Parents' Guide to

The Legend of Greg: Failures, Book 1

By Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Middle Earth meets Chicago in wild magical Dwarf tale.

Book Chris Rylander Fantasy 2018
The Legend of Greg: Failures, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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What's the Story?

THE LEGEND OF GREG involves 13-year-old Greg Belmont, a fat and bullied kid whose equally unglamorous father runs a shop selling organic soaps and teas in Chicago. One day he sneaks a drink of a new tea his dad told him to stay away from, and weird things start happening. A polar bear attacks him. So does a bully, whose hand gets broken in the process. When monsters carry his dad off from the shop, Greg learns that everything he knows is pretty much wrong: He's not human, he's a Dwarf, and he may have a crucial role to play in some world-changing magic that's brewing. But first, he's got to save his dad. And deal with the fact that his best friend is an Elf. And learn the secrets of Dwarven life.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Author Chris Rylander brings the Dwarves and Elves of Middle Earth, along with cosmic conflict, middle-school bullies, and bathroom humor, to modern-day Chicago, where mayhem quickly ensues. There are also some relatable moments as The Legend of Greg unfolds, and its unlikely hero has unexpected moments of triumph. Many of the story elements seem a bit half-baked, possibly signaling a long, chaotic story arc to come.

"I was sitting in an underground cavern where kids were crafting weapons, brewing potions, and spelunking just for fun. That made it easier to simply nod and go along with everything. I still wasn't sure how much I really believed any of this. But it surprised me how much I wanted to. Suddenly I was kind of excited about possibly being a part of something huge and cool -- knowing that I wasn't just some kid from a loser family so cursed that we all accepted our bad luck with big, dumb smiles on our faces. Here was a whole new world for me to explore, a world where I'd finally belong, and it apparently came with built-in (potential) friends."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why stories that involve characters from one world (often magical) suddenly turning up in another (often not) are so popular. What other examples do you know? How does Legend of Greg measure up?

  • If you were to suddenly discover that you belonged to a group/tribe/family from tales you thought were fiction, which one do you think it would be? Why do you think you'd be a member of that group, and what do you think you'd do about it?

  • Have you ever thought you knew someone pretty well, and then seen a whole new side of them that you didn't like at all? What happened? How did you handle it?

Book Details

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