was kind of depressing.

      I actually really liked the ending. Finding out the full story of how and why Callum ended up going after the falls was pretty surprising. That was one thing that I definitely didn’t predict. However, I did feel like it ended kind of abruptly. I can’t find anything to know for sure whether Undercurrent is going to be part of a series or not, but I feel like the ending left it so that it could really go either way. I felt like we got a decent resolution to the events of this story, but it also left an opening for a future book, if Blackwell decides to go that way. If there were to be a sequel, I would probably read it, since I enjoyed the ending, though the story as a whole didn’t really do it for me.

      Overall, I don’t think that Undercurrent was a bad book. If you’re in the mood for an alternate reality story with a lot of mystery and a bit of a dark, creepy story line, you would probably really enjoy this book. Honestly, I think it was more of a case of the wrong book at the wrong time for me, so I can’t really recommend whether to read or avoid it. I guess read the description, think about the things I didn’t like about it, and make the decision for yourself. I really wish I could be of more help and give a definitive answer, but I’m still just not really sure how to rate this book. I guess because I enjoyed the very beginning and the very end but felt mostly detached throughout most of it, I’m going to just say that it’s okay.

      This review is also posted on my blog, Mommy's Reading Break.
    • 5/5
      သ
    • 5/5
      hot
    • 5/5
      gud ideas
    • 4/5
      Dimensional stories are a new genre that I'm really loving. It a mix of moving action along with a mysterious force, pulling the reader into different worlds. I, for one, loved this story.Plot: What would you do if you plunged into water and woke up in a different world? First, I freak out and then I think what do to. The plot moved well gathering the reader for great world building and characters. On the surface, the reader see and feels the gaps in the world. It's a daring experience trying to put everything together at once. I let the story guide me, putting myself in the thoughts of Callum, I let everything seeped into my mind slowly they way he did. He was smart and after thinking things through bit by bit, he slowly began to understand what is happening. It does move slow in the beginning, but it does have a lot of information to divulge, so give the book time to unfold.Characters: There are some minor character that put the final piece of the puzzle and helped Callum. I felt like these guys (especially the end) was the comedy relief guys. No one understood their weird comments or actions. I knew to pay attention more to these guys cause they knew more than what they led on. Callum himself, did a big change in taking a role he didn't want to play and well played it perfectly. He did act strange at first but he got it. Callum questioned why he was so different in this world and what happen to change it. I always wondered myself what I would be like in another dimensional world. *shrugs*Dimensional: This is the main part of the story and yes I loved it. It played out well from beginning to end, giving the reader an impressive experience. For me, dimensional stories are hard to pull off since they can be confusing. Blackwell doesn't confuse the reader at all, instead giving the reader a steady and exciting story to read.Undercurrent is a dark, impressive story. With the perfect ingredients of action, mystery and dimensions, Blackwell excellent story telling moves the reader. With a vivid execution from start to finish, Undercurrent is an entertaining ride.
    • 3/5
      Undercurrent is one of those book that when you start reading, it seem like it will be pretty good. But as you keep reading it begins to become just okay. This is that book for me. It starts off with Callum, who has went over the waterfall, and now that he has woken up, everything is different than he remembers, from his family’home life to school, to girls. So, I was curious as to what what was really going on.

      Callum was confused, but seemed to be genreally a nice guy. Well, this Callum is, the “other”, not so much. Sometimes, I wanted to shake him and tell him that the answers are right in front of him. I still can’t put my finger on what is was exactly about Callum, but I did like him, and wanted him to figure out what was going on. There isn’t a whole of secondary character that really caught my attention, they were just part of the story.

      The plot itself was entertaining. Callum’s world has been turned upside down. Those he remembers as friends all hate him. The girl he loves, thinks they something wrong with him for talking to her because he “never” has talked to her. His home life is completely effed up too. The alternate reality aspect was my favorite part, and the mystery of what happened and who was great. I was hoping that would have been a little more development from the plot itself and learned more about the other world. there seemed to be a lot of questions along the way, and for the most part the mystery was resolved, but the ending felt like it was rushed. But I enjoyed it none the less. I am wondering if there will be a sequel with the way it ended, it certainly left room for more story.

      Undercurrent, was a great thrill ride, with the alternate realities and the mystery to go with it. I would definitely say pick this one.
    • 2/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: Cal Harris was only trying to set an example and make a point, instead he ends up in a three day coma and finally waking up is just the beginning of his nightmare.Opening Sentence: A hundred and twenty gallons of water roar over Crystal Falls every second, it says on the plaques and in every pamphlet in town.Review:I enjoy reading thrillers like this one. The ending might be just a tad predictable and the plot may be just a smidge over done, but even with played out plots like this one, I enjoy finding just the few little things that make it stand out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really find anything to really stand out in Undercurrent.Cal, or Callum, as he prefers to be called, goes through a near-death experience that leaves him feeling completely out of sorts when he wakes up from a coma. It begins with subtle things like strangers acting more aggressively than necessary, his brother not visiting him in the hospital, his once best friend trying to kill him, that sort of thing. Literally, as soon as these first few scenes played out I pretty much knew exactly what I was in for throughout the rest of the book. Now, I said I like finding the unique things in common stories but Undercurrent pretty much had everything I would expect when characters are trying to “re-discover” their world. The sceevy guy is having an affair with an important town figure. The good kid becomes a bully. The hot chick wants the dork who used to be horrible at sports but now finds himself the star of the football team. Yeah. Seen it. Know it. Don’t need it again.As predictable as it all was, I will credit Blackwell with keeping certain events just elusive enough that I wanted to keep reading. What’s up with the science teacher? Will the guy get the girl? Who is this dude in the sweatshirt that keeps popping up everywhere? Will Cal ever get his dog to love him the way she did before his accident?I had my strong suspicions, most of which ended up right, but I had to keep reading to know for sure. I think that’s where Blackwell did the best work. There was just enough happening that I wanted and needed to see all the loose strings come together. However, with all that enticement, I felt like some of the questions were never answered at all. It isn’t a situation where he gives something of an ending to a situation and the rest is left for our imaginations. No, there are some blatant gaping loose ends.On the other hand, Blackwell did a really great job with the back stories of some of the characters which he presented as flash-backs. I really like when a story goes smoothly from a really important memory back to the present without giving away why the memory was important at that moment or breaking the forward flow of the story. It’s an added bonus when more of the memory is added as the story progresses, something Blackwell did quite well.Overall, I enjoyed the idea of the story. It needs some depth added to a few of the characters and maybe a less predictable twist. But, I will say it was well written and likeable enough. I just felt like I’d read it at least a dozen times before which was very disappointing.Notable Scene:“On the bridge,” I say, not that it could be any more obvious. “Just now. What did you just drop into the falls?”Mr. Schroeder looks at me while the rain bounces off his jacket- and I am probably as wet and cold as when they pulled me out of the river. “It was a message,” he tells me wearily. “saying I was on my way.” He pulls the little black box out again, which now has a solid green light on it. “And according to this, the message was delivered.”FTC Advisory: Harper Collins provided me with a copy of Undercurrent. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

    Book preview

    Undercurrent - Paul Blackwell

    ݖbbook_preview_excerpt.html}\ےǑ;<U1$svI!c]@?/{=dVuc(o}:yd9o~77<=>?K_B_W%iShOU:V0DZS^im#.wU3WSⶾ·x\6|^⤷4C781-AwrnmKU״m0Mq?F}Qy^xXMͯq˦KuMZ5 |>.I73LqM> ǘO6y{g渦yWS[/?QSϼ>1]k.Zհ`p%-msz:b,50FwlxW}`=fLwW=TuS/?q9ȿkTpx.8=:UUoƉOƝn{.@bTw sƀO12(2j 2sXZn5li{LgL95c cd%_iNÐ{vUGgv U'>)#y.ڷ)wՏX;nË9.-pWMFk{1wxN̽<ƍNɼ(-H\ Y!߾pMKuezU Z9K^U6?$6x5< Vw~9Lt`"Cl-;q1\zYx2-!{dzy^þqyF C3mK,!+,0^q0]m찫h+͹˓ԟ˾Lˈ%$`]N8N Zb9v^6fbQ0֚z_VKn 46O6scX@ Zl]4$~|6@%p@W9:8zj%2K#Xi?oآ~UcF~>r\a@اt-r} IVBЦr.J08!{uI;c|_歯ϣ-^35ޏ 6; 8 QDe;9^Ӄ n#- wmcZ0O ;.u i\H3ai1c( 5&J&Ɩ3x 1r`V"AT,CScYiΩ-Ƌ_ $ͳȬp}^d;_ħJx;L#. {~骱1fqvrlb["*͆J_d'LmkбV\WI$yi1/K,Wc?% 8D6UlbODXP$t "QS}eDtk{{Sh3J ',҆빂#`<\i018p'wn3F3[VXë@䧁ƀmHkTSd3F5c&=5-!9{}(,WJNnHIK&9НuN;Kws'Mx@gJ`0lp5z їlZ9F)6XI֢a6NmsxrochΆy |Cvwf.om#7ߚ>秒=8LTKF_+˽!E?KB0,q(7)-/7Mqn◩ "R3JkK0x"#x0N,,9 Jǫ:?~gXůZ$6o,8i#6!XT.]KNy]3GmCaL{b)9ߜw,%1X1s'Fi4S =1^ߞ/i/YNW6O/ mvS^$oR3я;H ƶFDm%/^:Q$-v)e2:+% FHےn m* DZ@A*3i!f@;|n. ɘqk# I (j[5/ )Cg{¡3\0F328?z ǘ_EQa֘H!% Unډ 7gI=lj9s,H`BwOd0.gRd.0>ΖYt̺@^ M"YSUo3G 0JLZ@ވ (CSgfˇ'L3%-2:I] xwVVua{:%aܺ 3WHXY+ 6+tKlx(g<ٔq{w*Azžj2'Ǝ*2=r i}T:&ZZJ)F0gIM>0Js>Uo:϶H$Yj&IL+?MWGЫ8U ,\#B&atx[ctɾhYS/*u_pZҌ43ԝȗ@d^q#i=]) '}f$D&\E$w)I PwӴ=ah{Q 5l=K1wW݆~.nFX;;ńqRQIcP2}A,qL 3un Ih"@+y@ڪs6ɅTmc0=qhԋ < 9#JC1׮FRovBl7|f) XIG8(rO: e"ГJ6kE*C1rYwVp5C50 /C{A8X3ЌW"ыUiELJ[IhWœ}P*z< N?gDә6;6` LZA?PniQ&H>-zLkw˱]ȡluǢrtzJ2H\egn{eΉ {w0wɂ~4v"*21#J sjd^~MD/S5oAa \ROeޛPaaclӇhJ-Y5dl/k=-MC&A]m%*dSۥ=HY%17i,?tU!j\~a /GJ"1{oc)hcȣ K\/ 7s;_ش6 K0o T/?}xۏ%LJ?U?9?Tꛅgt\ 7:I{:_PW-i* LN]/Lt+QPQݒ6DsḀU*ʦ8Oj}몌ϮM\vfZJM|fxR ](no]O?,du_\+n.oRNja[͓/kWB/ϔUS/ŋ3Vu@9S[vP.ox@ti٢HVR>y&mBJ7- ("aB7`ZvYHѰ; 9Z w{\>KvtQoLrKdi=j}b?"wyn9U/͒ Wu55K&UT^n[Iظ?XC"dǽ'HS'&h ޻^0q:/a..ȒxIݓtӨ-0l'S g9Q!,(2+> K*:\<־ ي6@DMyULS [vkζo/?4V ?{0s`~] 5v-7 Ͳ7QgJ[mY/LU945huibzMȏzAΦ8 tX|9Aӭ}3rx34TjA:Tv@2b?GLF$\t:I:˽9aϫ؉e#/Àu͔r]'Ӽb7h_) ;+gh)D!lP`8ؑ/LX4̛mQV-^WQ_XroiY}kҩHP#\e4jH΋ͯ)z>IC9!$]bNbsj[L(RzSt>_Dih akhVIH ccL׬Y} )tf?칬QGzhkճ֎ãBP;kSQ@*C#41xtC'GR4s)KeRe /xwUZƫ6=9頇z,0b]x]('qǨ7=a}J<^IW7i Yg۟HotXܹnX/e3ǰ Rx6a˦YGB"2fy,bՓh$V![ۇN\nğ4ߏ]pHulM>-u) \GZR#^ P0ºf#zL.hmsԐ#'?n׽5F~\*"otά 0rԹoǴG3-&Pľ`M_' m#?'i~؁nL \bȿ1R\>W{uk%zT:xvϤ@֜]O
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1