July 29, 2012

MMGM: Gregor the Overlander, Suzanne Collins + GIVEAWAY!

Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles, #1)Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Most of you are probably familiar with Suzanne Collins from her incredibly successful YA series, The Hunger Games. Gregor the Overlander is the first book in Collins' earlier MG series, The Underland Chronicles. The star of the series is Gregor, a brave and loyal boy who journeys to the Underland, a mysterious world deep beneath New York City. Gregor ends up in the Underland completely by accident, thanks to his toddler sister Boots, and this book tells the story of his struggle to return home with her and bring his family back together.

Gregor faces all kind of unfamiliar, terrifying, and often disgusting on his journey to retrieve his sister and get back home to NYC where he belongs. Enormous cockroaches, spiders, and rats thrive in the Underland. Along the way, he meets new friends, from pale Underworld royalty to the giant bats they fly with, eventually partnering with them to battle their creepy crawly enemies. Every detail is rooted in reality, as though Collins has merely put to paper the fantastic fears we all share about what lives deep underground.

As would be expected, there's a fair amount of violence in Gregor's story, as well as situations involving his toddler sister that made my heart race with fear--endangering a sibling looks to be a favorite plot device of Collins'. With these details in mind, I'd say this is definitely an upper middle grade selection, although I am admittedly wimpy when it comes to cockroaches, not to mention four foot long specimens! Journey with Gregor to the Underworld, and you'll definitely be in a place you've never visited before. Plus, the good news is, there are four more books in the series!

View all my reviews

The even better news is, I'm giving away a copy of Gregor the Overlander in my first ever GIVEAWAY! Yay! *confetti* *trumpets*

All you have to do is leave a comment below by Wednesday 12pm EST, and preferrably your Twitter handle if you have one. I'll draw a winner at random and announce it on the blog next week, when I'm reviewing Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu.

And don't forget to visit all of the other wonderful Marvelous Middle Grade reviewers at their blogs--you can find the list right here.

12 comments:

  1. THis sounds like a good adventure! I haven't read any of her books besides The Hunger Games.

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  2. I want to read it. Please pick me. *waves arms wildly* lol
    Ok seriously it sounds like something up my alley. Thank you for the review and a chance to win a copy.
    @akossket

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  3. I listened to this book on my ipod. It wasn't my favorite read, but I know my kids will love it. I wouldn't mind getting a "real" copy for them. laurisawhitereyes at yahoo dot com

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  4. A boy reader I know loved this series, but I have never read any of them myself. Thank you for the chance to win!

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  5. This sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for running the giveaway.

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  6. I've not read any of her books outside of The Hunger Games and would like to give these books a try. I'll sign up for the giveaway! Thanks :)

    @amanda_fanger | fanger_amanda[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  7. I love it when people find out there are actually other books besides the Hunger Games that the awesome Suzanne Collins has written! I'm really glad you liked it.

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  8. I just read this, and could hardly believe I was enjoying a book that involved giant cockroaches! But I loved it, and now I want to read the rest of them.

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  9. I borrowed this series from the library and loved it. The world that Suzanne Collins creates is so interesting. I would love to win this book so that I could pass it on to my nephew because I know he would enjoy the underworld. Great review! Thanks for sharing.

    ~Jess
    http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com/
    @dmsfiles

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  10. So great to hear from all of you! My kids are super excited to help with the drawing, old-school style, with bits of paper and a hat :)

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  11. Not sure if I qualify for the contest as I'm Canadian, but this sounds like a neat book! Violence and giant insects ... different from what I usually read :)
    @Alhelenexandra

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  12. Thanks, everyone! The giveaway is closed to entries, but feel free to comment. Winner will be announced via twitter, and on the blog next Monday.

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