BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSGregor is an eleven-year-old boy living in a New York City apartment, spending the summer babysitting his two-year-old sister Boots while his mother works. His father vanished more than two years ago, and Gregor has quietly held onto the belief that he is still alive somewhere. One afternoon in the laundry room of their building, Boots chases a ball into an air duct, and both children fall through into a vast underground world called the Underland, where giant talking cockroaches, bats, and rats live alongside a pale, violet-eyed human civilization. When Gregor arrives in the magnificent city of Regalia and learns that his father may be alive as a prisoner of the rats, he is swept into a dangerous quest that the people of the Underland have been waiting centuries for him to begin.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Gregor the Overlander
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Gregor the Overlander. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a toddler shout, "Beeg bug!" at a four-foot-tall cockroach holding a torch?
✓ Answer
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
When Gregor and Boots land in the underground world, the first creature they meet is a giant cockroach sitting upright on its back legs. Boots is completely unfazed and delighted, while Gregor can barely close his mouth.
- First half
In what book does a council ask a boy his favorite color and scribble down every answer?
✓ Answer
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
The council questions Gregor about everything from his birthday to whether he can swim to his favorite color (green). They are trying to match him against details in the prophecy. A couple of council members write down every word he says.
- First half
In what book does a teenager toss a toddler off a stone pillar and bats play catch with her?
✓ Answer
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Henry tosses Boots off the pillar as a joke, and twenty bats take turns catching her and flipping her back into the air. Boots screams "More!" with delight, but Gregor is furious. He grabs Henry by the front of his shirt and demands she be brought in.
- Second half
In what book does a boy save a girl from a spider queen by spraying shaken soda in its face?
✓ Answer
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
When Queen Wevox captures Luxa with a silk rope and is about to bite her, Gregor shakes up his can of root beer and pops the top. The stream of soda smacks the spider queen right in the face, and she drops Luxa to claw at her six eyes. It's the only weapon Gregor has.
- Second half
In what book does a rat lead a group through a foul-smelling tunnel specifically to disguise their scent?
✓ Answer
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
After hours of trudging through a tunnel dripping with rotten-egg-smelling liquid, Ripred reveals he chose that route on purpose. The horrible smell conceals the scent of the group, which would otherwise attract rats. He tells them they were "highly repugnant" as a pack.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy find his long-lost father in a deep pit, too weak to stand?
✓ Answer
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
After years of imprisonment, Gregor's dad is found in a deep circular pit with walls as smooth as ice. The once-strong man tries to stand but fails and falls to all fours. His hair and beard have turned snow white, and he wears a cloak made of rat fur.
