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Eleven
Sam must solve the mystery of who he really is.
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 b...more
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 b...more
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
April 14th 2009
by Yearling
(first published January 8th 2008)
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I absolutely adore and love Pictures of Hollis Woods by the same author, and was excited to read Eleven. And though I didn't love it as much, it still had her signature style of making kid characters that are believable.
Here we have Sam, who is about to turn eleven years old, and it's the day before his birthday and he just has to know what his presents are. He climbs up the pipe to the basement, but rather than finding his presents he sees a newspaper clipping with his picture on it. But it s...more
Here we have Sam, who is about to turn eleven years old, and it's the day before his birthday and he just has to know what his presents are. He climbs up the pipe to the basement, but rather than finding his presents he sees a newspaper clipping with his picture on it. But it s...more
Snooping for birthday presents, eleven-year-old Sam MacKenzie stumbles upon a mystery; a locked box and a yellowed newspaper clipping. The younger Sam in the photograph is identified as Sam Bell. Sam has always had trouble reading so the only other word he can decipher is “missing”.
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
documen...more
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
documen...more
Apr 12, 2008
Brooke Shirts
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2008
Hmm. This would have been the perfect book to boolktalk:
Sam has always lived with his loving, Grandpa Mack. Or has he? On the eve of his eleventh birthday, Sam sneaks into the attic in search of presents and stumbles across an old newspaper clipping. Sam has a learning disability which prevents him from reading, so he can only recognize one word: "Missing." But he has no trouble identifying the child in the accompanying picture -- it's of himself at age three. Could Sam's life be a lie? How can...more
Sam has always lived with his loving, Grandpa Mack. Or has he? On the eve of his eleventh birthday, Sam sneaks into the attic in search of presents and stumbles across an old newspaper clipping. Sam has a learning disability which prevents him from reading, so he can only recognize one word: "Missing." But he has no trouble identifying the child in the accompanying picture -- it's of himself at age three. Could Sam's life be a lie? How can...more
4 likes · like · see review
Because I loved other books by this author (Pictures of Hollis Woods), I expected to really like this one as well. It was a quick read and held my interest, but I know I'm not going to remember it... I guess I expected a mystery, and while there were mysterious circumstances around Sam's life with his grandfather (or is that his grandfather), the plot lacked suspense after the trips into the attic and started to drag. I did appreciate the friendship between Caroline and Sam, and his motivation t...more
1 like · like · see review
Eleven
Author Giff, Patricia Reilly
Review
Source School Library Journal™ - 04-01-2008
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 w...more
Author Giff, Patricia Reilly
Review
Source School Library Journal™ - 04-01-2008
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 w...more
Eleven is a book a bought this boy named Sam MacKenzie (or so he thought) who just turned eleven and some strange things is going on. On night he was looking for his presents and the only place that he hadn’t checked was the attic. So the night before his birthday he decided that he was going to go up there and look for the presents… but there was only two ways up climb on the side of the building and up the pipe in the freezing cold or go into Mack’s room (his “grandpa”). Even though he was asl...more
Sam can’t remember life before his Grandpa Mack, but sometimes his memory brings up snatches of a cold and angry place. Although he is happy and safe with his grandpa, when Sam finds a newspaper clipping in the attic, he begins to question if he is where he belongs. The article talks about a missing boy and the picture looks like a three-year-old version of Sam. The problem is Sam can’t read the article. Dyslexia causes words to jump on the page and Sam can only figure out a few, key points.
In a...more
In a...more
This book gave the impression it was going to be An Intensely Creepy Thrill Ride, Possibly Including A Haunted Attic Because Seriously Look At The Cover That Shit’s Totally Full Of Ghosts.
Instead, it was more like… Protagonist Slowly Discovers Truth About Past With Aid Of Friend From School And Learns That True Family Is Who Raised You Not Who Birthed You.
That’s not a bad thing!
But it’s not what I was led to believe I’d be reading.
The front flap of the dust jacket screams, “WHO IS SAM, AND WHA...more
Instead, it was more like… Protagonist Slowly Discovers Truth About Past With Aid Of Friend From School And Learns That True Family Is Who Raised You Not Who Birthed You.
That’s not a bad thing!
But it’s not what I was led to believe I’d be reading.
The front flap of the dust jacket screams, “WHO IS SAM, AND WHA...more
5 likes · like · see review
Sep 29, 2012
wfpoppet
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012,
children-s-fiction
I read the first few chapters of this book aloud for a sub job. Judging from the kids' expressions, I think some of the subtleties in the writing are lost when heard rather than seen. I tend to be an expressive reader, but even with that I could tell the kids were having trouble distinguishing what was dialogue and what was internal monologue. Just a note for teachers or parents who might be interested in using this for a group read.
I was intrigued enough by the plot to finish reading the book o...more
I was intrigued enough by the plot to finish reading the book o...more
This book is nominated for a California Young Reader Medal for 2012-13. I would recommend this book as a 4th-6th grade read-aloud. It is the story of a 5th grade struggling reader, who discovers a newspaper clipping in his grandfather's attic which leads him to question his past, and enlist the help of a new classmate and avid reader, Caroline.
The cover artwork, and the front jacket description is not an accurate depiction of the book. Both set the reader up to expect a dark mystery, which this...more
The cover artwork, and the front jacket description is not an accurate depiction of the book. Both set the reader up to expect a dark mystery, which this...more
The book "Eleven" by Patricia Reilly Giff was a very good book. This book was about a boy named Sam who questions his life with his grandfather after he finds an article in the attic. Same meets a friend named Caroline who helps him investigate this topic. They spend two weeks investigating this topic. In the end all of Sam and Caroline's hard work pays off and they find some very interesting information out about Sam.
This book was written very well. It goes along with the standards set up in c...more
This book was written very well. It goes along with the standards set up in c...more
Jan 09, 2012
Christy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mother-daughter-book-club
An intriguing mystery about a young man named Sam (he is turning 11) and he is also afraid of the number 11 - but he doesn't understand why. Sam lives with his grandfather because his parents are dead. Early in the story he discovers a newspaper article with his picture and the words missing. Unfortunately Sam struggles to read so he seeks help from a new girl (Caroline) at his school to decipher the article. Together they begin to unravel the mystery of Sam's past using the few clues that they...more
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, Caroli...more
Sam’s birthday is coming up and he wants to know what his family got him. His family: Mack, Onji, and Anima…the only family he’s ever known. While he is up in the attic, searching for his gifts, Sam comes across an old paper in an old chest, shut and locked tight. Sam becomes curious when he sounds out the only letters he could see from the paper hanging out of the chest. It reads Sam Bell MISSING. Sam wants to desperately to find out more. Is his real name Sam Bell? Did Mack kidnap him? Does he...more
I marked this as a mystery, although it is not marked that way in our catalog because it really is a mystery--the mystery of Sam's life and why the number 11 scares him. Around the time Sam turns 11, he starts having mysterious dreams and then finds a locked chest in the attic with a newspaper article about him, when he was 3. Unfortunately for Sam he struggles with reading and the only thing he can discern before he has to get out of the attic is "Missing." Which makes him wonder if he even bel...more
"Eleven" by Patricia Reilly Giff is not the most stellar nominee for this year. A book that tries to be too cryptic and mysterious for it's own good, "Eleven" jumps right into the story, skipping over any exposition that might help the reader place things in context. On about page twenty, I was still trying to remind myself what the main character's name was. That's a bad sign. "Eleven" isn't a bad story, it's just trying too hard to be something it's not. After reading the back of the book to m...more
Aug 02, 2010
Sandra Stiles
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-grades,
mystery
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...more
Sep 26, 2009
Sandie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
3kids-sixth-to-eighth
This book was a bit of a surprise for me. I have never read anything by this author and my younger son's teacher from 4th grade asked me to check out some books for her, this was one of them.
First of all the reviews I read for it weren't all that great and I was guessing it was supposed to be like a mystery but that it didn't make the grade. The cover art was ok, nothing really exciting about it. Needless to say I wasn't looking forward to the read, but went in as open-minded as I could. What a...more
First of all the reviews I read for it weren't all that great and I was guessing it was supposed to be like a mystery but that it didn't make the grade. The cover art was ok, nothing really exciting about it. Needless to say I wasn't looking forward to the read, but went in as open-minded as I could. What a...more
This book took longer to read than expected. As I've said before, there's something that's off with the book that I cannot really pin down why it doesn't grab my interest very well. Some of the descriptions were a little weird. Such as, "she wipes her fingers on her jeans and traced the C off the pot." What the heck is she tracing and why is she wiping her fingers on her jeans when she's only holding a water pitcher? Its sentences like these that gets me confused. She also had the main character...more
I’ve been reading a lot of mystery lately.
I’ve probably read more mystery in the last month than I have in the rest of my life combined.
And I think I like it.
But this is my one caveat: if you’re going to promise me a mystery, then you’d darn well better deliver the goods. If you’re going to present a twist, then it had better leave me open-mouthed, doubled over, and gasping.
Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff left me shaking my head, rolling my eyes, and feeling cheated.
The premise of the book is th...more
I’ve probably read more mystery in the last month than I have in the rest of my life combined.
And I think I like it.
But this is my one caveat: if you’re going to promise me a mystery, then you’d darn well better deliver the goods. If you’re going to present a twist, then it had better leave me open-mouthed, doubled over, and gasping.
Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff left me shaking my head, rolling my eyes, and feeling cheated.
The premise of the book is th...more
Sam is searching for his birthday presents and ventures into the attic, a place no one goes. While in the attic, Sam finds an old newspaper clipping with his picture and the word "Missing" under it. There's more to the article but Sam can't read so it all looks like jibberish to him. He decides to ask Caroline, a loner new girl at school who likes to read, to help him. In the meantime, Sam starts remembering things like cold water and a boat, his cat, a castle. On another secretive trip to the a...more
This was a fairly compelling read, with a series of flashbacks on the part of the eleven-year-old narrator, Sam, alternating with chapters about his daily life. Sam lives with his grandfather, Mack, and the two share a building and close relationships with Anima, who runs an Indian restaurant, and Onji, an old friend of Mack's, who runs a deli. Sam struggles with a severe reading disability, but is becoming a talented woodworker like his grandfather. Shortly before his eleventh birthday, Sam is...more
Sam finds a newspaper clipping in his Grandfather's attic that has a picture of Sam at age 3, but with a different last name, and the article says he is missing! Sam suddenly realizes he has no idea who he is or where he belongs. This is a bit of a different storyline for Patricia Reilly Giff, except that I have noticed in most of her books, somebody leaves---which makes me wonder if she experienced somthing like that in her own life. Also, most of her books have something to do with New York---...more
Dec 15, 2008
Miz Lizzie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrensbooks,
friendship,
families,
grandparents,
learning-disabilities,
mystery,
reading,
secrets,
usa
Sam lives with this grandfather, Mack, in a small shopping/living complex with two other shopkeepers/neighbors who serve as surrogate family members. Sam takes after his grandfather in his love and skill for woodworking but, at eleven, he has pretty much given up on overcoming his dyslexia. When he discovers an old newspaper article with his picture at three years of age and the headline “Missing,” Sam begins to question who he is and where he belongs. He starts to reach out of his comfort zone...more
This book just didn't strike me as a good one. Granted it was for kids, but even so, I didn't find the excitement as awesome as I could have imagined it.
The story was up and down and had strange chapter names, not really pertaining to what was actually happening.
I was finding things confused and oddly out of normalcy, especially because this was a book that could happen in real life. It wasn't a fantasy or contained unrealistic elements.
Everything in the story si something that could have happ...more
The story was up and down and had strange chapter names, not really pertaining to what was actually happening.
I was finding things confused and oddly out of normalcy, especially because this was a book that could happen in real life. It wasn't a fantasy or contained unrealistic elements.
Everything in the story si something that could have happ...more
Sam (boy turning 11), Caroline (new girl at school that helps him read newspaper clipping), Mack (Sam's grandfather who is his guardian because his parents died when he was 3; woodworking shop), Onji (owns deli), Anima (owns indian restaurant), Mrs. Waring (resource teacher).
While looking for his birthday presents for his eleventh birthday, Sam finds a newspaper clipping in the attic with his picture on it, and all he can make out is his first name, with a different last name, and the words MISS...more
While looking for his birthday presents for his eleventh birthday, Sam finds a newspaper clipping in the attic with his picture on it, and all he can make out is his first name, with a different last name, and the words MISS...more
This was the third book I read with my 4th grade book club crew this year, and I am happy to say that all of our book choices were brand new to me as well, which increased greatly the joy of reading with them.
Eleven is the story of Sam, an 11-year-old boy who is a struggling reader. He stumbles upon an old newspaper clipping about him... but can't unravel the mystery behind it without the help of the new girl at school. Caroline is a bookworm who doesn't like to make close friends because her ar...more
Eleven is the story of Sam, an 11-year-old boy who is a struggling reader. He stumbles upon an old newspaper clipping about him... but can't unravel the mystery behind it without the help of the new girl at school. Caroline is a bookworm who doesn't like to make close friends because her ar...more
A fascinating idea but not a particularly believable outcome. Sam turns eleven and discovers a newspaper clipping in the attic that seems to indicate that he's been missing, which could mean that he's somehow living with the wrong people and that his family is not really his family. Sam's endeavor to find out the truth about himself is hampered by the fact that he struggles with reading. Sam enlists the help of a new girl at school, who seems to have her nose in a book constantly. This book is t...more
Slow-paced book about a dyslexic boy who is being raised by his grandfather and two friends following the death of his parents when he was a toddler. Sam is about to turn 11, and while snooping in the attic for birthday gifts, comes across a news clipping that describes an accident he was in as a baby--with a different last name. Sam enlists the help of Caroline, a girl who doesn't really fit in at school, but who can read, to decipher the news clipping. Together, Sam and Caroline discover truth...more
Nov 29, 2009
Kaitlyn M.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
grade-8-ir-books-betts
this book is about a Boy named sam. He is eleven years old. it was the night before his before birthday he went up to the attic tio see if his presenst were hidden there. he then found a article about a missing boy. in the atricle shown a picture of the boy. it was Sam! He knows its him. he has seen the sweater the boys wearing in the dryer. he goes on a Jorney to find out the truth. to learn more read the book.
I can connect to Sam. when he heatrs Caroline is leaving he feels really upset. He ha...more
I can connect to Sam. when he heatrs Caroline is leaving he feels really upset. He ha...more
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PATRICIA REILLY GIFF is the author of many beloved books for children, including the Kids of the Polk Street School books, the Friends and Amigos books, and the Polka Dot Private Eye books. Several of her novels for older readers have been chosen as ALA-ALSC Notable Books and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. They include The Gift of the Pirate Queen; All the Way Home; Water Street; Nory Ryan...more
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This number reminds him of something he...more
Apr 01, 2009 08:12pm