Gregor the Overlander

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Suzanne Collins

Reader: Paul Boehmer

Producer: Listening Library

Production Year: 2005

Most of the listeners will be: 4th-7th grade boys and girls. 

Listener's Advisory: For another book involving a quest, a hidden fantasy world, and battle scenes, listen to Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. 

Summary: 

Gregor (11) and his two-year-old sister Boots fall through a grate in their laundry room into the Underland. He discovers there not only giant bats, cockroaches, spiders, and rats, but a society of humans. His father, lost for almost three years may be in the Underland. But most interesting of all is the possibility that Gregor is the warrior promised in a cryptic prophesy. He doesn't feel like a warrior, but he could pretend to be one if the Underlanders will help him find his dad. 

My favorite passage:

When Gregor and Boots first land in the Underland they are discovered by giant cockroaches. Boots is immediately fascinated by them and calls out to them, "Big bugs!" The cockroaches also like Boots, asking "Smells what, so good, smells what?" The smell they like is emanating from Boots's diaper! The cockroaches soon decide that Boots is a princess and one carries her on his back as they travel to the human city. 

What I really think:

I have been trying to sell the Underland books to students who bemoan the fact our elementary library doesn't have The Hunger Games. Now I can report that the Underland is a difficult place to live and the first novel at least does contain some gruesome fights and death...if that's what young readers are after. However, it is tamer than The Hunger Games, so I still feel comfortable recommending it. 

I, personally, got so in to the beginning of the story that I forgot about my rule about sparing myself from books in which babies and toddlers suffer. I get very upset by this and it maybe isn't worth it. I was happily enjoying Princess Boots as a character and then Gregor takes her on a fast-moving, underground river in a boat made of skins with no life-jackets! And then they are attacked by rats! Fortunately, Boots survives this episode and isn't put in much danger during the rest of the book, so I was able to listen comfortably. 

Gregor is a very standard hero. Reluctant at first to step up to this role, but ultimately the master of his own fate. His willingness to sacrifice himself for the group in the end is an especially nice touch. 

The ending is a little unsatisfactory in that it isn't clear why no Overlander has returned to the surface before, but Gregor, Boots, and their father are flown there by bat without much trouble. Gregor begs to go home when he first arrives and it seems impossible. Maybe the currents weren't right at the time, but more explanation would have been better. 

I found Boehmer's voice for Gregor not 11-year-old-like enough. I'm not sure I can explain, but it just seemed too formal. My favorite was his voice for Rip Red, the rat that betrays his own people to help the humans on their quest. He sounds bored and sinister - love it!

It is certainly old news that Collins is a thrilling author, but I'm glad to see for myself that her early work is every bit as good as her recent hits. 

Because of Mr. Terupt

Author: Rob Buyea

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Year: 2010

Most of the readers will be: 4th-7th grade boys and girls.

Reader's Advisory: For another book told from multiple perspectives, read The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger. 

Summary:

Jessica, Alexia, Peter, Luke, Danielle, Anna, and Jeffrey tell the story of their fifth-grade school year with a brand-new teacher. Mr. Terupt is fun and cool. He helps new friends come together, and ends the girl wars. But some of the most important lessons he teaches his students are learned when he isn't in the classroom. 

My favorite passage:

Peter elbowed Alexia. Then I heard him whisper a word to her.
That's not even close to a dollar, I thought.
"Fifty-three," Alexia said. "No good. Try..."
Were they crazy? They were trying out rude words and giggling the whole time. I just knew they were going to get caught.
"That's no good, either," Peter said. "Maybe..."
What a butthead! As soon as I thought it, I knew it was a word worth calculating. Sure enough, butthead equaled 81. I tacked on the s. There wasn't just one butthead but two buttheads (dollar word). I was just about to call out that I had round one when Peter beat me to it.
"I've got a word!" he yelled. "Buttocks!" He strutted to the board like he was the coolest thing since sliced bread and wrote it for the class."Buttocks," he said again. "B-U-T-T-O-C-S." Peter went on to demonstrate how the word added up to a dollar. Mr. Terupt didn't interrupt. Just as I was about to, the new girl did.
"Buttocks is spelled with a k in it, Peter," Jessica said.
Peter looked to Mr. Terupt. "Sorry, Peter. She's right. Better try again. And maybe you should choose a different type of word than the ones you've been coming up with."
Peter slunk back to his seat. No surprise to me, Mr. Terupt knew what Peter was up to the whole time.
I raised my hand. "Mr. Terupt, I've got one." I walked up to the board and wrote butthead. That was followed by a chorus of laughs. "Butthead," I said. "B-U-T-T-H-E-A-D adds up to eighty-one cents, but if we have more than one, then we get buttheads. And buttheads is a dollar word. Just ask Peter and Alexia."
Mr. Terupt snickered. "That's enough, Luke. I must say, this isn't a word I was expecting, but nonetheless, it's our fist dollar word. Congratulations." (pg 9-10)

What I really think:

***SPOILERS***

I thought I knew what happened in this book before I started reading it, so when Jessica and Mr. Terupt talked about "happy endings" I thought, "Yeah, right!" But it does have a happy ending, and thank goodness! Many of the lessons the students learn would have stuck even if Mr. Terupt had died, but it is powerful and important that he has a chance to actually forgive Peter. 

I have observed that many of my students seek out novels with heavy themes. I'm glad to have a book I can recommend that should both satisfy them, and leave them feeling uplifted.