1. The Maze Runner By James Dashner Number of Pages: 375 Pages Genre: Dystopian Fiction The Maze Runner is a dystopian novel about a group of young boys (and one girl) who are dropped into the “Glade”. The Glade is a community of boys, all who have no memory of their previous lives, who live inside a giant, unsolvable maze. Within this maze are giant half animal, half machine monsters known as “Grievers”, whose sting can be lethal. When Thomas arrives in the Glade, things start to go wrong. Then, when the only girl ever to arrive in the Glade, Teresa, shows up, shouting cryptic messages and triggering strange events, the boys have no choice but to fight to get out of the maze alive. Author’s Purpose: James Dashner wrote this book to explore some major themes. Themes like “what does it take to surivive?”, “the importance of community and friendship”, and “the ethical and moral responsibility of science” are all explored in the novel. Fiction vs. Nonfiction This novel is a work of fiction. It follows a typical plot structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Since it is not based on real events, there are no pictures or other reference materials that one might find in a nonfiction book.

2. The Maze Runner Major Characters: Thomas: Main character and protagonist; he leads the boys in their quest to leave the maze. Gally: Antagonist: he hates Thomas and claims to have seen him in memories. He does not want to leave the maze. Newt: One of the leaders of the Gladers. He helps Thomas and guides him throughout the book. Chuck: One of Thomas’s best friends, he is one of the first to befriend Thomas and the youngest of the Gladers. Getting him home to his parents is a huge motivation for Thomas. Teresa: The last person sent up in the box and the only girl in the novel. She helps Thomas crack the code of the maze. Theme : How do people survive horrific events: The boys must rely on each other and their relationships to motivate them to survive. The Importance of friendship: It is the relationships between the boys, and the need to protect each other, that motivates many of the boys. Big Question Connection: My Big Question, “how do people survive horrific events”, connects very clearly to this book. Thomas and the boys must rely on each other, and their sense of community, to overcome horrific obstacles. Final Evaluation: While I did like this book, I did feel like there were some major plot holes in the story. The action was non-stop, and I liked the characters, but sometimes things would happen and I was not sure why. I know this book is part of a series, and hopefully some of my questions will be answered in the upcoming novels. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes novels like Divergent and Hunger Games.

3. Works Cited Dashner, James. The Maze Runner. New York: Delacourte Press, 2009. Print.