GTraynor



** THE MAZE RUNNER  **
 * Author ||  James Dashner  ||
 * Published ||  2009  ||
 * Publisher || Random House (Nook edition) ||
 * AR Reading Level ||  5.3  ||
 * Genre || Science Fiction ||
 * Length ||  332 Pages  ||

Thomas thinks he is a 16 year old boy. He only knows a little bit about his past, but he doesn’t remember any faces, places, or even why he was there. He wakes up in The Box, a system used to bring supplies to his new home, The Glade. The Glade is home to about 40 boys with ages ranging from about 12 to 18. The boys here each have a job so their no-adult society can survive. Neither Thomas nor anyone else knows why they came to the Glade or where The Glade is. Thomas learns on his first day that The Glade is surrounded by a maze, which changes every day. It is the only hope of escape, and in two years, no one has ever found the exit. The next day, something strange arrives in The Box: a girl. She falls into a coma and mumbles cryptic messages involving the maze and a way out. Thomas becomes a maze runner after he develops a telepathic connection with Teresa, the girl, and together they attempt to fight against the Grievers, slimy half-animal-half-machine creatures that guard the maze, find a way to rebel against the creators of the maze, and most importantly, find a way out. Will Thomas and Teresa succeed? Will they need help from the other Gladers? Will the elders, Newt and Alby, believe their theories? Find out by reading this epic story set in the far future. ** REVIEW  ** “Working together will get the job done.” I can’t count how many tomes I’ve heard this message in books, but the way James Dashner wrote The Maze Runner, it doesn’t at all seem cliché. I really like how James Dashner told the story from a third person point of view because the book would be much shorter and more obvious. I really like the Glader’s slang, partly because I can picture boys that age using it. I really liked this book because it is very mysterious in the beginning, and as you read everything comes together like a puzzle. The telepathy made this science fiction seem more of a fantasy, a genre that I find much more appealing than science fiction. I also lile the struggle that Thomas and Teresa go through so that the Gladers have hope of escaping. One last thing that I loved about this book is the fact that the boys made constant sacrifices for each other. I would recommend this book to a person with a taste for drama, suspense, and a few gruesome details over the age of 13. Out of 10, I’d give this book a 8.5. Overall, this was a great book, and who knows? It might just become your favorite.

Grace Traynor Mr. Gamache's PD 4/5