Spring 2006 Review:

        Gregor goes back to the Underland for his normal lessons with Ripred, the fearsome rat who is now teaching him echolocation.  Ripred shows him what the Bane has become and Gregor soon is caught up in another adventure with his Underland friends.  The mice have been disappearing and when a message is sent to Queen Luxa, Gregor must go and help his friends find out what is happening to the mice.  Gregor and Luxa try to sneak out by pretending to have a picnic, but Gregor’s sister Boots, Howard, Hazard, and Temp end up finding out and going with them.  They trip is supposed to be a short one, but things take a turn for the worse and they take a lot longer than planned.  They must travel through many dangerous regions of the Underland and face many enemies and trials before they can find out what has happened to all the mice. 

        This book was very exciting and it moved the plot of the Underland Chronicles along a lot.  It sets up a lot of suspense for the fifth and final book in the series.  I think that it is a good book for most middle school and high school students.  The plot is very interesting and the book moves very quickly.  The characters also develop more and Gregor’s abilities as a rager develop more fully.  The book ends with a cliffhanger and sets up the main story for the final book in the Underland Chronicles. 

~ Stelios Theophanous, Grade 10, Boardman High School