Gregor and the Code of Claw facts for kids
Cover of the first edition.
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| Author | Suzanne Collins |
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| Cover artist | Daniel Craig |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Underland Chronicles |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
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Publication date
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2007 |
| Pages | 416 |
| ISBN | 978-0-439-79144-1 |
| OCLC | 66527121 |
| Preceded by | Gregor and the Marks of Secret |
Gregor and the Code of Claw is a children's novel written by Suzanne Collins. She is famous for her Hunger Games books. This book is the fifth and final part of The Underland Chronicles series. It was published in 2007.
Scholastic, the publisher, suggests this book is good for readers in fourth to sixth grade. Many people have praised it as a great ending to The Underland Chronicles. An audiobook version of the story was released in 2008.
Plot Summary
This story starts right after the previous book, Gregor and the Marks of Secret. Gregor has just returned from the Firelands. He needs to warn the city of Regalia about a coming attack from the rats. Gregor is very upset because a prophecy seems to say he will die.
Gregor and his bat friend, Ares, go back to the Firelands. They find their friends Luxa, Aurora, and Howard very sick. Gregor quickly brings them back to Regalia for help. Because Gregor disobeyed orders, he is put in the dungeon. Later, Nerissa lets him out. He needs to help his little sister, Boots. Boots is trying to figure out the rats' secret "Code of Claw" to fulfill a prophecy.
The leader, Solovet, still wants Gregor in prison. But Ripred (a rat) and Mareth tell her that Gregor cares a lot about Queen Luxa. They say he would never leave Regalia while she is sick. Soon after, Gregor's eight-year-old sister, Lizzie, arrives to take him home. The team working on the code learns that Lizzie is good at puzzles. Ripred suggests she could help with the code instead of Boots. Gregor wants to keep his family safe. He makes Ripred promise to protect them and keep them from knowing about the prophecy that says Gregor will die. While Lizzie works on the code (and eventually solves it), Gregor fights the armies of the Bane. He also tries to deal with his feelings for Luxa and the prophecy.
Before his final fight with the Bane, Gregor feels like he has lost all hope. Ripred tells him that he doesn't believe Gregor has to die. This gives Gregor the strength to finally defeat the dangerous Bane. Two weeks later, Gregor wakes up in the hospital. He learns some sad news. The humans won against the rats, but Ares died from his injuries. Ripred is thought to be dead. Also, Vikus is partly unable to move after his wife's death.
Even though Gregor doesn't feel tied to the prophecy anymore, many Underlanders wonder how it can be true if "the warrior" is still alive. They get their answer at the rats' meeting to discuss peace. Gregor is upset by Ripred (who is still alive but hurt) and Luxa wanting to keep fighting. He breaks a special sword and says the "warrior" from the prophecy is now gone. Ripred and Luxa agree. They do something new and bond with each other. This shows they both want peace. After this, leaders from each group meet to make a peace agreement. Gregor's family says goodbye and goes back to New York. The story ends with Gregor's parents talking about moving to Virginia. The children wonder how they will ever forget the Underland. Gregor takes his sisters to the park. He still remembers the difficult times in the Underland, but then he notices that Boots can finally say his name.
Main Characters
Major characters
- Gregor: He is the main character of the series. He is the "warrior" from the prophecies and a "rager," meaning he is a very strong fighter. Even though he is skilled in battle, Gregor cares deeply for his friends and family. He tries to stay kind during the war. He also develops strong feelings for Luxa.
- Ares: A large, strong black bat. He is Gregor's special friend, called a bond. Before the war, other bats and humans avoided him because his previous bond died. But during the war, people start to see him as a hero because of his fighting skills. Ares is remembered as a hero after he dies in battle.
- Ripred: A rat who is also a rager and a very experienced fighter. Ripred is very wise and helps the humans as a general and planner. He always keeps his own goals in mind, which almost causes problems after the war. Ripred becomes fond of Gregor's sister Lizzie. She reminds him of one of his own young who died. He also bonds with Queen Luxa because he cares about her and her family.
- Luxa: The young queen of the Underlanders. She is the granddaughter of Solovet and Vikus. Luxa is proud and stubborn, and she cares a lot about her friends. While Gregor admires these qualities, they can make things difficult for her during wartime. Luxa has been bonded to the bat Aurora since she was a child. At the end of the book, she bonds with the rat Ripred. She also starts to have strong feelings for Gregor.
- Lizzie: Gregor's younger sister. She is called the "princess" in the prophecy because she is related to Boots. Lizzie is very smart, but she sometimes has panic attacks. Because of this, Gregor worries about her safety and almost doesn't let her stay in the Underland. Ripred convinces Gregor to let her stay and promises to protect Lizzie. Lizzie thinks Ripred is lonely and is very sad when she believes he has died. She plays a big part in solving The Code of Claw.
- Boots (Margaret): Gregor and Lizzie's toddler sister. The crawlers (another group of creatures) call her "the princess." This makes the Underland humans think she is important for breaking the code. Her biggest role in the story is showing the difference between herself and her older brother. Gregor tries to keep her from knowing about the terrible things happening, but he doesn't always succeed.
- Solovet: The leader of the Regalian army and wife of Vikus. Gregor doesn't trust Solovet because of her past actions. But he has to follow her orders because she is a very good military leader. Gregor admits that her training helped him survive, but he still dislikes her for putting him in prison. Solovet dies during a diplomatic mission near the end of the war. Her husband, Vikus, becomes very ill after her death.
- The Bane (Pearlpelt): A very large white rat who is seen as a sign of bad things to come in the Underland. The Bane is emotionally fragile but very dangerous, especially when his "friend" Twirltongue encourages him. He kills many Underland creatures, including the bat Ares. Gregor and Ares kill him in the last parts of the book.
