Tunnels! (True Stories from the Edge) - Softcover

Ten riveting true stories of dramatic events in tunnels around the world!

Did you know that tunnels were instrumental in the dramatic rescue of 72 hostages held for over four months in the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru? During the Vietnam War, guerrilla fighters known as the Viet Cong created a sophisticated system of tunnels complete with four levels, trap doors, and strategic ditches, slopes, and zigzags that rendered grenades and tear gas ineffective. And in Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War, 109 Union prisoners-of-war made a daring escape from Libby Prison after successfully tunneling from the prison cellar, beneath a vacant lot, under a fence, and into a small carriage shed nearby.

In this book young readers will find 10 spectacular tunnel stories from around the world. There are stories of surviving a mining disaster, uncovering treasure in the tomb of an ancient Egyptian king, smuggling people to freedom, and building transport tunnels deep beneath the sea. Some of the stories are about crooks who robbed banks or smuggled drugs. Others are of the heroes who worked selflessly to save the lives of those trapped in a burning mountain inferno. There are gripping, true accounts of human drama beneath the ground. Each fast-paced story propels the reader to the next one.

Key Features

award-winning and established author
fascinating true stories of ingenuity, drama, tragedy, and heroics
black and white diagrams of each tunnel