Eleven

Sam is turning 11 and cannot figure out why he is so hung up on that number and why he has snippets of memories that don’t seem to fit with his present life. He is convinced that there is more to his background than what his grandfather Matt, and family friends Onji and Anima have told him. When he finds a box in the attic with an article about a missing boy who resembles him & items that trigger more memories. His attempt to solve the mystery is complicated by his inability to read the article due to his dyslexia. He is motivated and recruits a new classmate, Caroline, to help him with the reading. They uncover the astounding truth about Sam’s past, and in the process become friends despite resistance on both parts.

Eleven is a book that really falls into a younger reader category. Sam, about to turn eleven, doesn't have the best of luck with reading. Truth be told, he can't read very much at all. One evening he stumbles upon a newspaper clipping that shows a younger child, but most definitely him, underneath a banner headline that reveals him to be missing. Sam wonders whether his supposed father, Mack, is really indeed his dad. Sam has apprenticed under Mack in woodcutting, and his skills are superb. He befriends a girl in his class, Caroline, and together they set about crafting a physical representation of the visions of castles Sam has seen in his dreams. Caroline has been moved around a lot, and alas, she will be moved again. The friendship show more becomes the driving force behind Mack's will to learn to read and write when the distance between them grows. show less

This mystery story was full of suspense at the beginning, but did not end as strongly as I had hoped. The novel touches on themes about identity, family, and friendship.

This story's suspense comes from our ability to connect to the character, a boy who has just found out that he was kidnapped. He discovers the fact after finding a newspaper clipping but he can't find out the details because he can't read. After befriending a new girl at school, together they get to the bottom of the problem and forge a great friendship in the process.

Sam, a functionally illiterate ten-year-old who is being raised by a man he believes is his grandfather, is snooping in the attic and finds a small piece of a newspaper article sticking out of a locked box. The part sticking out has a picture of him, and he can manage to read, "Sam Bell, Missing." Since his last name is not Bell, he jumps to the conclusion that his grandfather is not his grandfather, and that he must enlist the aid of a fellow student at school to come home, sneak in the attic, unlock the mystery box, and read the materials to him so he can discover his origins.

Caroline is a new student in school, and she is the one he enlists. The growing friendship between Sam and Caroline - a girl whose family moves to another town show more several times each year - is the one highlight of this mediocre novel for young readers.

Sam can't read simply because for the story to exist, he needs to get someone's help. There is no other reason for his illiteracy, nor is there any resolution along those lines at the end. And the solution to the great mystery of Sam's origins and the newspaper article are quite anticlimactic. (spoiler) It turns out that, surprise!, the man he always thought was his grandfather really is his grandfather.

If, like me, you adored "Pictures of Hollis Woods" by Patricia Reilly Giff, don't expect that level of literary quality in this novel. Just skip this one altogether. show less

Sam has been having nightmares that involve the number 11. The problem with this is he is turning 11 in one day. He has always been able to find his presents but this time is different. The only place he hasn't looked is the attic. He can't just walk in there. The ladder to the attic is in his grandfather's room. Sam decides to go up the drainpipe outside of his room. What he finds is not his presents but the top part of a newspaper article with his picture. He learns from the headlines that he was missing. He needs to find out what the paper means, but to do that he has to find someone to read it to him. Sam can't read, this is the opposite of the new girl Caroline who always has her nose stuck in a book. She is determined not to make show more any friends. When the two are assigned to work together on a class assignment Sam realizes he has someone to help him. What he doesn't realize is that in the end he helps Caroline. This was a great book with an emotional ending. Either that or as my husband put it I am just getting sappy in my old age. Either way I am glad one of my students asked me to order it and then read it first. She was right, it was an awesome book. show less

Sam is almost 11 when he discovers a locked box in the attic above his grandfather Mack’s room, and a piece of paper that says he was kidnapped. There are lots of other words, but Sam has always had trouble reading. He’s desperate to find out who he is, and if his beloved Mack is really his grandfather. At night he’s haunted by dreams of a big castle and a terrifying escape on a boat. Who can he trust to help him read the documents that could unravel the mystery? Then he and the new girl, Caroline, are paired up to work on a school project, building a castle in Mack’s woodworking shop. Caroline loves to read, and she can help. But she’s moving soon, and the two must hurry to discover the truth about Sam.

The book was a bit slow show more reading but they mystery of who Sam really is and where he came from is most intriguing. I kept thinking, Sam just ask Mack for the answers but Sam is a child and doesn't have the mind to go in such an unfamiliar land with his grandfather. When the book begins to climax the story excalates fast and furious. show less