The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry (Sunderworld #1) by Ransom Riggs

The instant New York Times bestseller and one of the best YA books of 2024 from visionary storyteller Ransom Riggs!

Weaving the familiar with the peculiar, this stunning tale of loss, triumph, friendship and magic, will remind readers everywhere that true heroes are made, not born—and when you’re never the chosen one, sometimes you have to choose yourself.

Seventeen-year-old Leopold Berry is seeing weird things around Los Angeles. A man who pops a tooth into a parking meter. A glowing trapdoor in a parking lot. A half-mechanical raccoon with its tail on fire that just won’t leave him alone. Every hallucinatory moment seems plucked from a cheesy 1990s fantasy TV show called Max's Adventures in Sunderworld—and that’s because they are. 

Not a good sign.

In the blurry weeks after his mother’s death, a young Leopold discovered VHS tapes of its one and only season in a box headed for the trash—and soon became obsessed. Losing himself in Sunder was the best way to avoid two things: grieving his mother and being a chronic disappointment to his overbearing father. But when the strange visions return—at the worst possible time on the worst possible day—Leopold turns to his best friend Emmet for help. Together they discover that Sunder is much more than just an old TV show, and that Los Angeles is far stranger than they ever imagined. And soon, he’ll realize that not only is Sunderworld real, but it’s in grave danger.

Certain he’s finally been chosen for greatness, Leopold risks everything to claim his destiny, save the world of his childhood dreams, and prove once and for all that he’s not the disappointment his father believes him to be. But when everything goes terribly, horribly, excruciatingly wrong, Leopold’s disappointments prove to be more extraordinary than he ever could have imagined.

How do you battle darkness when no one believes in you—not even yourself?

Welcome to Sunderworld.

Review

★ "Riggs’s incandescent storytelling, exquisite worldbuilding, and vivid characterization kick off a propulsive series starter that subverts the chosen-one trope via a self-made antihero who learns to choose himself. If Leopold finds more questions than answers, readers will be heartened by the promise of more adventure and intrigue following this whirlwind opener."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Like the bittersweet Los Angeles it occupies, Leopold's offbeat Sunderworld is a little grimy and a little broken, but the magic is real and will stick with you."—Booklist, starred review

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dutton Books for Young Readers (August 27, 2024)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593530931

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.81 x 1.13 x 8.56 inches

Sub-Category

#Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Self Esteem & Reliance

#Teen & Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy

#Teen & Young Adult Wizards & Witches Fantasy

Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars    227 ratings