Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (Underland Chronicles)

Thinking one day about Alice in Wonderland, author Suzanne Collins was struck by how rural the setting must seem to kids who, like her own, lived in the city. In New York City, you're much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you're not going to find a tea party. What you might find...? Collins's musings led to the creation of The Underland Chronicles. "I liked the fact that this world was teeming under New York City and nobody was aware of it. That you could be going along preoccupied with your own problems and then whoosh! You take a wrong turn in your laundry room and suddenly a giant cockroach is right in your face. No magic, no space or time travel, there's just a ticket to another world behind your clothes dryer," Collins says. A writer for children's television shows for more than 15 years, Suzanne currently lives in Connecticut with her family and a pair of feral kittens they adopted from their backyard. For more information about Suzanne Collins, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks and suzannecollinsbooks.com

Grade 5-8–Readers are quickly drawn into this sequel to Gregor the Overlander (Scholastic, 2003), which concluded with Gregor and his toddler sister, Boots, returning from the Underland, an underground realm populated by humans and giant creatures. When Boots is kidnapped and taken back to the Underland, Gregor follows her to the city of Regalia, where he is reunited with Luxa and her wise grandfather. Vikus tells the boy of the "Prophecy of Bane," which foretold of Gregor's return to the land to find and fight a legendary white super-rat. The siblings are joined by Luxa and other humans, as well as giant talking bats and cockroaches, in the quest to find the Bane. As in the first book, the questers face adventure, danger, death, loss, and change on their journey, and the surprising conclusion leaves room for another sequel. Interpersonal conflict and old enmities among the well-developed characters add depth, and the hazards and beauties of the subterranean Underland are fully realized and clearly presented. An urgent mood and a sense of impending danger are conveyed. This is a strong choice for fantasy fans, including reluctant readers, even if they're not familiar with Gregor's first adventure.–Beth L. Meister, Yeshiva of Central Queens, Flushing, NY
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