Gregor and the Marks of Secret facts for kids
The cover of the first edition.
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| Author | Suzanne Collins |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Underland Chronicles |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
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Publication date
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1 May 2006 |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 352 pp |
| ISBN | 0-439-79145-6 |
| OCLC | 62172584 |
| LC Class | PZ7.C6837 Gpk 2006 |
| Preceded by | Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods |
| Followed by | Gregor and the Code of Claw |
Gregor and the Marks of Secret is an exciting fantasy novel. It's the fourth book in The Underland Chronicles series, written by Suzanne Collins. The story continues right after the events of Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods.
Contents
The Story of Gregor and the Marks of Secret
The book begins with Gregor's younger sister, Lizzie, getting ready for summer camp. Meanwhile, Gregor and Boots travel back to the mysterious Underland. There, Ripred introduces Gregor to Pearlpelt, who is now a teenager. Ripred wants Gregor to see how unstable Pearlpelt is and consider stopping him from becoming a leader. Gregor doesn't like this idea. The next day, he tries to talk Ripred out of it, but instead, he is attacked by Pearlpelt's friends.
A Mysterious Message and a Journey
Weeks pass, and Ripred is still missing. Gregor is relaxed until a messenger brings Luxa her crown. Luxa and her friends realize this is a distress call from the nibbler (mouse) colony in the Jungle. They go to investigate but find only a dead mouse and an empty colony.
Luxa is very upset. She decides to visit another nibbler colony at the Fount. She pretends it's a picnic date, which makes others join them. This group finds that colony also mysteriously empty. They discover a "mark of secret," which Hazard says warns of death and sadness.
Tracking the Nibblers and a Prophecy
The group follows the mice into the Swag. An earthquake forces them into Hades Hall. On their way back to Regalia, they learn that the Bane has been killing nibblers. This makes Luxa declare war against all gnawers (rats). Gregor becomes annoyed with Luxa as he sees the serious results of her decision.
The team eventually finds the missing nibblers. They are trapped by rats in a natural gas chamber. The group is shocked to realize that an Underland children's song describes this terrible scene perfectly. This means it's another one of Bartholomew of Sandwich's old prophecies.
Volcano Eruption and New Feelings
A volcano starts to erupt nearby, and everyone rushes to escape. One of their group, a flier, dies in the explosion. The group travels sadly until they leave the Firelands. There, they split up. Gregor, Ares, and Temp go to take the young and injured back to Regalia. They also spread the news about the rats' plans. The rest of the group returns to protect any remaining nibblers.
Gregor wants to join the second group, but Ripred convinces him to learn about the "Prophecy of Time." Ripred also helps Gregor understand his new romantic feelings for Luxa. These feelings have made him moody and confused during their journey. The book ends with Gregor accepting his role as Sandwich's "warrior" by taking the man's sword.
The Prophecy of Secret Explained
The prophecy in this book is carved into the walls of an old nursery in the Regalian Palace. The Underlanders think it's just a popular nursery rhyme, like "Hey Diddle Diddle." Underland children sing and dance to it at parties. Gregor discovers this early in the novel. The song's true meaning is unknown until many nibblers die. Then, Boots's dancing perfectly mimics the terrifying scene. Aurora named it the "Prophecy of Secret."
Understanding the Verses
Dancing in the firelight,
See the queen who conquers night.
Gold flows from her, hot and bright.
Meaning: In the children's song, dancers choose a girl to be "the queen" and dance in the middle of their circle. When the quest members understand the prophecy, they realize this verse talks about a large volcano. It describes the bright light the volcano gives off in the dark tunnels.
Father, mother, sister, brother,
Off they go
I do not know
If we will see another
Meaning: This part is repeated at the end of every verse. It refers to entire families of nibblers being killed by the gnawers. The rats want to get rid of the mice forever. So, it's truly unlikely that anyone will ever "see another" family member.
Catch the nibblers in a trap.
Watch the nibblers spin and snap.
Quiet while they take a nap.
Meaning: The nibblers are being forced into a pit at the bottom of the volcano. The volcano is releasing a harmful gas. This gas is heavier than air and is blown towards the mice by the currents. It settles into the pit, and the nibblers breathe it in. They start to move around, looking for clean air. Finally, they become still as they are suffocated and die. The mice appear to be napping, according to Boots. This is one of the first clues that helps the group understand the true meaning of the song.
Now the guests are at our door
Greet them as we have before.
Some will slice and some will pour.
Meaning: The last verse was once thought to describe a tea party. It was danced with moves that looked like slicing cake and pouring tea. Once the quest groups "translate" these lines, they realize they describe the war with the gnawers. Luxa has recently started this war. The Regalians are ready to fight again "as they have before." Luxa explains to Gregor that in wartime, the Regalians attack their enemies with swords and burning oil poured from high places.
Main Characters in the Quest
Key Quest Members
- Gregor: He is the twelve-year-old main character of the novel. He is known as a "rager" and is the Regalians' "warrior." He has a special bond with the flier Ares and is a close friend of Princess Luxa. He knows he will soon leave the Underland forever, which sometimes causes arguments with his friends.
- Ares: A large black flier (bat) who is bonded to Gregor. He is brave and much stronger than most bats. During their journey, he helps the other quest members with his calm and clever ideas.
- Luxa: The future queen of Regalia, who is quite rebellious. She and her bond, Aurora, were trapped in the Jungle before this book. There, they became close friends with the nibbler colony. It was this colony's call for help that made her, Aurora, Gregor, and Ares start their quest. She later makes a "Vow to the Dead" where many nibblers were killed. This means she promises all her power to get revenge for the mice's deaths.
- Aurora: A golden bat who is bonded to Luxa. She is one of Ares's few friends. She often agrees with Luxa, especially about the mice colonies, because they were also very good friends to her.
- Boots (Margaret): Gregor's two-year-old sister. The crawlers call her "the princess." She becomes fascinated with an Underland children's song. Later, they realize this song is actually one of Bartholomew of Sandwich's hidden prophecies.
- Hazard: Luxa's young halflander cousin. He is very good with languages. He also knows a lot about life in the Jungle, which makes him very helpful to the quest group. He turns seven early in the novel. He and the young flier Thalia are very close friends. Hazard gets a head injury right after the group enters the Swag and is unable to help for most of the trip.
- Thalia: A very young peach-colored female bat. She loves jokes. The other quest members often try to make her laugh when she gets scared by the many dangers they face on their way back to Regalia. She dies when "the Queen" volcano erupts. She is too slow to fly away from the volcanic ash and too new to flying to hold her breath. Ares, who blames himself for not being able to carry her fast enough, buries her with some mice recently killed by rats.
- Howard: Luxa's older cousin, who is very capable. He is like an older brother to her. Howard is training to be a doctor. He is very accepting of other creatures, except for shiners (fireflies). He blames them for Luxa and Aurora almost dying.
- Nike: A black-and-white striped bat, who is the daughter of Queen Athena. She becomes close to Howard, who lost his bond Pandora on an earlier quest. Like Howard, she also dislikes fireflies.
- Temp: A crawler and a friend of Boots. He isn't very good at speaking English, which sometimes makes others look down on him. But he is patient and wise. His strong natural instincts save the quest members several times.
- Ripred: A tough, old rat, and a rager like Gregor. The questers find him trapped in a slippery obsidian pit. His teeth are locked together, which is a slow and painful way to die. This was ordered by the Bane. He travels with them out of the Firelands. He gives them important information about why the gnawers are trying to get rid of the nibblers.
- Cartesian: A nibbler from the Fount colony. The questers meet him early on. He is the only survivor of his colony. He is badly hurt and in shock. When he is clear-headed, he shows he is brave and smart. But he spends most of the trip confused from pain medicine.
- Photos Glow-Glow and Zap: Two hired fireflies who travel with the quest members for a short time. They provide light after their displaced colony is found in Hades Hall. They leave the group at the first sign of danger.
