Omega City (Omega City Series #1)

by Diana Peterfreund

Overview

The first middle grade novel in an exciting new series from acclaimed author Diana Peterfreund, perfect for fans of The Goonies and City of Ember.

Gillian Seagret doesn’t listen to people who say her father’s a crackpot. His conspiracy theories about the lost technology of Cold War-era rocket scientist Dr. Aloysius Underberg may have cost him his job and forced them to move to a cottage in the sticks, but Gillian knows he’s right and plans to prove it.

When she discovers a missing page from Dr. Underberg’s diary in her father’s office, she thinks she’s found a big piece of the puzzle—a space-themed riddle promising to lead to Underberg’s greatest invention. Enlisting the help of her brother, Eric, her best friend, Savannah, and Howard, their NASA-obsessed schoolmate, Gillian sets off into the ruins of a vast doomsday bunker deep within the earth.

But they aren’t alone inside its dark and flooded halls. Now Gillian and her friends must race to explore Omega City and find the answers they need. For while Gillian wants to save her dad’s reputation by bringing Dr. Underberg’s secrets to light, others will stop at nothing to make sure they stay buried . . . forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062310866
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/10/2017
Series:	Omega City Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Diana Peterfreund is the author of many books for adults and children, including the critically acclaimed For Darkness Shows the Stars and Across a Star-Swept Sea. She lives with her family outside Washington, DC, in a house full of bookshelves, and is always on the lookout for lost cities or stray rocket ships.

Editorial Reviews

Young readers looking for a page-turning quest should get into this planned series on the ground floor.” — Booklist (starred review)

“[A] fast-paced series opener” — Publishers Weekly

“Omega city is a treat…an exciting read, hard to put down, and just plain fun.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“A crowd-pleaser in the spirit of The Goonies” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “[A] mysterious spy adventure in a lush and terrifying futuristic world” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “A charming bit of light adventure” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “A good bet for readers looking for strong female protagonists, characters of color or just an enjoyable romantic adventure with a science-fiction spin.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Peterfreund’s novel is riveting and intense...Readers will love this page-turning story and its dramatic climax.” — Romantic Times

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Engrossing and fastpaced.” — Booklist

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Complex in both plotting and themes, this science fiction revision of The Scarlet Pimpernel offers political intrigue, narrow escapes, and forbidden romance” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “A well-paced story led by a strong and likable heroine.” — School Library Journal

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Across a Star-Swept Sea is, like its main character Persis Blake, a delight. Intrigue, romance, beautiful world-building, nuanced characters, and timely, intriguing questions come together to make this the perfect read. I loved it!” — Allie Condie, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Matched trilogy

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “An imaginative and energetic retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel-sheer fun!” — Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of the Pink Carnation series

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Delicious romance, class warfare, and genetic engineering-Diana Peterfreund will ensnare you with this sci-fi twist to a classic story.” — Cinda Williams Chima, best-selling author of the Heir Chronicles and Seven Realms series

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “This novel is a postapocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion that will be a hit with fans of sci-fi romances … Readers will keep turning the pages right up to the end.” — School Library Journal

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “A richly envisioned portrait of a society in flux, a steely yet vulnerable heroine, and a young man who does some growing up.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “A post-apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion scores high for ingenuity.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “Diana Peterfreund’s For Darkness Shows the Stars is an impassioned ode to Jane Austen, love, and the hope found in stars.” — Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and A MILLION SUNS

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “Don’t you love it when a brilliant idea meets with brilliant execution? Thank you, Diana Peterfreund for giving us a post-apocalyptic Persuasion. This book is meltingly good.” — Laini Taylor, National Book Award Finalist for LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “A beautiful, epic love story you won’t be able to put down!” — Simone Elkeles, New York Times bestselling author of the Perfect Chemistry series

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “A smart and sexy tale of star-crossed love that’s as thought-provoking as it is heartbreaking.” — Robin Wasserman, author of THE BOOK OF BLOOD AND SHADOW

“Readers…will hardly have time to catch their breath before each new twist and turn.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Young readers looking for a page-turning quest should get into this planned series on the ground floor.

Booklist (starred review)

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Peterfreund’s novel is riveting and intense...Readers will love this page-turning story and its dramatic climax.

Romantic Times

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “[A] mysterious spy adventure in a lush and terrifying futuristic world

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (starred review)

A crowd-pleaser in the spirit of The Goonies

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “A beautiful, epic love story you won’t be able to put down!

Simone Elkeles

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “Don’t you love it when a brilliant idea meets with brilliant execution? Thank you, Diana Peterfreund for giving us a post-apocalyptic Persuasion. This book is meltingly good.

Laini Taylor

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “A smart and sexy tale of star-crossed love that’s as thought-provoking as it is heartbreaking.

Robin Wasserman

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “An imaginative and energetic retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel-sheer fun!

Lauren Willig

A crowd-pleaser in the spirit of The Goonies

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

02/16/2015
The missing page from a kooky aerospace scientist’s lost diary is the clue that sends Gillian Seagret, her younger brother, and her friends on an adventure into an underground bunker. But the treasure she expects to find—the prototype for a long-lasting battery—is nothing compared to what they actually discover: the subterranean Omega City, built during the Cold War to support life if the Earth were to become uninhabitable. The city has fallen into disrepair, and the pitfalls in its crumbling depths are as much a threat as the trio of armed thugs who are trying to steal Dr. Underberg’s inventions for themselves. In this fast-paced series opener, the author’s first for middle-graders, Peterfreund’s (Across a Star-Swept Sea) focus on character development is complemented by the equal attention she gives to the vast underground city itself. Gillian’s instincts to protect her friends and clear her historian father’s tarnished name are admirable, but Peterfreund gives every character the opportunity to grow, revealing themselves for who they really are. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Omega city is a treat…an exciting read, hard to put down, and just plain fun.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Engrossing and fastpaced.

Booklist

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Delicious romance, class warfare, and genetic engineering-Diana Peterfreund will ensnare you with this sci-fi twist to a classic story.

Cinda Williams Chima

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Across a Star-Swept Sea is, like its main character Persis Blake, a delight. Intrigue, romance, beautiful world-building, nuanced characters, and timely, intriguing questions come together to make this the perfect read. I loved it!

Allie Condie

Praise for FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS: “Diana Peterfreund’s For Darkness Shows the Stars is an impassioned ode to Jane Austen, love, and the hope found in stars.

Beth Revis

Praise for ACROSS A STAR-SWEPT SEA: “Engrossing and fastpaced.

Booklist

02/01/2015
Gr 4–7—Omega City narrowly avoids being a cliché among adventure books for the preteen set. It has a clueless professor dad, a villain so obvious that kids will spot her the moment her four-inch heels click onto the scene, preternaturally intelligent kids, and a secret that could save civilization—if the heroes can get to it first. But Peterfreund packs the novel with so much suspense, history, and science, readers can't help but overlook the traps of the genre and get enthralled in the story. A group of kids—Gillian; her younger brother (by 11 months) Eric; their friend Savannah; space savant Howard; and Howard's older brother Nate—find themselves in a race to discover an invention that could change the world. Their search leads them to an underground city built during the height of the Cold War. There the young heroes are chased and put into life-threatening situations by the villain and her henchmen. The plotting is fast paced and exciting. Readers—like Gillian and her friends—will hardly have time to catch their breath before each new twist and turn. VERDICT Peterfreund mixes science and history in a way that may appeal to nonfiction readers as well as to action fans.—Marie Drucker, Malverne Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

2014-12-22
Gillian's dad's conspiracy theories ruined the family…but what if he's right?With their parents divorced, 12-year-old Gillian and her brother, Eric, live with their disgraced scientist father in their former summer home. Mom is abroad researching a book and not likely to come back to the States soon. Dad's biography of the controversial (and missing) engineer Aloysius Underberg ended his career. Now, all the unemployed history professor does is speak at conspiracy conventions and read seminars on the like. That's where he met his new more-than-friend Fiona. Gillian's distrust of Fiona leads her and her friends to discover missing pages of Dr. Underberg's journal…which leads them to discover a secret underground bunker-city that is twice as hard to escape as it was to find, especially with gun-toting secret agents on their heels. Gillian wants to find Dr. Underberg's 100-year battery or at least proof that her father is not crazy, but what she and her friends find is much more amazing…and dangerous. Teen author Peterfreund tries her hand at a sci-fantasy thriller for a younger audience and misses the mark. Though her conversational first-person narrator is personable enough, the coincidence-dependent plot has significant holes, and the thrills are sadly uneven. A secondary-at-best middle-grade thriller—here's hoping the sequels improve. (Adventure. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews