Fabulous Finds: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner is a different kind of dystopian novel. When I read it, I had just finished Matched, and Reached. I was in this "futuristic love story" mindset. The Maze Runner is nothing like that.

This is the book description for The Maze Runner given by Amazon.com:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every thirty days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

This is my personal review of The Maze Runner:

Thomas is confused and upset. He wakes up in a metal box and can't remember anything. A group of boys find him and let him know that he has arrived at the Glade. The Glade is a type of society confined to an area surrounded by giant walls with a large gate in all 4 directions leading to a maze.

Every morning, the gates open to the maze and the Maze Runners (boys assigned to finding a path to escape) leave on a mission. They must return to the Glade before sundown when the gates close because if they don't, they are subjected to being hunted by unfamiliar, hideous creatures.

The day after Thomas arrives, a girl arrives in the box. The Gladers are suspicious and nervous about this because a girl has never arrived to the Glade before.

Thomas feels the need to join the Maze Runners and unlock the secret to the maze, the Glade, and his memories.

This book is amazing. It's fast-paced and entertaining. I haven't been able to read the sequels but you can believe they are on my wish list!!! This book would be appropriate for secondary grades.

Happy Reading!!
-CM (currently reading through "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by K. DiCamillo)