Gregor The Overlander – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Gregor The Overlander

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2010

93%

WISE Score

Forget the Hunger Games—this is Suzanne Collins' best work, featuring giant bats, political intrigue, and the world's most responsible eleven-year-old.

Gregor The Overlander

book

2010

93%

WISE Score

Forget the Hunger Games—this is Suzanne Collins' best work, featuring giant bats, political intrigue, and the world's most responsible eleven-year-old.

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Screenwise Verdict

Before she became a household name with The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins wrote this masterclass in middle-grade fantasy. It’s faster-paced than Harry Potter and carries more emotional weight than Percy Jackson.

If you have a kid who is 'over' simple fairy tales but isn't quite ready for the bleakness of YA dystopia, this is the sweet spot. It respects the reader's intelligence, doesn't shy away from the reality of conflict, and keeps the stakes grounded in a boy's simple desire to keep his family together.

Age Fit

Perfect for the 8-12 crowd. It's sophisticated enough for older kids but the central focus on the toddler sister makes it a great bridge for younger advanced readers.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The heart of the story is Gregor’s fierce protection of his toddler sister, Boots. It models responsibility and family loyalty in a way that feels earned, not preached.

Imaginative

Suzanne Collins built a subterranean NYC filled with giant, sentient bats, spiders, and rats. The biology and culture of the 'Underlanders' is incredibly detailed and original.

Safe

It’s a book about a brewing war. There is character death and some 'nature-red-in-tooth-and-claw' violence involving giant insects and rodents that might unsettle sensitive readers.

Enriching

It tackles complex themes like the cost of war, the burden of prophecy, and prejudice against 'other' species without being heavy-handed.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Top-tier world-building that makes a giant cockroach kingdom feel like a legitimate political power.
The sibling dynamic between Gregor and his two-year-old sister Boots is the most realistic and charming depiction of age-gap siblings in middle-grade fiction.
Nuanced morality where the 'monsters' (rats, spiders) have their own complex histories and motivations rather than being simple villains.
Prophecy subversion that gives Gregor agency instead of just making him a puppet of fate.

⚠

What to Watch For

The 'ick factor' is high if your kid is bug-phobic; the giant cockroaches and spiders are described with vivid, crawly detail.
Character deaths are permanent and occasionally brutal, including some 'good guy' creatures that kids will likely get attached to.
The tension of a missing parent (Gregor's father) is the driving mystery and can be emotionally heavy for kids sensitive to family separation.

Conversation Starters

"If you had to choose a giant creature to ride into battle—a bat, a spider, or a rat—which one are you picking and why?"
"Why do you think the Underlanders are so afraid of the Prophecy, even if it says Gregor is going to help them?"
"Gregor really didn't want to be a hero. Does that make him a better or worse leader?"
"How did your opinion of the giant cockroaches change from the beginning of the book to the end?"

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