Gregor The Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Genre: Middle grade/ Fantasy
Release Date: August 1, 2004
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 308
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.
I received this book as a Christmas present (SCORE!), which I'm assuming was given to me due to my love of the Hunger Games Trilogy.
Though the plot wasn't as intriguing as the Hunger Games, I enjoyed it. It's a sweet, simple story about a boy living in New York City who stumbles down a vent in his basement laundry room. When he discovers that his missing father is a captive of a race of villainous rats he and his baby sister set out , accompanied by several critters, to fulfill a prophecy before war destroys the Underland.
This novel was an enjoyable and quick read. The story is reminiscent of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which is intentional. Collins' idea was inspired by Lewis Carroll's classic with the twist being that Underland is somewhat more realistic to what one may expect to find hidden underneath a massive city like New York. (ie; rats, cockroaches and bats) Honestly the critters used in the story didn't really bother me, yes they talked, but Collins gave them each a distinctive voice which I enjoyed and appreciated.
Gregor is a great hero for boys. He is sensitive without being too difficult to empathize with. (He doesn't moan on about his missing father to the point where you no longer care, which I appreciated) What I also enjoyed is that he doesn't want to be a hero. In fact, he would prefer to get home, but discovering his father is alive brings out the burning desire to be reunited with him. His baby sister was cute and added a fun quality to this type of quest tale.
Over all I would definitely recommend this for someone looking for a great book for middle grade boys to read. There is nothing overly gruesome or graphic, even though it is a tale of war, and there are some very entertaining passages as well.
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