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Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles #1)

Suzanne Collins

really liked it 4.0 · Rating details · 78,978 Ratings · 5,763 Reviews

This irresistible first novel tells the story of a quiet boy who embarks on a dangerous quest in order to fulfill his destiny -- and find his father -- in a strange world beneath New York City.

When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where spiders, rats, cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. Th

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Paperback, 326 pages

Published May 1st 2005 by Scholastic (first published 2003)

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Sep 09, 2010 Eh?Eh! rated it really liked it

Shelves: goodreaders-made-me, babble-added

I recently went solo dining with the 2nd book in the series and sat down at a counter, speeding through the large font and well-spaced text. The restaurant started to fill up and another solo diner sat down next to me. I glanced over at his magazine and saw that it was a scientific journal open to an article about the brain. I casually angled the cover of my Scholastic-published book away from his view and kept reading, very self-conscious of the approximately 18 grades of school between our rea I recently went solo dining with the 2nd book in the series and sat down at a counter, speeding through the large font and well-spaced text. The restaurant started to fill up and another solo diner sat down next to me. I glanced over at his magazine and saw that it was a scientific journal open to an article about the brain. I casually angled the cover of my Scholastic-published book away from his view and kept reading, very self-conscious of the approximately 18 grades of school between our reading materials.

Sigh.

I'm bouncing around in my reading material lately. I've been trying to force the weighter books and it's like an overtight pair of jeans. Lay back on the bed, take a deep breath, and hope you can wrestle that zipper up before the oxygen runs out or the button pops off and you lose an eye. The YA and younger books are more like comfortable sweatpants, the waistband slightly stretched and the material over the seat taking on a sheen from wear. I need to take in a few sweatpants books before attempting another jeans book. Who am I trying to impress? No need to do the David Hasselhoff on Baywatch stomach suck.

This is what I repeat to myself when I sit next to someone reading a scientific journal open to an article about the brain...you couldn't sit somewhere else, brain guy???

The beginning of the 2nd book helped me pinpoint why I liked this 1st book so much. With the next in the series, Gregor is suddenly having these abilities he never had before. Booooo. The first book moved forward with his own average self, no special powers needed. While he may have been written as more selfless than the typical boy his age, he made mistakes and was cranky like a real boy. When he was courageous, loyal, loving, or expressed empathy, it wasn't unusual - it could be duplicated by any child who read this book. The value of that! You too can be like this!:

[Gregor]* nodded. He could never hate people very long because he always ended up finding out something sad about them that he had to factor in. Like this kid at school everybody hated because he was always pushing little kids around and then one day they found out his dad had hit him so much, he was in the hospital. With stuff like that, all Gregor could feel was bad.

Wonderful.

Oh, the story was set in this quest for his father with a fantastic imaginary world underground featuring people who had lived there so long that they were pale-haired, translucent-skinned, and violet-eyed. The allies and enemies were gigantic bats, cockroaches, and rats. This is meant for a younger audience than The Hunger Games trilogy, so probably elementary age. The quest kicked off with an awful set of prophetic verse (not as bad as Brian "One Trick Pony" Jacques but nowhere near the soaring glory (to me) of Susan Cooper). The ending was rushed. But I loved it for keeping the hero ordinary.

My favorite line? From my favorite character, the little sister, Boots: "I poop!"

*Lookie! The square brackets don't insert a colon anymore! ...more

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Dec 06, 2009 karen rated it liked it

Shelves: kiddiwinx, why-yes-i-ya

so this is how superweak my life is: on friday i rushed home from work in the rain to get some homework done. whee... but then i ended up writing that wuthering heights review, inspired by the rain and the clouds etc. and i did some work, but not a ton. and i thought to myself, what do i really want to be doing? and the answer was - put on my pajamas, eat peanut butter pretzels and read unchallenging children's books. so i did. and you can all suck it, with your parties and balls and galas. 'cuz ...more

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Oct 19, 2008 Rfrancik rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 6-fictional-chapter-books, 1-e

When Gregor falls after his little sister down the laundry shoot he finds himself in a new land. He is faced with deciding where to place his loyalties, how to survive and given the opportunity to search for his father who unaccountably disappeared 2 years ago.

This book has ruined my entire day! I have laundry to fold, dinner to cook, breakfast to eat, 3 papers to write and lesson plans to develop. Instead, I've spent my morning snuggled under a down quilt devouring Gregor the Overlander. As so ...more

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Jun 08, 2016 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 21th-century, fantasy, fiction, childrens-young-readers, adventure

Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles, #1), Suzanne Collins
The Underland Chronicles is a series of five epic fantasy novels by Suzanne Collins, first published between 2003 and 2007. It tells the story of a boy named Gregor and his adventures in the "Underland", a subterranean world located under New York City. The Underland is inhabited by humans who traveled below hundreds of years ago, along with various giant versions of creatures like bats, cockroaches, and rats. According to the auth Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles, #1), Suzanne Collins
The Underland Chronicles is a series of five epic fantasy novels by Suzanne Collins, first published between 2003 and 2007. It tells the story of a boy named Gregor and his adventures in the "Underland", a subterranean world located under New York City. The Underland is inhabited by humans who traveled below hundreds of years ago, along with various giant versions of creatures like bats, cockroaches, and rats. According to the author, the series involves many topics relating to war, including biological warfare, genocide, and military intelligence. While not as well known as the author's subsequent Hunger Games trilogy, it has been reviewed favorably by many critics.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: پنجم ماه جولای سال 2013 میلادی
عنوان: تاریخ اعماق زمین - کتاب 1 - سفر شگفت انگیز گریگور؛ نویسنده: سوزان کالینز؛ مترجم: عاطفه احمدی؛ تهران، ویدا، چاپ اول و دوم 1391؛ در 268 ص؛ شابک: 9786002910172؛ چاپ سوم و چهارم 1392؛ موضوع: داستانهای علمی تخیلی از نویسندگان انگلیسی قرن 20 م
نقل از متن: گریگور تکه‌ ای یخ از فریزر برداشت، آن را روی صورتش کشید و زل زد به حیاط؛ سگ ولگردی دوروبر سطل زباله‌ ای که تا کله پرُ بود، بو می‌کشید. سگ پنجه‌ هایش را روی لبۀ‌ سطل گذاشته و کجش کرده بود و زباله‌ ها را وسط پیاده‌ رو می‌ریخت. نگاه گریگور به چند شکل سایه‌ مانند افتاد که با سرعت کنار دیوار وول می‌خوردند و این‌طرف و آن‌طرف میرفتند؛ موش‌ها. او هیچ‌ وقت درست و حسابی به‌شان عادت نکرده بود. برخلاف همیشه، این‌بار هیچ‌کس در حیاط نبود. بیشتر وقت‌ها آن‌جا پر بود از بچه‌ هایی که توپ‌ بازی می‌کردند، از روی طناب می‌پریدند، یا روی میله‌ های بازی کهنه تاب می‌خوردند؛ اما امروز صبح، همۀ بچه‌ های چهار تا چهارده‌ ساله با اتوبوسی به اردو رفته بودند، همه به جز یک نفر. پایان نقل. ا. شربیانی ...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Meredith Holley rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: School Teachers and Librarians

Shelves: classic-young-reader, young-reader, do-not-judge-by-the-cover, favorites, reviewed

The covers of the Underland Chronicles do them no end of disservice. Since my policy is to judge a book by its cover, it took reading The Hunger Games to convince me to pick them up. I had always assumed they would be machine generated chapter books with mythical creatures protecting or seeking some ring or sword, or who knows what, that has some symbolic meaning - or doesn't. Suzanne Collins, however, is in no way machine-generated. She is Dostoyevski for the young-reader crowd. While she uses ...more

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Mar 18, 2010 Janina rated it really liked it

Shelves: children-s, fantasy

I actually got all teary-eyed over the death of an insect. Can you believe it?

A great book, I'm glad I gave it a try although I wasn't sure at the beginning if it would be too young for my taste. Collins has created a fascinating world with the Underland and the book is full of amazing characters (insects and rodents included!).

On to book two!

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Feb 07, 2010 Laurel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, fantasy

With a few exceptions, I am not typically a big fan of science fiction/fantasy, nor of bugs and rats and dark places. Had I not read and loved The Hunger Games, I never would have even considered reading this book. And I would have most certainly been missing out.

This is Suzanne Collin's first novel, and it is quite a first novel. Gregor the Overlander centers around an eleven-year-old boy and his little sister who fall through a grate in the laundry room of their apartment complex. After being ...more

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Nov 16, 2014 Kübra Yağmur rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children

Çocuk kitabıymış, PEH! Çocuklarında okuyabileceği, herkese uygun bir kitap olduğunu söylemek daha doğru olur.

Okuduğumu dün gibi hatırladığım kitaplardan biri Gregor ve Gri Kehanet. Yeni bir kütüphane keşfetmiş, kaydımı yaptırmış, İstanbul'u gezen bir Fatih edasıyla rafların arasında dolaşıp ağzımın sularını tutmaya çalışırken kalın ciltlerin arasından bana göz kırpmıştı bu kitap. Ve ben hiç düşünmeden onu çekip almış, tabii yanında iki kitapla birlikte, eve gelip yemeden içmeden okumuştum.

Her ...more

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Jul 07, 2015 Darren Hagan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I want to give this book so many more than 5 stars. It was SO SO FREAKING GOOD!!! (I pressed the exclamation mark on my phone really hard then just for extra emphasis) :)

Being a book that is intended for younger readers than me, I thought this would just be a fun little read. However in all honesty it had me gripped from beginning to end.

I loved the characters. They had so much more depth than I expected them to. I mean Gregor is an 11 year old kid who has been kind of been forced to be the man I want to give this book so many more than 5 stars. It was SO SO FREAKING GOOD!!! (I pressed the exclamation mark on my phone really hard then just for extra emphasis) :)

Being a book that is intended for younger readers than me, I thought this would just be a fun little read. However in all honesty it had me gripped from beginning to end.

I loved the characters. They had so much more depth than I expected them to. I mean Gregor is an 11 year old kid who has been kind of been forced to be the man of the house after his dad disappeared mysteriously 2 years ago. He doesn't let himself dream about happy times because he is struggling to actually be happy with his family not whole. Bro, you're breaking my heart :( Then there is his 2 year old sister Boots (a nickname) who adds so much to the book with her innocence. She kind of reminds me of Sunny Baudelaire from A Series of Unfortunate Events because she is so adorable and obviously isn't speaking properly yet, but she is integral to the team and actually helps bring them all together.

Then there are all the giant animals and they are so cool, you can't help but care about them. Even the bugs. This isn't a spoiler particularly because the prophecy says that 4 of the group of 12 will die, but when one of them does I actually had to stop reading. I sat there in stunned silence and mourned the loss of a freaking bug.

Some of the other things I loved are:
- the world because it's underground and I like the idea of an underground community
- the relationship between humans and animals. I'm an animal lover so I really appreciated that.
- a mysterious prophecy. I really like seeing prophecies unfold in books.
- the fact that it actually surprised me with some of the things that happen. I sometimes find it easy to see what is gonna happen but not this time
- and how addictive and action packed it is.

Chances are you have read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins too, and if you like her writing and like fast paced books (and you like middle grade books) then you should definitely try this. I implore you because it needs more hype! ...more

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Aug 09, 2013 C.G. Drews rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, middle-grade, magical-fantasy, read-2015, ya-male-narrators

Well that was sufficiently fantastic. I, naturally, am a HUGE The Hunger Games fan and basically wanted to read this because SUZANNE COLLINS. Obviously my brain had a lot of pressure on this book aaaand...it's very different (obviously) from THG. It's middle-grade. It's an adventure with prophecies and talking animals. And I really enjoyed it!

The characters were adorable. The main character is Gregor (DUH) and he's a fabulous older brother, but he's not perfect. At the same time, though, he didn ...more

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Jul 19, 2009 Greg rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-for-kids, sf-fantasy-and-other-dorky-shit, girls-girls-girls

Even though this book has nothing really to do with Kafka, I can't get it out of my head that somewhere in this series is some of the weird Jew from Prague. The cover looks sort of Prague like. There is a main character named Gregor, and there are giant fucking cockroaches in it (must I swear in every children's review I write?).

There has been no real Kafka in the book though. There are some Daddy issues but Kafka doesn't hold the patent on that. Besides looking for Kafka though, I found this f ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Rebecca McNutt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, middle-grade, new-york, united-states, supernatural, magical-realism, adventure

Proof that Suzanne Collins can be so much better than that soulless, commercialized dreck known as The Hunger Games. Gregor the Overlander is a terrific, mysterious fantasy novel with an elaborate, imaginative underground city world that could rival with Inside the Shadow City.

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Oct 02, 2011 Kay rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: spiders and roaches and rats, oh my!

Recommended to Kay by: just don't fall down any holes in the laundry room

Shelves: gods-and-beasts, kiddy-lit, urban-fantasy, war-and-conflict

So, my workplace and a few other firms are a part of this program where we got to a local elementary school to read to kids. I was paired up with a fifth grader who loved to read as much as I did. She blew through Breadcrumbs, which was amazing, and we had just started on Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles, #1) when school was dismissed for summer vacation. Me being my usual ADHD self, I left this book unread for months and months while I pursued other books.Now, after reading the enti So, my workplace and a few other firms are a part of this program where we got to a local elementary school to read to kids. I was paired up with a fifth grader who loved to read as much as I did. She blew through Breadcrumbs, which was amazing, and we had just started on Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles, #1) when school was dismissed for summer vacation. Me being my usual ADHD self, I left this book unread for months and months while I pursued other books.Now, after reading the entire Underland Chronicles in three days, I am so glad I gave this a shot. Plot SummaryGregor is an eleven year old who lives with his mom, grandma, and younger sisters in New York City. His dad disappeared without a word two years ago, and his mom has been struggling to keep the family together since. One day, Gregor and his sister Boots are sucked down a grate in their laundry room, and find themselves in the Underland, a subterranean world populated by white-haired, violet-eyed humans, and oversized cockroaches, spiders, bats and rats. Though all Gregor wants is to go home, he finds himself embroiled in a brewing war between the humans and rats, and perhaps a chance to find his father.My ReactionsThe Underland was interesting, to say the least. I wasn’t too convinced by this subterranean world until about two books in. Maybe it’s because I hatehatehatehatehate rodents and vermin, which is probably not the best attitude to take when living in New York City. Someone once told me about a sighting of a three-foot rat in Brooklyn, and my spidey senses were tingling whenever I entered a subway station for weeks after. (BTW, the antagonists are six-foot tall rats. With their long, ridged tails and sharp teeth.) Kind of like this:Some parts of the book, like the quest and resolution of the prophecy were quite predictable. But like in The Hunger Games has a way of brushing up against the brittleness of the real world without being melodramatic. What remains with me the most was not the questing or the Underland, but Gregor. After his father disappeared, Gregor continually makes sacrifices in the face of hard financial times. Here is an eleven year old who voluntarily gives up summer camp to take care of his baby sister Boots because his mom works nonstop to feed the family. My heart aches for the little guy, who is forced to grow up much too quickly so that the rest of his siblings can enjoy their youths. Not sure how well a fifth grader or even adult could relate--I suppose it depends on the person--but as the oldest in my family, I certainly could.Gregory continues to carry the heavy weight of responsibility with him to the Underland as he takes care of Boots, and that bit of realness threading through the story kept me interested and sympathetic until the end. Overall, I really enjoyed this first book, and the following books are equally (if not more) fun to read. If you thought The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) was a feat in YA lit, Gregor the Overlander is definitely up there in the kid lit world. Both are highly readable for both the younger folk and the adulty folk.3.5 STARS AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially for younger readers. ...more

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Sep 04, 2007 Courtney rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Anyone who likes...er...fantasy?

Oh, dear! I've read another children's book, haven't I? Well, if I may be so bold, I liked it a lot more than some of the so-called classics. (I'm so immature, but at least I enjoy myself!)

Though I've never really been one for the 'guy gets sucked into another world' kind of genre, this one put a spin on my thoughts. I've not enjoyed a book so much since... well, a long time. It keeps you in such connection with the characters, despite their being fictional. I especially enjoyed how, as the read ...more

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Jul 22, 2017 Sara Kamjou rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fantasy

نوع فضاسازی داستان و قابل پذیرش سازی دنیای زیرزمینی خیلی سطحی بود. من چند بار اون بخش داستان که از رختشورخونه افتادن پایین رو خوندم و بازم نفهمیدمش! شخصیتپردازیها سطحی، اتفاقات اکثرا قابل پیشبینی بود. در واقع به جز سوسکها و موشهای غولپیکر که بازم هیچ دلیلی برای غولپیکر بودنشون ارائه نشده بود، هیچ چیز جدیدی برای من داشت. خوشحالم داستان تو جلد اول تموم شد چون قصد ندارم ادامهی مجموعه رو بخونم.
امتیازم به کتاب ۲.۵ ه که با ارفاق و به خاطر شخصیت بامزهی بوتز بهش ۳ میدم.
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یادگاری از کتاب:
احساس عج ...more

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Dec 07, 2016 Simona Stoica rated it really liked it

Recenzia completă: http://palarisme.ro/chef/carti/recenz...

„Oaspeţii puteau să plece, dacă voiau. Prizonierii trebuiau să evadeze. Şi exact asta intenţiona şi el să facă.”

Suzanne Collins nu are nevoie de o introducere, dar Gregor... este un străin pentru tine. Am fost în locul tău, în urmă cu puţin timp. Îmi făceam bagajele şi încercam să aleg ce cărţi să iau acasă, după târgul de carte Gaudeamus, cu intenţia de a renunţa la fantasy şi la cărţile pentru copii, măcar pentru o perioadă, urmând să Recenzia completă: http://palarisme.ro/chef/carti/recenz...

„Oaspeţii puteau să plece, dacă voiau. Prizonierii trebuiau să evadeze. Şi exact asta intenţiona şi el să facă.”

Suzanne Collins nu are nevoie de o introducere, dar Gregor... este un străin pentru tine. Am fost în locul tău, în urmă cu puţin timp. Îmi făceam bagajele şi încercam să aleg ce cărţi să iau acasă, după târgul de carte Gaudeamus, cu intenţia de a renunţa la fantasy şi la cărţile pentru copii, măcar pentru o perioadă, urmând să îmi îndrept atenţia spre lecturi „serioase”, mai complexe, un clasic sau poate unul dintre romanele pe care tot evit să le încep, de teamă că nu o să fie pe gustul meu sau că nu îl voi înţelege.

description

Am pierdut şirul scuzelor, de câte ori am spus că iau o pauză de la fantasy sau YA. Nu pot. Am depăşit momentul în care ele reprezentau doar o „lectură uşoară”, o „aventură de o noapte” (Sanderson este excepţia, pentru că o noapte nu este îndeajuns), motivul pentru care fugeam de realitate şi mă ascundeam de necunoscut, unde legile îmi erau străine şi totul era învăluit în mister, până când autorul căpăta suficientă încredere în mine încât să îmi dezvăluie o parte dintre secretele sale. Ca bookaholic, fantasy-ul a devenit o parte din mine. Şi, din fericire, nu există leac.

Jocurile Foamei a fost prima distopie pe care am citit-o. Am fost nemulţumită de final şi nu am înţeles vreodată de ce este Peeta atât de popular şi de îndrăgit, însă asta nu m-a împiedicat să devorez cărţile într-un weekend. Mi-au plăcut la nebunie stilul alert și acțiunea imprevizibilă, aşa că nu am rezistat tentaţiei de a-mi extinde bagajul cu încă o carte, „împinsă” de curiozitate, dornică să aflu ce idei au luat naştere în mintea autoarei înainte de Jocurile Foamei.

La doar unsprezece ani, după dispariţia misterioasă a tatălui său, Gregor este „bărbatul” familiei. Un tânăr atletic, care se fereşte de necazuri, modest şi cuminte, care îşi iubeşte surorile şi îşi protejează mama, fără să aducă în discuţie situaţia materială delicată în care se află, precum şi imaginea pe care le-o oferă colegilor de la şcoală, când vine îmbrăcat cu haine peticite, sperând să treacă neobservat sau să nu atragă prea multă atenţie asupra sa.

Subsolul blocului poate să fie un loc foarte periculos, mai ales dacă ai o soră de doi ani, care alunecă prin grilajul dintre maşinile de spălat şi uscătoare, inconştientă de pericolul care o aşteaptă. Din instinct, Gregor sare după ea, disperat să o prindă pe Boots, dar este mult prea târziu pentru ei. Subpământul îi aştepta. Îi chema. ...more

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Dec 03, 2015 Filipe Miguel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy

Gregor, O Sobreterrestre

“Gregor, A Primeira Profecia” (2003) é o primeiro de uma série de cinco livros escritos por Suzanne Collins, actualmente reconhecida a nível mundial devido a outra personagem: Katniss Everdeen (”Hunger Games, Os Jogos da Fome).

Escrito cinco anos antes da trilogia de Everdeen, Gregor partilha alguns traços da escrita apresentada com a menina do Distrito 12, sendo a linguagem simples e acessível, marcadamente para um público jovem-adulto, a sua característica mais óbvia.

Kat ...more

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Aug 14, 2014 Eric Boot added it · review of another edition

DNF - this book was really a children's book... I picked it up for obvious reasons (SUZANNE COLLINS!) but I didn't really like it. Perhaps I'll give it another shot later, but not now.

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Sep 20, 2011 Jonathan Terrington rated it really liked it

Shelves: childhood-book, children-s-literature, fantasy

Before Suzanne Collins became megafamous from writing about The Hunger Games she wrote a wonderful series of children's books called the Underland Chronicles. These were books that I read as a child and very much enjoyed because of the fascinating fantasy world and ideas. I've always liked the idea of world beyond our own fingers or underneath our feet and that is what Collins decided to tackle in these novels.

The basic premise behind this first book is that of Gregor who stumbles down a laundr ...more

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Jul 14, 2013 Kwoomac rated it it was amazing

Shelves: animal-as-main-character, adventure, 2013, action, childrens, unlikely-hero, fantasy, death, of-course-i-cried, quest

I loved everything about this middle-grade children's book. It is actually Suzanne Collins' very first novel, pre-Hunger Games. It shares a lot with her more famous trilogy. Fast pacing. An ordinary kid forced by extraordinary circumstances into becoming a leader, a hero. Good good guys and bad bad guys. I already mentioned fast pacing. Gregor, an eleven year old boy and his two year old sister Boots get sucked from the laundry room in their NYC apt building into The Underland. The Underland has ...more

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Oct 31, 2015 Filipa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

aww~~ guys !
I really liked this book!

It's a story about adventures on unknown worlds, about family and love.
At first was really weird, reading about a place where bats, cockroaches, spiders, rats, and all those creepy disgusting things, are part of the "society".
They think, they talk, they feel.. well, I'm not exactly looking forward to have a giant cockroach in front of me.. but you'll get used to picture it throughout the book I guess.

Gregor is a great main character and I really loved Boots. ...more

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Sep 08, 2010 ~Tina~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, fantasy, middle-grade

Already an immensely huge fan of Collins, outstanding series The Huger Games, I just had to see what her other books were like.

Now, I've never been particular pleased with rats and cockroaches to begin with, so having to read about life-sized ones was pretty dame creepy let me tell ya, but never the less, the underground world is fantastically imaginative and unique.
I really enjoyed all the characters, Gregor is a heart felt kid and wonderfully good humored and Boots was to precious for words.

B ...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Annalise rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nook-borrowed-fling, 2011, nook, fantasy, junior-and-ya, owned-books, bookclub-2012

My 10-yr old son moped around for days after he finished this series because he was so bummed there were no more books left to read. I decided I needed to see for myself what all the fuss was about, and I was also intrigued to see Suzanne Collins' work prior to The Hunger Games. I wasn't disappointed! It is geared towards a younger crowd than Hunger Games, but was still enjoyable for me as an adult. What I really loved is that it has at its core a functional family. Gregor is the hero, but he st ...more

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Sep 26, 2016 Marta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed-books, read-in-2016

3,5 *

review to come

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Jul 22, 2017 Amin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

گریگور به هیچ وجه به خودش اجازه نمیداد به آینده فکر کند. احساس عجیبی به او میگفت که اگر دربارهی اتفاقات واقعی خیالپردازی کند، آنها هرگز اتفاق نمیافتند

کالینز داستان بلند نویسیش رو با این کتاب شروع کرده که اولین بار سال 2003 یعنی 5 سال قبل از اولین جلد عطش مبارزه چاپ شده. برای همین نمیشه انتظار داشت که اثری با کیفیت عطش مبارزه باشه. با این حال نمیشه هم گفت که کتاب بدیه.

به نظرم نقاط قوتی توی این کتاب هست که توی عطش مبارزه، با توجه به پختهتر شدن نثر کالینز، خیلی واضحتره. اولا که کالینز روابط بین اف

گریگور به هیچ وجه به خودش اجازه نمی‌داد به آینده فکر کند. احساس عجیبی به او می‌گفت که اگر درباره‌ی اتفاقات واقعی خیال‌پردازی کند، آن‌ها هرگز اتفاق نمی‌افتند

کالینز داستان‌ بلند نویسیش رو با این کتاب شروع کرده که اولین بار سال 2003 یعنی 5 سال قبل از اولین جلد عطش مبارزه چاپ شده. برای همین نمیشه انتظار داشت که اثری با کیفیت عطش مبارزه باشه. با این حال نمیشه هم گفت که کتاب بدیه.

به نظرم نقاط قوتی توی این کتاب هست که توی عطش مبارزه، با توجه به پخته‌تر شدن نثر کالینز، خیلی واضح‌تره. اولا که کالینز روابط بین افراد رو خیلی خوب توصیف می‌کنه و در عرض یک کتاب کوتاه می‌تونی تا حدودی باهاشون همذات‌پنداری کنی. یکی دیگه هم اینکه کالینز مهارت بالایی در نحوه تمام کردن فصول کتابش داره. توی عطش مبارزه هم این بود و دقیقا فصل‌ها جایی تموم میشن که خواننده رو دنبال خودشون به فصل بعد می‌کشن. ریتم کتاب اصلا کند نیست و اتفاقات سریع میفته، اما به نظرم گره‌های داستان خیلی ساده و قابل پیش‌بینی باز میشه و همین به نظرم یک نقطه ضعف بزرگه. داستان خلاقیت‌های خاص خودش رو داره، اما تا حدود خیلی زیادی کودکانه است. توصیفات فضاها خیلی خوب از آب در نیومده و اکثر جاها نمی‌تونستم مکان وقوع اتفاقات رو توی ذهنم مجسم کنم.

یک نکته خیلی منفی، از نظر من، توی این کتاب این بود که جویندگان بر اساس یک پیش‌بینی به جست‌وجوشون ادامه می‌‌دادند و این پیش‌بینی با اینکه سعی شده بود مرموز باشه، اصلا مرموز نبود. تقریبا خط به خط اون واضح بود. اینجا اگر اشاره‌ای بکنم با معماهایی که امیلی رودا توی دلتورا مطرح می‌کنه، مشخص میشه که سطح پیش‌گویی این داستان چقدر پایین بود. امیدوارم جلد بعد که گویا اون هم به یه پیش‌گویی ربط داره سطحش کمی از این بالاتر باشه.

امتیازم در مجموع به کتاب 3.2 است.

پ.ن: شخصیت بوتز نقطه قوت خیلی خیلی دوست‌داشتنی کتاب بود.

هر چقدر که بعضی از خیال‌بافی‌ها می‌توانستند خوشحالش کنند، آخر سر فقط برگشتن به واقعیت را دردآورتر می‌کردند

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Nov 19, 2010 AH rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Young readers (especially boys) 9 to 12

Shelves: children-s, own, first-in-series, zzread-dec-2010

Brought to you by Suzanne Collins – yes – the same Suzanne Collins that wrote The Hunger Games, Gregor the Overlander is a fun and entertaining read. Geared towards younger audiences, the Gregor books are a kind of Alice in Wonderland for boys.

Eleven year old Gregor is stuck babysitting his baby sister Boots. They are in the basement of their apartment building where Gregor is doing their laundry when Boots disappears into an air duct. Gregor follows Boots and falls into another world. They end ...more

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Jul 12, 2015 Emily rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, middle-grade, read-in-2015, series-start

I loved this perfect middle grade read. It was well paced, the characters were all completely engaging, and the hero is just this ordinary kid from New York. Some parts were slightly heavy handed (I'm looking at you, prophecy), but I finished this one with such a feeling of happiness and hope that I couldn't rate it less than 5 stars. A perfect example of what it set out to be.

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May 24, 2018 Aleshanee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: tier-fantasy, jugendbuch

Ich hab diese Reihe vor vielen Jahren meinen Kindern vorgelesen und schon damals waren wir alle durchweg begeistert! Jetzt endlich komme ich dazu, diese Geschichte nochmal zu lesen und meine Begeisterung hat sich tatsächlich über all die Jahre gehalten!

Das Erzähltempo ist wirklich gut gewählt, denn es geht zügig voran und ich war keinen Moment gelangweilt. Trotzdem schafft es die Autorin, die Szenen mit kleinen Details sehr lebendig zu machen und mir alles bildhaft vor Augen zu führen.

Der 11jäh Ich hab diese Reihe vor vielen Jahren meinen Kindern vorgelesen und schon damals waren wir alle durchweg begeistert! Jetzt endlich komme ich dazu, diese Geschichte nochmal zu lesen und meine Begeisterung hat sich tatsächlich über all die Jahre gehalten!

Das Erzähltempo ist wirklich gut gewählt, denn es geht zügig voran und ich war keinen Moment gelangweilt. Trotzdem schafft es die Autorin, die Szenen mit kleinen Details sehr lebendig zu machen und mir alles bildhaft vor Augen zu führen.

Der 11jährige Gregor lebt mit seiner Mutter, seiner Großmutter und seinen zwei kleineren Schwestern in New York. Seit sein Vater vor über 2 Jahren über Nacht einfach verschwunden ist, hat sich sein Leben völlig geändert. Nicht nur, dass das Geld immer knapp ist, spürt er die ständigen Zweifel seiner Mutter und erlaubt sich selbst keinen Gedanken an Hoffnung. Die Hoffnung seinen Vater jemals wiederzusehen, denn der Schmerz wäre zu groß, wenn sein Traum nicht in Erfüllung gehen würde. Dieser Zwang weiterzumachen und den Schmerz nicht an sich ranzulassen, hat mich sehr berührt! Denn er will damit nicht nur sich selbst, sondern auch seine Mutter schützen und die Familie zusammenhalten.

Als Gregor mit seiner 2jährigen Schwester Boots dann im Unterland landet, wird er vor schwierige Aufgaben gestellt, die ihn immer mehr herausfordern. Eigentlich will er nur so schnell es geht wieder nach oben zurück, doch eine alte Prophezeiung weist seinem Schicksal einen anderen Weg.

Die Stimmung ist teilweise recht düster und es geht rau zu zwischen den Bewohnern des Unterlandes, denn es leben nicht nur Menschen dort, sondern auch große, wirklich monströse Tiere, die ihre Reviere zu verteidigen wissen. Riesenkakerlaken, sogenannte Krabbler, was sich wirklich eklig anhört, die aber einnehmende Züge aufweisen und mir total ans Herz gewachsen sind.
Dann wären da noch die Fledermäuse, die eine ganz besondere Verbindung zu den Menschen haben und die bösen Nager, menschengroße Ratten, die immer wieder gegen die Unterländer in den Krieg ziehen.
Besonders mag ich ja Ripred, über den ich hier nicht viel verraten möchte, der aber im Laufe der Reihe einen sehr wichtigen Platz einnimmt und dessen tiefgründige Figur mich sehr bewegt hat. Überhaupt gab es einige Momente, die mich zu Tränen gerührt haben, was ja bei mir nicht so oft vorkommt beim Lesen.

Es gibt verschiedene wichtige Themen die mit eingeflochten wurden, wie Rücksichtnahme auf fremde Völker, ihre Sitten, Gebräuche und ihre Ängste. Auf der einen Seite die Verfechter des Friedens, die in Toleranz mit allen anderen leben wollen, und natürlich die Kriegstreiber, die nach Macht streben und alle anderen unterwerfen wollen. Aber auch kleine Feinheiten zwischen den Charakteren, über Mut, Vertrauen und Freundschaft.

Der Schauplatz an sich ist nicht sehr detailreich, aber doch bildhaft dargestellt und ich hatte die Stadt Regalia, die die Unterland-Menschen über Jahrhunderte aufgebaut haben, sehr gut vor Augen. Auch wie sie sich an das Leben unter Tage angepasst haben wird sehr schön erklärt. Hier lernt Gregor Freunde kennen, die ihm nicht alle von Anfang an wohlgesonnen sind und es fällt ihm nicht leicht, sich den Regeln und Weisungen unterzuordnen.
Da ich die Reihe ja schon einmal gelesen hatte weiß ich, wie sich die Figuren entwickeln und ich freu mich schon so sehr auf die Fortsetzungen!

© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer ...more

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Apr 08, 2018 Emir Ibañez added it · review of another edition

Shelves: abandonado

Le tenía ganas a esta saga sólo porque quería saber qué había escrito Suzanne Collins antes de Los juegos del hambre pero me encontré con una historia predecible y poco interesante, independientemente de que está dirigida a un público infantil me dejó demasiado meh, por eso ni quise terminarlo.

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Nov 06, 2015 Jaqueline Miguel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: enviado-pela-editora

Começo por agradecer à Editorial Presença, não só por me ter enviado este livro como presente de aniversário do blogue, mas principalmente por editar livros tão fantásticos. Os livros desta editora estão entre os meus preferidos de sempre.
Quando soube que a autora da tão consagrada série dos Jogos da Fome tinha outra série a ser lançada em Portugal, fiquei completamente em pulgas para a ler. Não contava recebe-la de presente da editora. MUITO OBRIGADA MAIS UMA VEZ!
Ao contrário da outra série d Começo por agradecer à Editorial Presença, não só por me ter enviado este livro como presente de aniversário do blogue, mas principalmente por editar livros tão fantásticos. Os livros desta editora estão entre os meus preferidos de sempre.
Quando soube que a autora da tão consagrada série dos Jogos da Fome tinha outra série a ser lançada em Portugal, fiquei completamente em pulgas para a ler. Não contava recebe-la de presente da editora. MUITO OBRIGADA MAIS UMA VEZ!
Ao contrário da outra série da autora, esta foi pensada para um público mais juvenil. É uma serie infantojuvenil e deve ser encarada e lida como tal. Parti para esta leitura bem ciente que isto não são nenhuns Jogos da Fome, que ia ser algo novo e inteiramente diferente. Quase como se fosse ler algo de um autor novo pela primeira vez. Acho que é assim que devem partir para este livro.
A história começa por nos dizer que Gregor, um menino de onze anos, não pôde ir junto com os outros da sua idade para um campo de férias porque teve de ficar em casa a cuidar da irmã mais nova, com apenas dois anos de idade (a quem todos chamam Boots). A mãe trabalha muito para os sustentar, principalmente desde o desaparecimento do pai, e não tem tempo para tomar conta da filha pequena durante o verão. Assim, Gregor fica sem férias e a sua irmã Lizzie (a irmã do meio) vai para o campo de férias. Gregor foi obrigado a amadurecer para ajudar em casa. Além disso a sua avó, que também vive com eles, nem sempre o reconhece e parece achar que ele se chama Simon.
Num dia de imenso calor, Gregor está na lavandaria a pôr roupa a lavar enquanto brinca com a irmã, mandando uma bola para ela ir buscar. De repente, ele apercebe-se que ela está num canto da lavandaria e vai lá busca-la, já a pensar que ela estava a mexer nas fichas elétricas. Só que ela estava a brincar perto de uma antiga conduta de ventilação e caiu lá para dentro. Sem hesitar, Gregor segue-a e dão por eles a cair durante muito tempo, mais que o normal. Quando chegam ao fundo, surpreendentemente ilesos, ficam subitamente rodeados por um grupo de baratas gigantes. Mal eles sabem que acabaram de conhecer os primeiros dos muitos habitantes de um território vasto chamado Subterra. Lá as pessoas possuem peles transparentes, devido à falta de sol, os animais falam e assumem tamanhos gigantescos (como é o caso das baratas, morcegos, aranhas, ratos, entre outros) e Gregor encontra-se envolvido numa guerra devido a uma estranha profecia que o menciona.
Dizer que adorei esta história é pouco. Eu amei cada pedacinho dela. Adorei as personagens, cada uma delas (mesmo as más). Dei por mim a chorar por uma criatura pela qual não choraria em diferentes circunstâncias. Mas, principalmente, percebi que este livro transmite uma mensagem muito importante a quem lê: todas as criaturas são iguais (grandes ou pequenas, não importando as diferenças entre nós, todas têm o mesmo valor). Isso é muito importante!
A escrita desta autora é fantástica. Deixa-nos completamente agarrados. Adoro!
Recomendo este livro ao público mais jovem, mas também a todas as outras idades. Peço que mantenham a mente aberta e apreendam a mensagem valiosa que o livro nos transmite. ...more

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About Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little B ...more

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