NOTE: Newest reviews are at the top of the page.

SERIES FINALE UPDATE: June 2007:
Gregor and the
Code of Claw
(Scholastic)
Suzanne Collins

Reading Level: 9-12

This fifth and final book in this series begins immediately after the end of The Marks of Secret. Gregor, the reluctant Warrior from the overland, lies on the floor of the room of prophecies. Covered in volcanic ash, he lay there staring at the final prophecy, The Prophecy of Time, carved into the domed ceiling.

Tick, tick, tick… The prophecy contains a troubling line, “When the warrior has been killed.” When the warrior has been killed! Tick, tick, tick… Time is running out for the Gregor. Should he flee to the safety of the Overland and his home in New York? Should he stay and fulfill his destiny? Tick, tick, tick… Should he be guided by his love of family, or his newfound love in this underground realm? Tick, tick, tick… Gregor must bear the weight of responsibility and self-sacrifice no adult should have to bear, much less a young boy. To save the lives of the many species of beings that reside in the Underland, Gregor must kill the Bane… and die in the process.

Filled with spectacular and horrific battles as well as intimate moments of emotion and introspection, Gregor and the Code of Claw is a fitting conclusion to this epic tale. The complex themes of war and peace, love and hate, and loyalty and betrayal that Suzanne Collins has woven into the fabric of her story add to the depth of Gregor’s plight and enrich the bittersweet conclusion that simply must be.

Reading Level: 9-12

The compassion Gregor showed by not killing the baby white rat mentioned in The Prophecy of Bane may prove to be the undoing of the Underworld. In the few months since Gregor's last quest, the Bane has grown into a giant of a rat. Ripred, who was charged with the care of the Bane, has gone missing. When a messenger returns Luxa's crown, it is a sign that the nibblers (mice) are in grave danger, and the queen must honor her pledge to come to their aid. Gregor, who's previous actions, or inaction, may be leading the Underland into war, must help save the nibblers and thwart the growing army of the Bane.

The tapestry woven of personal relationships, actions and consequences, and political intrigue keeps growing richer as this series continues. Suzanne Collins proves herself to be one of the top witers of fantasy for young readers. This series ranks up there with His Dark Materials and Harry Potter.

— KB SHAW, Publisher, Spectrum - Member SCBWI

SERIES UPDATE: August 2005:
Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods
(Scholastic)
Suzanne Collins

Reading Level: 9-12

Suzanne Collins has more in common with Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pelucidar series than any other current children's fantasy series. It takes place in a world beneath the earth's surface, if not at it's core, and it pits the hero against the urban/fantasy characters that inhabit that world. There are swords and steeds (which, in this case, are giant talking bats), and prophecies and quests. The world is both civilized and wild—and that point is at the heart of this book.

When Gregor is once again summoned to the Underland to fulfill his part of the prophecy concerning the curse of the warmbloods, he is forced to participate in desperate quest to find a cure for a plague that threatens to kill every warm blooded creature in the land. This means the rats, bats, and mice as well as the humans. Even Gregor's mother is threatened by the disease.

The band of questors is an uneasy alliance among the bats, rats, and humans. Collins has included the required excitement and action, including carnivorous plants and a rampaging swarm of giant ants, but she also develops the complexities of social relationships between the different species. Ultimately, Gregor discovers that the Curse of the Warmbloods is far worse than a mere disease—it is our own capacity to do wrong.

If you like fantasy or adventure, this series is a must-read.

— KB SHAW, Publisher, Spectrum - Member SCBWI

SERIES UPDATE: September 2004:
Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane
(Scholastic)
Suzanne Collins

Reading Level: 9-12

The title page of Gregor the Overlander does not state it is the first book of the Underland Chronicles, but we are grateful that the story of Gregor continues. The added depth and texture added by this second book, the Underland Chronicles elevates to our recommended list.

To quote Michael Corleone, "Just when you think you're out of it, they pull you back in." That must be the way Gregor feels when, after several months of trying to forget his summer ordeal in Underland, baby Boots is abducted by giant roaches and Gregor must once again descend into the depths below New York City to play his part in fulfulling a prophecy.

Suzanne Collins' experience in writing children's television ensures a fun, fast, fantastic adventure. This time around, the prophecy of a snow white rat known as Bane. The prophecy suggests that Gregor is the only thing standing in the way of Bane's total domination of the Underland. All our friends from Book One are here, including princess Luxa, Temp the roach, and Ares, a giant bat with whom Gregor is bonded. We are also introduced to new characters like a pair of bickering fireflies, some non-royal cousins, a scent-seer, and the creatures that dwell beneath the dark water of the Waterway.

If you haven't read book one, which deals with the "Prophecy of Gray," it is now in paperback. Like Harry Potter, this is a story growing rich in texture that the young reader and adult can enjoy together. We look forward to discovering the verse contained on the "Prophecy of Blood" scroll.

— KB SHAW, Publisher, Spectrum - Member SCBWI

Gregor the Overlander
(Scholastic)
Suzanne Collins

Reading Level: 9-12

The adventure begins in an unlikely place: the laundry room of a New York apartment building where Gregor is washing the family clothes and babysitting his two-year-old sister, Boots. Gregor is doing laundry while most of the other kids in the neighborhood are at summer camp because, since his father disappeared, his mother works very hard to support the family, which includes another, younger sister and Gregor's grandmother.

When the curious Boots is discovered dangerously close to an open vent shaft, Gregor is horrified to see her sucked in. In his attempt to grab her, Gregor is himself propelled into the shaft and begins his long fall down to Underland. While the fall and the name of the topsy-turvy underworld are Collins' acknowledgement of the inspiration of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, that's where the similarity ends.

Gregor the Overlander, is a well-written, fast-paced, extremely entertaining read populated with likeable characters and fantastic creatures. Gregor and Boots are endearing protagonists and the fantasy elements are mostly exaggerations of real-life urban creatures like bats and roaches rather than dragons and such. The straight-forward, non-stop story, with its sense of family, hints of romance, and a few gross-outs, should appeal to both boys and girls. If you are looking for a good read-aloud family book, Gregor the Overlander will fit the bill superbly.

— KB SHAW, Publisher, Spectrum - Member SCBWI