The Maze Runner August 3, 2010

Dashner, James.  The Maze Runner. Random House (Delacorte Press), 2009.

Thomas is the newest arrival to the Glade, a compound where preteen and teenage boys are fending for themselves and creating a life with no adults.  Up to the time he arrives in the mysterious lift (called The Box), a new Glader just like Thomas has arrived every month, with no recollection of his previous life and no information about himself except his first name.  It happens once a month like clockwork – until 1) another person comes through The Box the very next day who is 2) a girl and 3) is clutching a note that says, “She’s the last one. Ever.”

The Glade, thus far, has proven inescapable.  It’s surrounded by a giant maze that changes every day.  A team of eight Runners goes out each day to try and find an exit, but none has been found and the Runners are beginning to think it’s unsolvable.  Thomas wants to be a Runner even though he’s new to the Glade, and the presence of the girl is making him think he might have some answers if he could just get to his memories.

The Maze Runner is a terrific follow-up recommendation for kids who are reading the Hunger Games series, with some similar themes of beating the system and sticking it to the man.  There’s lots of action here and while the author classifies himself as a fantasy writer, I think sci-fi readers would enjoy it as well.  I will say this: I hated the ending, but it is the first in a series (The Scorch Trials is due out in a couple of months, and we can only hope it has some answers in it).

Marcelo in the Real World August 3, 2010

Stork, Francisco X. Marcelo in the Real World. Scholastic, 2009.

Marcelo is about 17, and maybe on the autism spectrum – at least that’s how his doctor defines his quirks (which include hearing music that no one else can hear). His father arranges for Marcelo to work in his law firm’s mailroom to get some “real world” experience outside the sheltered environment of Marcelo’s small private school.

Marcelo ends up getting way more experience than anyone expected: experience with the city, with people who can and cannot be trusted, with doing the right thing in a setting that doesn’t always ask or expect the right thing, with the very beginning of Being Friends With a Girl.  He’s naive to a fault, but also entirely consistent in the ways he moves in the world.

There is a sweetness in this book that really appeals to me.  Marcelo is a real person and very true to himself — although his method of determining what is and isn’t okay for him is hyper-logical and consistent with an autism diagnosis.  I love the fact that he finds a friend in the book, someone who definitely has his best interests at heart and might eventually come to take a different role in Marcelo’s life.  Marcelo in the Real World is a good read for someone who enjoys a good story and strong characters, and for those who might not enjoy the action/thriller/trauma genre.