The Maze Runner

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 30 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. 

I really hate doing bad reviews.  Unfortunately, I thought this book was pretty boring. It took me half the book to even care what was happening, and then was disappointed at the end when I found out it was only the end of Book One. The middle and end were relatively interesting and suspenseful, but I found myself rolling my eyes at the endless name calling and sarcasm. It just seemed like overkill. There were some exciting moments, and it seems like an interesting storyline, but it just fell flat for me.  I’ve read a lot of reviews that speak very highly of the book, so I can only assume it must appeal to some people, possibly more to young teens, or to guys.  I have to say I'm definitely NOT the target audience.  But if you tend to like the same things as me, you might not care for this one.  However, if you're a teen (and especially a boy) you just might love it!  Maybe I'll pass this on to our resident "teen guy" and see what he thinks :)

A couple of books that have a similar feel, and which I thought were fantastic were:




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Parents should know:  There is no language or sexual content in this book.  There is quite a bit of violence, though.  For more details go to The Maze Runner on Parental Book Reviews.