Gregor the Overlander

Collins, Suzanne. (2004). Gregor the Overlander. New York: Scholastic.

This story is about Gregor and his little sister Boots, who fall find themselves in Underland, which is a underground world full of gigantic talking roaches, bats and rats. It is truly a fascinating fantasy tale. They encounter unbelievable things in Underland. Gregor finds out there is another human, which turns out to be his father. He decides to try and find him. In the end he is reunited with his father and they return home.

Evaluative Criteria: Setting and Theme

Setting: Setting is key in this story. We find that Gregor finds himself in anunderground world that has no sunlight and extraordinary creatures. The buildings in the weird place are made of stone which are connected through tunnels. That is how they get around down there. Due to no sunlight the creatures have learned to adapt they flourish in this dim environment. The people also must learn to adapt, no sunlight has changed the look of their eyes and skin. 

Theme: A theme we hear more than once said in the book is  “where there is life there is hope”. does not matter where you find yourself this statement holds truth. While on their journey Gregor and the others face death and terror, but always returning to the theme as long as one of them is still pushing through then they will make it. Never lose hope and faith. This can be seen in Overland as well as in Underland.