Flashplot: This series of five fantasy books follows the formula of many middle grade / YA quest fantasies: A child living a less than desirable life in our world suddenly finds himself in a fantasy world in which he has prophesied that will save the day. He makes allies and enemies, loses mentors, and falls in love.
As a reader: Despite following the formula for said series, Gregor the Overlander is a creative and entertaining set of books for young readers. I found that it took me a while to connect with the main protagonist, Gregor. It seemed flat and a bit void of the emotional responses readers would expect from a character going through the trials he was facing. But when the first book reaches its climax, Gregor begins to sound like the eleven-year-old that he is. The plots of these books also improve as the series progresses. I enjoyed the first two books in the series from a teacher’s point of view, but felt that, unlike Collins’s newer series, they lacked the more adult themes that gave The Hunger Games broader appeal. However, in the final books of the Overlander series, Collins definitely tackles the universal themes of oppression, racism, and leadership, all through characters made up of rats, bats, fireflies, and the occasional human. This is a series that both parents and kids will enjoy!
As a writer: Although it took me a while to see Gregor as a complete character, it surprisingly took me little time to imagine the world he fell into. Collins’ is a master builder of worlds. In the first chapters, readers will not only be able to imagine the giant cockroaches that make up a set of characters, but will also fall in love with them for their backwards speech patterns and loving nature. I also admired Collins’ ability to develop the Boots character. It is extremely difficult to make a young child realistic and interesting to an older audience. Boots might have turned into an annoying or flat character that prevented middle-grade readers from enjoying the story, but in Collins’ hands she turns into a lovable, rather round little creature.
Bottom line: In the high school where I teach, I led the summer reading group for book one in this series. Of the nearly forty students who read it, three-quarters chose to read the rest of the series during their summer vacation, without being forced by their parents. I think that says more than anything I can put in a review!