Author(s): Ben Hatke

Children's & YA Graphic | Junior Fiction | Fantasy & Magic | Read our reviews!

It was supposed to just be a normal basement-some storage boxes, dust, you know, the usual basement stuff. But when Milo is sent by his mother to fetch a sock from the basement of the historic home they've moved into, he finds a door in the back that he's never seen before. Turns out that the basement of his house is enormous. In fact, there is a whole world down there. As Milo travels ever deeper into the Basement World, he meets the many Things that live in the shadows and gloom . . . and he learns that to face his fears he must approach even the strangest creatures with kindnesss. With spare, simple text and lavish art, Hatke weaves a story of a journey deep into an underworld fraught with peril and unexpected revelations that will resonate with-and move-readers of all ages.

STELLA'S REVIEW:
Milo has twin siblings, the household is busy, and the babies are crying. One of them is missing a pink sock and Milo has been sent to the laundry to find it. The laundry is in the basement. The pink sock is there somewhere, along with something else. Or many something elses! In Milo’s search for the pink sock, he will find stairs that keep going down, much further down than in any ordinary house, secret doors, trapdoors, strange cracks in the walls, rooms that open on to other rooms, and a world that is both fascinating and strange, and a little bit terrifying. Milo’s determined to get the sock back, so in spite of his fear he ventures forth. Not all things in the Basement World are foe, there are friends to help as well. Hatke’s murky colour palette adds to the feeling of imminent danger and contrasts nicely with the shining torches, glimpses of pink wool and humorous moments. The curious, if nervous, Milo is our guide through this underworld and don’t worry he’ll get you back to the world above with a pink sock, of sorts. This is aimed at 7 years up, but not for the faint-hearted. It’s wonderfully imaginative and magical, and an excellent graphic novel for those that like their stories with a spooky edge.

Review:
"Tasked by his preoccupied mother with finding one of his infant twin sisters' socks in the family's basement laundry room, a young boy descends into entire worlds in Hatke's haunted, wondrous museum of a graphic novel." --The New York Times, from "The Best Children's Books of 2023"
"Hatke gently blends both whimsical and terrifying imagery to create a fantastical, dreamily atmospheric katabasis..." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Generous in structure, as well, just when the tale could come to a satisfying conclusion, it opens wider, its most heart-pounding moments still ahead." -- Booklist, starred review
"Ben Hatke's inspired plot is visually driven, creative, and multilayered...Things in the Basement is a gorgeous, maze-like graphic novel for young readers..." --Shelf Awareness, starred review
"Hatke is at his best in this book that blends fantasy with reality, deftly -harmonizing murky greens and browns with cool blues and purples to create an eerie and wonderful atmosphere." --School Library Journal, starred review
"A journey of loss both intimate and fantastical, swept along by flowing, emotive illustrations." --Kirkus Reviews