This is one of my new all-time favorite books! In the beginning, you find out that 11 year old Ivy Sparrow's grandmother fell and seriously hurt herself, so she had to go to the hospital. At that time, Ivy's parents are away at far away work, so the kids (Ivy and her older brother Seb) are on their own. After making sure that their grandmother was safe at the hospital, they go back home to find their house wrecked. They have an unpleasant encounter with the "Underguards," strange men who are chasing them through their house, and out their front door. They escape the Underguards with help from Valian Kaye, a thief who may or may not be nice, and they fall headfirst into a whole new world, (or what seems like a whole new world to them). This place is called Ludinor, an underground city meant for uncommoners to trade their uncommon objects. Ivy and Seb have to figure out why the Underguards trashed their house, and much more urgent mysteries are popping up as well, and the kids' parents' lives may be on the line. Will Ivy and Seb find out about whats happening to their family, or will much darker consequences occur? I loved this book, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy/adventure books. My favorite character was a Ivy, because of her selflessness and her bravery. I also really like this book because it has a lot of variables, and every good book should have that. I would've rated it five stars, but I thought the ending wasn't really complete, so I rated it four. I hope you like this book as much as I did!