I discovered this book after reading Stephanie's review of it. Having loved both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, I knew I wanted to read some more of Ms. Collins' work. The fact that I could then pass it along to my son to assuage his passion for reading was a definite bonus. I was not disappointed. In fact, I can see where Ms. Collins has had so much success with The Hunger Games. While her writing ability is not polished, her ability to weave a story and create an entire world is spectacular.

There were a few issues I found with the book. Gregor is not completely fleshed out as a main character. While he is sympathetic, I never felt true concern with his plight. At no point in time was I fearful for him and knew without a doubt that the ending would be a happy one. As with other Collins' works, the happy ending is not without its price, which also did not come as much of a surprise.

Spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats - oh my! Ms. Collins does a great job of bringing them to life, instilling a personality into each of them that I never would have considered possible. I never would have considered cockroaches as particularly endearing, or bats for that matter, but Ms. Collins found a way to do so. This is a testament to her writing ability.

In general, this was another excellent, fast-paced read. I devoured the book in just a few hours and have been pressing my son to pick it up since then. There is an amazing message about family and what it means to be a phenomenal brother and son that is valuable for any child to learn. I would definitely recommend this to other kids, even though I would hesitate to recommend it to other adults. Actually, it would be a great book to read together to discuss the implications of Gregor's actions and truly drive home the message about family. Thank you, Stephanie, for recommending this book! ( )

This book had a lot of action which made me want to keep reading. Also if you like characters that develop this would be a great book to read. ( )

Gregor the overlander is a adventure/fantesy book written by susanne collins. When gregor falls through a hole in the laundry room,He gos on a fantastic journey though the underland to find his long lost father.This book is for young adults and is a fantastic book with suspence,action,and fantesy

Reviewed by Mechele R. Dillard for TeensReadToo.com

After surviving a bizarre fall through a gateway to the Underland--conveniently located in the laundry room of their NYC apartment building--eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister Boots discover a world filled with giant talking cockroaches, rats, spiders, and bats. The humans of this formidable world take them in as "guests," but, as Gregor astutely observes, "Guests could leave it they wanted to" (p. 54). Not knowing whom to trust, Gregor flees the palace with Boots, inadvertently igniting the prophesied war between the humans and rats.

Highlighting Gregor's role as the consistently responsible older brother, Collins creates a heroic character for young adult readers even before revealing that Gregor is about to fulfill his destiny as "an Overland Warrior, a Son of the Sun" (p. 109). Yes, there is violence, but not simply for the sake of being violent; Collins's use of violence is appropriate to her story.

Gregor is a great introduction for readers who are new to the fantasy genre. The main characters are human, and are well-grounded in reality--New York City, doing laundry, babysitting, summer camp. Still, there is enough of the fantastic--giant talking animals, gateways into another world, prophecies--to stimulate the imagination and introduce newcomers to fantasy without being overwhelming.

Massachusetts Children's Book Award Honor Book, 2006

Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award, 2006

NAIBA Book of the Year Award, 2004 ( )

This is a wonderful book! The characters are entertaining (this book would be nothing without Boots, she really makes the story) and the adventure doesn't drag on for ages like many books of this type. You'll laugh for sure, you'll fell connected to the characters, and I think you'll be glad you read it! ( )