Downside UpBy: Richard Scrimger Fred is a sixth grader reeling from the loss of his beloved dog, Casey. Every day he walks home from school bouncing Casey's old worn out tennis ball. One day, the ball falls down a sewer grate, and Fred can't bear to leave it down there. He pries open the grate and stumbles down. Through the sewer, Fred enters a parallel universe: Casey is alive, his mom and sister are happier, and there's a version of Fred who's happier too.