When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where spiders, rats, cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. This world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it -- until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Reluctantly, Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever. (Amazon)Reviewed by Rachel Birch, Secret Chef
(Gregor the Overlander is the first book in the Underland Chronicles, written by the same author as The Hunger Games).
The book starts out as Gregor (the main character) has to stay home from summer camp to care for his toddler sister while his Mom is at work.
Gregor's dad has disappeared and the family is on the brink of poverty. On one sweltering hot day, Gregor and his sister "Boots" go in the basement of his apartment building to do a load of laundry. He is throwing a ball around the room to entertain Boots while doing the laundry. Boots disappears and Gregor discovers she has fallen through a vent. He immediately falls after her. They find themselves in a land of underground cities, giant rats, helpful bat companions, and giant roaches who worship Boots.
As the story progresses we find that Gregor's arrival has been foretold in a prophecy and we follow Gregor on an adventure to save human life as the underground city, Regalia, knows it. Gregor discovers himself, gains skills and finds a major missing part in his life.
This book is the first of five in a series. I have read the first three and have enjoyed them all. "Gregor the Overlander" reads fast and is very engaging. I highly recommend it for anyone who needs a quick and fun escape to new adventures.
Market: Middle Grade
Language: None
Sensuality: None
Violence: Mild (Science fiction battle between fantasy creatures)
Mature Themes: Poverty
Book formats:
2 comments:
I've heard really great things about this series. Some people I talk to like it even better than the Hunger Games trilogy :)
Thanks for the great review!
I thought this was a really cute series! In fact, I just recommended it to my nephew! Thanks for the great review Rachel.
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