Gregor the Overlander

Plenty of authors have come forth with series to ride the Harry Potter wave of success or perhaps dethrone its reign as Young Adult fantasy king. Currently two series are on top: Twilight and The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins is the author of The Hunger Games, but before she wrote that series she wrote Gregor the Overlander.


Collins's goal when writing Gregor and the books that follow it was to create a mythology that would resonate with kids who live in the city. Most fantasies revolve around pastoral themes with animals uncommon to urban environments. So instead of fantasy meadows filled with dragons, unicorns, and talking badgers, we have an underground world beneath New York City filled with talking cockroaches, giant bats, and vicious rats. Here a small society of humans have lived for many years, bonding with bats that they fly on, and fighting back rat attacks.

Gregor accidentally finds this world when his little sister Boots tries to climb into a dryer vent in the apartment complex they live in. Suddenly they are sucked in and taken to the Underland. There Gregor meets a band of giant talking cockroaches who lead him to the society of humans. There, he realizes that he is at the center of a major Underland prophecy. Gregor is an Overland "warrior" who will end the war against the rats. Astonished at this (in disbelief), Gregor seeks escape so he can return to his mother. However, when it is revealed that his long-lost father lives in Underland as a prisoner of the rats, Gregor finds that he has no choice but see if he is the mighty warrior of Underland prophecy.

For a children's fantasy, this book is pretty short. It has a pacing similar to the first two Harry Potter books. Like those books, it is a self-contained story with a promise of more to come. It also moves fairly quickly and never really digs deep under the surface (pun intended, after the fact). We meet an interesting cast of characters, get a taste of the Underworld mythology, run into a surprise or two and then the book ends. While it is pretty clever, it isn't nearly as rich as some of the other fantasy series out there for kids. That might make it more appealing, though, to a reluctant reader.

Parents and educators should be aware that there is a bit of violence in this book and several characters die. That said, it's much less violent (so I hear) than the Hunger Games books. It's age appropriate for 9 and up, but might be a bit much for sensitive children younger than that.

Overall, the premise was interesting, the mythology off to a good start, and a good mix of action and humor. That made up for some bland secondary characters and a lack of overall depth. It didn't suck me in...so I don't know if I'll read the rest of the series, but if I do, it should be fun. Perfect for kids 9 to 13.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

(88/100)