Gregor the Overlander (2003)

Saw her presentation at a book fair when she was promoting The Hunger Games. I enjoyed her presentation. She talked about how she grew up with a military father and talking military strategies was a family love.

I wish I got an autographed copy of the book that day. I had already gotten a couple others that day and didn't want to be gluttonous.

I read this as a read aloud to my daughter when she was in MG it was time well spent but we never continued with the series. ( )

Source: Children's Books in Children's Hands
Age Range: 9-12
Evaluation of Quality: Familiar fantasy tropes, like falling into a fantasy realm from the real world, are used and given an urban spin that city kids can more relate to.
Assessment of potential use: This would be a fantastic independent reading series for a child who loved stories like The Borrowers or The Tale of Despereux.
Assessment of appeal to children: Children will find the fantasy creatures and their cultures (human-sized bats, rats, roaches and spiders) fantastical yet more familiar than trolls, fairies, and other typical fantasy beings.

00000813

00013229

A fantastic middle grade fantasy adventure. It was predictable, but that didn't stop it from being fun and giving me all the feels. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series! ( )