Ben Hatke

Gr 3–5—A trip to the basement laundry to retrieve a missing sock turns into an epic journey as Milo ventures
through the never-ending cavern, making unusual friends and encountering danger. Hatke displays a genius for
setting as well as character; each level Milo descends features a different style of art, architecture, and sculpture. A
stellar story about courage and friendship.

The charming side characters remind me of a Ghibli movie cast. Zita herself is incredible heroic and a great role model. Definitely more of a plot-oriented story, even Zita doesn’t have much of an inner world that we see.

An enjoyable read. Many of the pages are wordless but following the story arc is easy for readers of any level. Milo finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime while in pursuit of his baby sister's missing sock. Who could guess what kind of world exists in the basement and beyond? To quote Milo, "This is a really big basement". It's a thoroughly engaging read. You'll be as determined to find that lost sock as Milo!

I lovelovelove these! I picked it up at the library hoping that my daughter would read it but I'm pretty sure I liked it more than she did. I look forward to adding them to my personal collection.