Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins

Book 2 in the series, The Underland Chronicles

Collins, S. (2004). Gregor and the prophecy of bane. Scholastic Inc.: New York.

ISBN: 0439731372

Plot 
Gregor returns to the Underland when his baby sister, Boots, is kidnapped. There he must embark on another quest. As in the first book of the series, Gregor the Overlander, he is joined on his quest by several of the strange creatures of the Underland. They are seeking to kill The Bane. It is prophesized that The Bane will be the destruction of the Underland. The rats think The Bane is Boots, Gregor’s little sister. The humans are convinced it is a rat. Gregor watches Boots and Luxa, the royal human princess, apparently drown on the quest. He decides to kill The Bane anyway. When he meets The Bane, it is a baby rat. Gregor cannot kill it as it is just a baby. When he returns to the human’s capitol city, he is put on trial for not killing The Bane. It is revealed that the true meaning of the prophecy is that the warrior’s heart will die if he kills The Bane. Gregor has done the right thing. Gregor discovers that Boots is alive, although there is no word of Luxa. Boots and Gregor return to the Overland with a new prophecy to ponder: The Prophecy of Blood.

Critical Evaluation 
Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane is a worthy follow-up to Gregor the Overlander. Once again, Collins’ writing is fast paced and action packed. Her plotting is suspenseful, full of exciting twists and turns. The book is written on an appropriate level for tweens. The violence is not graphic. Gregor is a character who under great duress chooses morality over military duty, political expediency and self-preservation. Young people who love heart-pounding, non-stop action in the fantasy genre will love Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane.

Reader’s Annotation 
Those who loved Gregor the Overlander will love its sequel Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane. We find Gregor embarked on another quest in the strange Underland. This time he must save his little sister who has been kidnapped by Underlanders and is marked for death by the rats. Gregor must assassinate the mysterious Bane to save the Underland. But will he be able to accomplish his quest and save his sister as well? This is just one of the dilemmas to be found in Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane.

About the Author Suzanne Collins is an American author born in 1964. She worked in children’s television before she became a young adult fiction writer. Gregor the Overlander was her first book. There are five books in the series. She followed it up with The Hunger Games trilogy, which has garnered her a cross over her adult audience. 

Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts

Booktalk Ideas: What would you do if you had to choose between your survival and doing something you know is wrong?

Reading Level: Grade 5+
Interest level: Grade 5+
Challenge Issues: None

This book was included because it is an excellent story with high interest to the target audience written at an appropriate level.