Most boys love a good adventure story, no matter what the particular genre – fantasy, science fiction, realistic, etc. If it is a great story full of action and fun characters, they are more likely to be motivated to read. I recently picked up a new series to try out on my boys (they always get to be guinea pigs). As a fan of the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins I had to find out what else she had written. When I saw she had written a series for children, I was excited because I thought they would like her fast paced, action oriented writing style. With that in mind, I began to read them Gregor the Overlander. Gregor is an average eleven year old boy from New York City except for one thing. His father is missing, having disappeared mysteriously several years ago. It is summertime and Gregor is spending his time taking care of his two year old sister Boots while his mom is at work. While doing laundry in their apartment, Boots ends up falling down an air shaft and Gregor follows her. They both end up in the world of the Underland, where they encounter oversized creatures such as bats, crawlers (cockroaches), spinners (spiders), and rats, but also humans. Gregor eventually learns that he is the subject of a prophecy which is a little nebulous but foretells about him rescuing his father. With a team of creatures and humans he embarks on a quest to find his dad and fulfill the prophecy. The book is filled with action, and most chapters end in suspense so that my kids were begging to read another one. Collins also develops the characters in such a way that they are easy relatable. You quickly end up caring about the characters and what happens to them. Even the animals and bugs each have a specific personality. Also, the setting of the Underland is portrayed quite effectively and you can almost imagine you are there yourself. This book passed my boys’ test with flying colors. My kids were constantly asking me to read more of it. Now that they are on summer break, my oldest son asks me at least once a day to read him some more “Gregor,” something he has not done with any other book. This has continued as we are reading the second one in the series now, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane. He was disappointed when we had to return book number one to the library because he wanted to try reading it himself next. My husband and I are enjoying the books also and if one of us misses a chapter we go back and read it. There are five books in the series and kids from mid to upper elementary levels should be able to read them on their own.
Boyz n Books 