Eleven

Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT -- School Library Journal, 4/15/2008

Eleven (unabr). 3 CDs. 3:20 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7393-6282-2. $45.

Gr 5-7–Sam is disturbed by the number 11. Is it because his birth date contains the number? Is he afraid of turning 11 on his next birthday? Or, is the reason much darker and deeper? As his birthday nears, Sam, who is dyslexic, finds a locked box in the attic with a piece of paper sticking out. It’s a picture of Sam when he was much younger with the word “missing.” He knows he must get into that box and read what’s on the paper, but for Sam, reading is like trying to follow a moving spider across the page. When Sam and Caroline, the new girl in class, are paired up to work on a project, he hopes she can help him. However, the newspaper clipping leads to more questions and Sam isn’t sure he wants to find the answers. the boy’s relationship with his beloved grandfather is well wrought and the mystery of Sam’s past will engage listeners. Narrator Stacie Snell does an excellent job of providing a distinct voice for each character in Patricia Giff Reilly’s novel (Wendy Lamb Books, 2008). Her telling is clear, impelling, and well-paced. Not to be missed.