Picking up where Gregor and the Marks of Secret (Scholastic, 2006) left off, twelve-year-old Gregor is plunged into a war in the Underland, a world far beneath New York City, where people and giant rats vie for dominance along with human-sized bats, insects, and other rodents. A cryptic prophecy has convinced Gregor that he must die or the Underland will be doomed. As he struggles to accept what he feels is his inevitable fate, Gregor, together with his two younger sisters, works to crack the Code of Claw and free the human city of Regalia from invading rats. As in the earlier books in this series, the prophecy’s true meaning lies beneath the surface riddle, and Gregor lives to confront another destiny. He’s alive, but he faces a life in New York City, apart from his friends and allies of the Underland. Can he function as a “normal” boy again, after being honored as a Warrior, and scarred by intense physical and emotional experiences? 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. Suzanne Collins wraps up her five-book series with a deft hand, sure to leave fans begging for one more descent to the Underland. (Ages 9–14)