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This was a fun read. Young YA fiction, about the level of Artemis Fowl, maybe, or maybe a little younger. Eleven-year-old Gregor falls down a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building in NYC and lands in an underground world populated with humans and giant bats, roaches, spiders, and rats. Battles ensue, and Gregor is a hero.
I liked this book a lot because it really draws the reader in, emotionally, without being sappy. A character dies, and Gregor cries because this character is loyal and true. Gregor rescues another character from being exiled. The language in these scenes is simple, but really evocative, and not at all sappy. Boys could read this book and think it's really cool because, I mean obviously, there are giant roaches and stuff, and at the same time there are these very heartfelt scenes that remind us that Gregor is just a kid trying to do his best, and he's just like any other kid. Yeah, I liked this one.
I liked this book a lot because it really draws the reader in, emotionally, without being sappy. A character dies, and Gregor cries because this character is loyal and true. Gregor rescues another character from being exiled. The language in these scenes is simple, but really evocative, and not at all sappy. Boys could read this book and think it's really cool because, I mean obviously, there are giant roaches and stuff, and at the same time there are these very heartfelt scenes that remind us that Gregor is just a kid trying to do his best, and he's just like any other kid. Yeah, I liked this one.
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Date: 2008-01-26 03:25 am (UTC)From:Some of the later books tackle political issues that I think may be too disturbing for the age the books are written for. But they're very compelling.