The book Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins begins with our main character Gregor chasing his sister down a laundry shoot into a mysterious world – Underland, a world of oversized cockroaches, spiders, bats, and worst of all… rats! Will they ever make it out of this creepy land back to their Mom? Will they discover something in the dark world worth the dangerous journey?

I loved the characterization of the different creatures. Our perceptions of “icky” creatures are greatly exaggerated and literally enlarged, and then the creatures are given feelings and personalities too. The baby sister Boots is also a very well thought out character and without her the book wouldn’t be the same nor nearly as enjoyable.

Another thing that I appreciated was the believable fighting, our main character didn’t suddenly find himself endowed with super-talents to battle in the Underland but had to use what little he already had – wit and courage. I also enjoyed the convincing plot development with regards to friendship and trust.

I really wanted more happy at the end, but I’m realizing that I might just be too needy about Happily Ever Afters. It seems to be a common theme for me. I also thought that Gregor seemed a little one dimensional. While his thoughts were plausible, I felt like there was still something missing. Maybe a more noticeable flaw to juxtapose his qualities a little more. One thing I would love to imitate though would be the clear and not over detailed depiction of a different world.

I would highly recommend this book.

“Hope,” said Vikus “there are times it will be very hard to find. Time when it will be much easier to choose hate instead. But if you want to find peace, you must first be able to hope it is possible.”

Enjoyment Level: 5/5
Beginning: 4/5
Middle: 5/5
Ending: 3/5

Kate

Gregor The Overlander by Suzanne Collins
(c) 2003, Scholastic
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
0-439-43536-6
308 pages