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Type of bind: Hardcover
EAN num: 9780385730693
ISBN number: 0385730691
Label: Wendy Lamb Books
Manufacturer: Wendy Lamb Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 176
Printing Date: January 08, 2008
Publishing house: Wendy Lamb Books
Age index: Ages 9-12
Release Date: January 08, 2008
Sale Popularity Level: 54224
Studio: Wendy Lamb Books
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Product Description:
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.
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Rated by buyers 
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Sam fears the number eleven. As his eleventh birthday draws closer, so do his strange dreams. Then he finds a newspaper with a photo of a three-year-old boy that opens up even more questions to this mystery. Sam can only make out some of the words in the article as he has a problem--he can't read. So he decides to ask the new girl, Caroline, to help him. Together they search for the truths behind the article and about who he really is.
I could understood where Sam might come from. As a former very first grade teacher, I've seen how students struggle who have problems with reading. Add to that the fear of the unknown and not knowing if those around you are really who they say they are, could be a child's worse nightmare.
The story also shows how two children can work together to find the truth.
Rated by buyers -
I cried at the end. Sam seemed such a nice boy, and he had a loving support group without any stickiness. Maybe I liked this book so much because my grandson is soon to turn eleven. He's in the fifth grade, and his name is Sam. He's also a nice boy who has trouble with reading.
Rated by buyers -
"Eleven" begins with quite the premise: During his erstwhile search for his birthday presents, Sam stumbles across some old newspaper clippings kept by his grandfather, with whom he lives. Because Sam struggles with reading, he is only able to recognize his picture as a toddler, and the word "MISSING". "Missing?" Sam wonders, "I was missing?" From here, Sam begins to wonder: Where are his parents? Is the man he lives with really his grandfather? And since he himself cannot read the article, he'll need to find someone he can trust to read it for him.
This is a premise for a story that could easily have gone into many uninteresting and tired directions, but author Patricial Reilly Giff avoids many of them and weaves a story together that is both authentic and fulfilling.
When Sam finally gains the answers to the questions he asks, we accept them, and so does he.
I enjoyed, too, the subplot between Sam and his teachers, who are struggling to help him to read. As a middle school teacher, I found that Sam's reactions and struggles with his inability to sound much the as today's students who bear similar struggles. His final conversation with his reading teacher was quite moving.
As a coming-of-age story, "Eleven" isn't as strong as others, simply because Sam's challenges aren't that common. But his quest for self-identity, as well as that for simple friendship, should ring true with younger readers. Even if they can't put themselves directly into his shoes, they could probably see him as a friend or classmate.
A worthy addition to any library.
Rated by buyers 
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Sam doesn't have it so bad. Sure, he has real problems reading and has to spend part of each day in the dreaded, ugly Resource Room. Sure, his parents are long gone. But Sam has friends and, most importantly, a wonderful "family" who loves him.
There's his grandfather Mack, a gifted woodworker who has passed on his skills, and his tools, to his beloved grandson, who also shows signs of seeing hidden possibilities in the most unlikely blocks of wood. There's Onji, who owns the deli subsequent door and always gives Sam the best brown bag lunches. And there's Anima, owner of the Indian restaurant down the way, who cooks Sam's favorite curries and, most importantly, reads to him late into the evening, because Sam can't read by himself. Finally, there's Night Cat, Sam's beloved companion for as long as he can remember. Together, they form the perfect companions, making a comfortable extended family that nurture and protect one another.
So why is Sam dreading turning 11? The number 11 haunts him in dreams --- or are they barely-recalled memories? When Sam discovers a newspaper clipping that features a picture of himself as a very young boy and the headline "MISSING," he feels like there must be some mystery in his past that he soon becomes desperate to solve, even though he needs to read to do so. Perhaps Caroline, his new partner for a school castle-building assignment, will help him. She reads all the time, after all. But Caroline, whose itinerant parents can't seem to settle down and who's been to three schools already this year, has troubles of her own. Will she and Sam find the answer before it's too late? And what if the answer is what Sam fears? What if his only true family --- his grandfather --- isn't really his family at all?
In ELEVEN, veteran children's author Patricia Reilly Giff offers readers many issues to ponder. She explores questions of literacy, of belonging, of home and family, and of friendship. She also urges readers to question their own definitions of giftedness and of family. Both of these concepts are illustrated with great flexibility in the portrayal of Sam and of his unusual but loving and nurturing home life, contrasted with Caroline's more traditional, but less stable and satisfying, family situation.
Giff brilliantly employs these big issues in a plot that is simultaneously urgent --- will Sam discover his true identity? Do we even want him to? --- and leisurely, as she allows Sam plenty of room in which to question his assumptions and plenty of space in which Sam and Caroline's lovely friendship can grow. ELEVEN is one of those wonderful books whose quiet surface simplicity belies its deeply complex moral and philosophical questions. Quite simply, it is one of the best novels for young people that I've read in a long time.
--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
Rated by buyers -
It was just one day before Sam Mackenzie's birthday, and he wanted to find his grandfather's present, since he could not wait. He looked everywhere and just couldn't find it. So then he tried looking in the attic. And instead of a present, Sam discovered an article that would question who he was and if he was even in the right place. He didn't know it, but this was the beginning of a very long journey.
Unfortunately, Sam isn't able to read much, so finding someone who could read the article for him was his very first obstacle. While his teacher was lecturing on certain spices, Sam took this opportunity to look for someone he could trust to read the article for him.
He lands upon Caroline, the new girl who unexpectedly came into his class about a month ago. He knew she was the perfect candidate since she was always reading during class. Of course, he couldn't just go up to her and ask her to read it for him. So he decides to make friends with her. The very first conversation he has with her goes great, except for the part where she said they probably couldn't be friends since she wasn't going to be there for long.
Then his teacher volunteers Caroline to help Sam with a castle he was going to build. With this, Sam finally has the opportunity to spend more time with Caroline, and maybe even try to become her friend.
Hoping that she would be able to help him, Sam still had other things to worry about, like his dreams that contain images of objects that surround him in his daily life. And the number eleven becomes the biggest mystery of all, besides the fact that it is the day in April he was born; it was imprinted everywhere once he dreamt.
Together, two unlikely people will work together to solve a mystery that no one would be able to figure out by themselves. Friendships will evolve, identities will be questioned, and secrets will be revealed.
Enchanting and mysterious, ELEVEN is a thriller that will fascinate not only teenagers and adults but also kids of all ages. A novel about a boy with a problem and an unlikely friend there to help him, ELEVEN will take you on a journey that will be cherished once it has ended. Patricia Reilly Giff, famous for her previous releases, will awe her fans once again.
Reviewed Author name: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen
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