When I first picked up this book, it was at lunch, which, considering that it pretty much starts off with descriptions of giant cockroaches, was not a great idea. But once I got over the ickiness of giant roaches, bats, rats, and various other rather repugnant bugs and animals, I found it was a really well-written and engaging book. Gregor is an eleven-year-old boy who lives in an apartment in New York City with his family, and one day he and his toddler sister are sucked down into the Underworld (a world beneath ours consisting of humans and giant creatures). He and his sister, Boots, are immediately beset with danger, and are continually so throughout. All Gregor wants to do is to escape back home, but when he discovers that he has a chance to find his dad, who went missing over two years ago, he agrees to stay and help the humans with their cause. It’s action-packed and has an interesting contrast between our world and the Underworld in the dialog. Gregor speaks like an ordinary, modern eleven-year-old, and the Underworld humans speak with a sort of archaic, stilted language. Good book.
I had been reading Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich, but it wasn’t really grabbing me, so I decided to return it without finishing it. I’m not sure what I will start next – so many good books on my list!
