Gregor and the Code of Claw

Gregor and the Code of Claw is a children's novel by author Suzanne Collins, best known for her "Hunger Games" trilogy. It is the fifth and final book of "The Underland Chronicles", and was published in 2007. Scholastic has rated the book's "grade level equivalent" as 4.5 and the book's lexile score as 730L, making it reading-level-appropriate for the average fourth to sixth grader. The novel has been praised especially as a conclusion to "The Underland Chronicles". In its description of the novel, as part of its "Recommended Books" award, the CCBC states, "Although Gregor and the Code of Claw works as a stand-alone story, readers will want to start with book one and work their way through to this final volume." An audiobook version was released in 2008, read by Paul Boehmer.
Plot summary.
Only a few hours have passed since the closing of "Gregor and the Marks of Secret", when Gregor returns from the Firelands to warn Regalia of an impending gnawer attack. As the novel opens, Gregor is numb with shock from the "Prophecy of Time"'s apparent prediction of his death. He and his bond Ares disobey Solovet and return to the Firelands to find the terribly ill Luxa, Aurora, and Howard. Gregor rushes his ill friends back to the city for treatment, whereupon Solovet orders him locked in the dungeon for insubordination. He is eventually released by Nerissa to help his sister Boots while the toddler works to fulfill the "Prophecy of Time" by deciphering the rats' "Code of Claw".
Solovet still wants Gregor imprisoned, until Ripred and Mareth inform her that Gregor has recently developed romantic feelings for Queen Luxa, and would never leave Regalia while she is hospitalized. Shortly after this incident, an upset Gregor is called to the code room for an "emergency with [his] sister", and discovers eight-year-old Lizzie has come to bring him home. When the code team learns that Lizzie has an aptitude for puzzles, Ripred makes the suggestion that she replace Boots. Gregor is desperate to keep his family safe, so he extracts a promise from Ripred to protect them and keep them in the dark about Gregor's impending doom. While Lizzie works on (and ultimately solves) the code, Gregor fights the Bane's armies, struggling all the while to cope with his emotions about Luxa and Sandwich's prophecy.
Shortly before his final confrontation with the Bane, Gregor has all but lost hope for his life. Noticing this, Ripred tells him that he doesn't believe Gregor has to die, because the old rat has never believed in Sandwich's prophetic ability. This revelation inspires Gregor to ultimately defeat the unstable Bane. Two weeks later, a wounded Gregor awakens in the hospital and learns of a series of crushing events. Though the humans routed the rats, Ares died in the Firelands of wounds inflicted by the Bane; Ripred is presumed dead; and Vikus has been partially paralyzed by a stroke brought on by his wife's death.
Though Gregor no longer feels bound by it, many Underlanders wonder how the prophecy can be fulfilled while "the warrior" lives. At the rats' official meeting to discuss terms of surrender, they have their answer. Angered by both a half-dead Ripred and Luxa's readiness to return to war, Gregor breaks Bartholomew of Sandwich's sword on his knees and pronounces the warrior officially dead. Ripred and Luxa, agreeing with Gregor's sentiment, do something unprecedented and bond as a sign of their mutual desire for peace. Afterward, delegates from each species meet to negotiate more a specific treaty while Gregor's family says their good-byes and returns to New York. The novel ends as Gregor's parents discuss a move to Virginia while their children wonder how they can ever forget the Underland. Gregor takes his sisters to the park, where he remains haunted by traumatic memories of the Underland, then notes that Boots has finally learned how to say his name.
Reception.
"Gregor and the Code of Claw" has been reviewed favorably by critics, yet its print version never reached the top of bestseller lists except as part of "The Underland Chronicles". The audiobook version received considerably more public attention, receiving the 2009 ALSC Notable Children's Recording Award for its "originality, creativity, and suitability for children". In particular, the recording is praised for narrator Paul Boehmer's appropriately solemn tone and effective treatment of characters. A 2009 AudioFile review states, "Boehmer creates atmosphere by slightly modulating his voice to depict the darker tone of the story and the maturity of its theme. The satisfying conclusion is bittersweet as listeners say good-bye to the many unforgettable characters in this finely crafted series."
"The Underland Chronicles" was a "New York Times", "Book Sense", and "USA Today" bestselling series, but its fifth novel reached only 116th place on a list of best-selling hardcover novels compiled by "Publishers Weekly" in the year it was published. However, the book's position on that list remained mostly unchanged for the next four years.
A Booklist review for the novel reads, "well-written, fast-moving, action-packed fantasy"—a sentiment generally shared by book critics. The novel has also received critical acclaim for being an excellent conclusion to its series. A "School Library Journal" review praises the "realistic conclusion, including the loss of old friends and a message about the importance of peace and trust, [leaving] readers with a sense of optimism about the future of the Underland. The story's Kirkus Reviews review makes a similar observation: "The resolution is bittersweet but faintly hopeful—a fitting end for an unflinchingly gutsy series whose deftly drawn characters have always lived dangerously."
The novel's main criticisms have centered on its mature themes, which are much more prominent in the somber "Gregor and the Code of Claw" than in the series's other books. Comparisons between "The Underland Chronicles" and Suzanne Collins's later "Hunger Games" trilogy cite parallels between this final novel more than any other, and note the series' many violent moments. This trend culminates with the events of "Gregor and the Code of Claw", and sets the scene for Collins's later works. One Kirkus reviewer comments that though this is "heavy stuff" for preteens, the novel is an excellent "read-alike" for series such as "The Heroes of Olympus", which also possess more complex themes.