When reading inspires writing

Every now and then a student finds a series that has been languishing on the shelves that I was contemplating pulling from the collection.  Yesterday a student stopped me to talk about Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins. He was surprised to hear that the books were not widely read in the library.  I asked if he would like to write a short piece explaining why he likes the books.  Sure enough, in my inbox was the notice of a Google Doc that had been shared with me.  This year is ending with the same energy it started with and I feel so lucky.  I will use Matt's piece to book talk the books in the fall.  This is the best kind of reader's advisory there is -- straight from the student readers. 

Underland Series

Having read the Underland Series, by Suzanne Collins, I think that it is a real page turner. Suzanne really gives you a picture of what is going on in the story. She divides the book into three parts. Each part has about ten to twelve chapters. The chapters are about fifteen to twenty pages long. But trust me, they are worth turning.

Summary of Book 1:

Gregor the Overlander  is about a brother and sister (Gregor and Boots) who had a lovely family. But Gregor’s dad had mysteriously disappeared. One day Gregor and his baby sister Boots, went down to the laundry room to help her mom with laundry. The next thing they know, they are falling down the vent of their laundry room. Once they land in one piece they realize they are not at home. They are in the Underland. Two giant cockroaches find him and bring him back to a beautiful city called Regalia. There, the citizens of Regalia realize that this is the beginning of the “Prophecy of Gray.” Then, Gregor realizes that there is no way to get back to the Overland, so the only thing to do is to carry on the prophecy. So the Underlanders take Gregor and his sister to gather all of the things that he needs for the quest. You’ll find out what happens next if you read the book Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins and if you like the first book, there are four more books in the series.

“These book is a real page turner!”

Find it in Mrs.Reed’s Library

For every book a reader and, even better, a reader that wants to inspire others to read the book.