Author: James Dashner
One-sentence summary: A boy who can’t remember his past is thrust into a strange world with other boys who are trapped in the middle of a giant, dangerous maze.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8
Our favorite thing about it: We loved the inventiveness and flow of the story.
Our least favorite thing about it: The beginning was a little slow and frustrating for us.
Main Topics of Discussion: Survival, Hope, Loyalty, Order
Our favorite quote: “As bad as things were, giving up would only make them worse.”
Notes: We all really liked this book. We felt the setting and the overall ideas behind the book were interesting and more than surface-deep. We all got very interested in the story at different points, but all ended up being really engaged and interested to read the second book.
We noted the emphasis on maintaining hope at all costs. The boys knew in the back of their minds that there might not be a way out of the maze, but would not allow themselves to think that. They had to believe there was a way out in order to stay sane. And work was emphasized as a means to stay busy, productive, and to keep from thinking about their seemingly hopeless situation. It was an interesting commentary on the importance of hope to survival no matter the circumstances. We have read several books in which that theme came up…several of them being true stories.
All of us have read several books now that take place in an “alternate” world – like Hunger Games, Uglies/Pretties/Specials, etc. The authors have all created unique languages in those worlds. While some of that has been annoying (and still seen for the swearing that it actually is), we recognize the narrative device being used…to alert the reader to the fact that they “are not in Kansas anymore.” We discussed this device and how it works to frame out the setting and community of characters as different from our world. And that is key in these other-worldly or dystopian books.
One different thing about this book from others we have read is that it is from the perspective of a young boy (teen), and there are no girls except for one character who is pivotal, but at the same time, not a big character. So, we discussed what that meant to us, a bunch of girls, as readers. We all felt that we did not feel as attached to this narrator/main character as we did to others like Katniss in The Hunger Games. However, we also felt that Tommy was not quite as well written as Katniss so it is probably not the gender thing that got in the way of that. But what we felt was missing from the community of boys were more connections between them. Other than Tommy and Chuck, the boys hold each other at a distance to some extent. We felt that the relationships were not developed as much in this book as we would have liked.
One thing that kind of bugged all of us was that the book was a little hard to get into. We felt that the beginning lagged a little because we were dropped into this strange world just like Tommy and we had no idea what was going on. We recognize that as a useful device (just like the language thing) for developing a “new” world for the reader and characters, but we felt in the dark to the point of being frustrated in the beginning.
Really, we felt that the last few chapters of the book in which you discover a tiny bit of the purpose behind the maze were the most interesting. Obviously, not much was explained because there is a second (and third) book. But, interestingly, we have a feeling that the second book may be just as, if not more, interesting and engaging than this first one because of all the layers of meaning and back-story we now have. Since we all plan to read it (or already have)...we will see!
Memorable Meeting Moments: We did a lot of planning for our upcoming lake house trip in a couple of weeks.
What We Ate: Mojito Slushies, Grilled Burgers with Chipotle Mayo, Arugula, and Muenster, Grilled Corn Salad with Lime, Chili, and Cotija, and Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars for dessert with tea.
One-sentence summary: A boy who can’t remember his past is thrust into a strange world with other boys who are trapped in the middle of a giant, dangerous maze.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8
Our favorite thing about it: We loved the inventiveness and flow of the story.
Our least favorite thing about it: The beginning was a little slow and frustrating for us.
Main Topics of Discussion: Survival, Hope, Loyalty, Order
Our favorite quote: “As bad as things were, giving up would only make them worse.”
Notes: We all really liked this book. We felt the setting and the overall ideas behind the book were interesting and more than surface-deep. We all got very interested in the story at different points, but all ended up being really engaged and interested to read the second book.
We noted the emphasis on maintaining hope at all costs. The boys knew in the back of their minds that there might not be a way out of the maze, but would not allow themselves to think that. They had to believe there was a way out in order to stay sane. And work was emphasized as a means to stay busy, productive, and to keep from thinking about their seemingly hopeless situation. It was an interesting commentary on the importance of hope to survival no matter the circumstances. We have read several books in which that theme came up…several of them being true stories.
All of us have read several books now that take place in an “alternate” world – like Hunger Games, Uglies/Pretties/Specials, etc. The authors have all created unique languages in those worlds. While some of that has been annoying (and still seen for the swearing that it actually is), we recognize the narrative device being used…to alert the reader to the fact that they “are not in Kansas anymore.” We discussed this device and how it works to frame out the setting and community of characters as different from our world. And that is key in these other-worldly or dystopian books.
One different thing about this book from others we have read is that it is from the perspective of a young boy (teen), and there are no girls except for one character who is pivotal, but at the same time, not a big character. So, we discussed what that meant to us, a bunch of girls, as readers. We all felt that we did not feel as attached to this narrator/main character as we did to others like Katniss in The Hunger Games. However, we also felt that Tommy was not quite as well written as Katniss so it is probably not the gender thing that got in the way of that. But what we felt was missing from the community of boys were more connections between them. Other than Tommy and Chuck, the boys hold each other at a distance to some extent. We felt that the relationships were not developed as much in this book as we would have liked.
One thing that kind of bugged all of us was that the book was a little hard to get into. We felt that the beginning lagged a little because we were dropped into this strange world just like Tommy and we had no idea what was going on. We recognize that as a useful device (just like the language thing) for developing a “new” world for the reader and characters, but we felt in the dark to the point of being frustrated in the beginning.
Really, we felt that the last few chapters of the book in which you discover a tiny bit of the purpose behind the maze were the most interesting. Obviously, not much was explained because there is a second (and third) book. But, interestingly, we have a feeling that the second book may be just as, if not more, interesting and engaging than this first one because of all the layers of meaning and back-story we now have. Since we all plan to read it (or already have)...we will see!
Memorable Meeting Moments: We did a lot of planning for our upcoming lake house trip in a couple of weeks.
What We Ate: Mojito Slushies, Grilled Burgers with Chipotle Mayo, Arugula, and Muenster, Grilled Corn Salad with Lime, Chili, and Cotija, and Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars for dessert with tea.
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