By Colorado Kids Advisory Board member Madeleine

Title: Gregor the Overlander
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Number of Pages: 311

Title: Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Number of Pages: 312



Gregor was your average everyday 11 year old kid from New York City. Until, one day he followed his 2 year old sister, Boots, into an air duct in their building's laundry room and down into the Underland. Here, everything that you once knew as fact is changed. Giant bats and cockroaches roam the land, along with spiders, butterflies, and worst of all, rats. Gregor and his little sister are taken by a pair of friendly cockroaches to the main city in the Underland, Regalia. Here, bats and humans live in harmony. But these are no ordinary humans. They are Underlanders, and they have purple eyes and their skin looks like it has never seen light (but that's because it hasn't). Here, Gregor and Boots meets Princess Luxa, who is soon to become to Queen of Regalia. They are then taken to the castle and their fate is explained.
One night Gregor and Boots try to sneak out of the city but are met by two large rats. Luckily, their new friends from the palace come to their rescue. This includes Luxa, her Grandfather, Vikus, and, another royal, Henry. When Gregor and Boots are taken back to the palace they find out Gregor has just fulfilled his destiny. He is supposedly the Warrior from an ancient prophecy of the Underland. He must now go on a journey to keep the rats from invading. The prophecy says:

"Two Over, Two Under, Of Royal Descent,
Two Flyers, Two Crawlers, Two Spinners Assent.
One Gnawer Beside Them, One Lost Up Ahead.
And Eight Will Be Left When We Count Up The Dead."

The team must face many obstacles to reach their goal. In the end, four of the members will be lost. But, there is another adventure waiting just around the corner. Gregor and Boots are once again pulled to the Underland. And Gregor finds out that his part in this tale is not yet over. He must seek out the creature called the Bane. It is supposedly a giant white rat that will some day conquer all of the Underland. The Prophecy of Bane says:

"Die The Baby, Die His Heart,
Die His Most Essential Part.
Die The Peace That Rules The Hours.
Gnawers Have The Key To Power."

This is most troubling to Gregor because he is assuming, along with every other Underlander, that it's talking about his baby sister, Boots. So now, ready to start on the quest to save both the Underland and his sister, he finds out more depressing news. This time they are not accompanied by as many friends. However, he does have a new bat partner, named Ares. Gregor, Boots, and the small group set out on their journey in boats, but will find that the sea is a cruel lady. They must fight many twists and turns to get to their destination and even once they are there, there are many complications.

I thought these books were extremely well written. You got to know each and every character as well as you got to know the main character. You could tell what they were thinking and how they would react to each situation. The plot was excellently thought out. Every time you turned the page, there was a new surprise waiting for you. There was so much detail you could picture yourself watching as the plot unfolded.

I would definitely recommend this series and the next books after it. The plot was just such a fresh new idea and the characters were so exciting and different from you everyday heroes. Grades 4 through 12 would probably like this series, but it might be a little gory for younger children. I'm fairly certain adults would enjoy it too. If you liked these books I would recommend The Harry Potter Series and The Lord of The Rings Trilogy. Both include new worlds and interesting creatures. But in general, adventure is probably a good genre for you.
So, do Boots and Gregor succeed in their missions? Do they ever get out of the Underland? These are questions you will have to answer yourself when you read the first two installments of the Underland Chronicles. (February, 2005)