Rapunzel Reads
  • Fiction
  • Nonfiction
  • Who We Are
  • For Older Readers
  • Submit a Review
  • Author Interviews
  • Books of the Year
    • 2021 Books of the Year
    • 2020 Books of the Year
    • 2019 Books of the Year
  • A Note to Authors
  • Audiobooks
  • Picture Books
  • Book Group Reads
  • Booklists

The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins (2003-2007)

10/18/2017

0 Comments

 
By Super Kitty

When eleven-year-old Gregor and his little sister Boots fall through a grate in their apartment’s laundry room, all Gregor can think about is getting him and his two-year-old sister back home as soon as possible. However, he swiftly discovers that that might not be as easy as it sounds—he has fallen into the Underland, a world miles beneath New York City and populated by giant cockroaches, spiders, bats, rats, and a race of people with translucent skin and violet eyes. Taken in by these people, who are called Regalians, Gregor soon learns that his only hope of getting home resides in a quest—to save the Underland, and perhaps to solve the biggest mystery of his life.

As the series progresses, Regalia teeters on the edge of a great war, the greatest, perhaps, that ​they have ever faced, and Gregor may be the only one who can ensure their victory. With the help of the young Queen Luxa, several valiant bats, a loyal cockroach, and many more besides, Gregor must, among other things, battle sea-serpents, survive an avalanche, and face the largest and most lethal rat of all as the stakes rise from getting back home to saving all that he holds dear.

​First of all, I would just like to say that you should not be put off by the giant spiders, rats, cockroaches, etc. While I don’t mind some of those creatures, I’m not entirely sure that my reaction to seeing a six-foot-rat would be terribly chivalrous. However, the series is brilliantly written, and despite my lack of enthusiasm for giant (or normal sized) cockroaches, I couldn’t put the books down. The characters felt real, and Gregor in particular was very relatable to. I’m about Gregor’s age, and I can say that his thoughts, mistakes, and general reaction to the Underland was very believable.

The Underland Chronicles do get dark in places, and there is some violence, so I would probably recommend them to ages ten and up. One thing that made a big difference to me, though, was that although there is some violence and battle scenes, Gregor really doesn’t believe in war, and sees it not as an unfortunate necessity, but as something that must be stopped. Also, none of the characters were evil death machines—they all had stories, and as a reader you could understand what made them what they were, even if you didn’t like them. I would recommend the Underland Chronicles to anyone looking for an engrossing, exiting, and impossible-to-put-down series.
​
​​Note: In September 2016, I reviewed ​Gregor the Overlander, ​the first book in the Underland Chronicles. However, as our book reviews became more sophisticated , and I decided to update the review on what is still one of our favorite books!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Book Reviews By & For Kids

    Everyone knows that Rapunzel spent her early years locked up in a tower. We’d like to think she had plenty of books to while away the time, and that she’d appreciate our own favorites.

    Founded in 2014, our reviews focus on great books for middle grade (MG) readers. Beginning in 2018, we began adding selected Young Adult (YA) books as well, but only if we really love them and think Rapunzel Reads followers will too. Favorite picture books have their own page.


    Picture

    Follow us on Twitter & Instagram! 

    Follow us for book reviews and recommendations, including whenever we post a review! 

    Instagram: 
    @RapunzelReadsBooks

    Twitter: @RapunzelReads

    Picture
    Picture

    New Reviews: 
    For Older Readers 

    Click on the covers below to read recent reviews on our 'For Older Readers' page, which features books for young adults (ages 12+). 


    Categories

    All
    Adventure
    Ages 10+
    Ages 11+
    Ages 12+
    Ages 5+
    Ages 6+
    Ages 7+
    Ages 8+
    Ages 9+
    Animal Stories
    Audiobook
    Author Interviews
    Bookgroup Pick
    Booklists
    Books Of The Year
    Classic
    Diversity
    Fairy Tales
    Family
    Fantasy
    Fiction
    Friends
    Futuristic
    Graphic Novel
    Historical Fantasy
    Historical Fiction
    Horses
    Humorous
    In Verse
    Magic
    Mystery
    Myths & Legends
    Realistic Fiction
    Science Fiction
    Sequels
    Series
    Short Stories
    Siblings
    Sisters
    Superheroes
    Young Adult

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.