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    Eleven
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    Eleven
    Unavailable
    Eleven
    Audiobook3 hours

    Eleven

    Written by Patricia Reilly Giff

    Narrated by Staci Snell

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Who is Sam, and what do his strange dreams mean?
    The shock of icy water as a boat crashes onto rocks feels real; so does the castle high above him that is almost hidden in the mists. And what about the number eleven woven into all those dreams?
    The papers Sam finds in the locked box in the attic may hold the answers-if only he could read them. But to Sam, words are like spiders flexing their thin legs as they move across the page. Words are impossible. It's wood that Sam understands, wood that he loves to shape and to build with.
    Caroline, the new girl, who bursts into Sam's classroom one day and warns him that she's not there to stay, helps build a castle with him, and reads those papers. Together they set out to discover who Sam really is and where he belongs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 8, 2008
    ISBN9780739362815
    Unavailable
    Eleven
    Author

    Patricia Reilly Giff

    Patricia Reilly Giff is the author of many beloved books for children, including the Kids of the Polk Street School books and the Polka Dot Private Eye books. Several of her novels for older readers have been chosen as ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Books and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. She won the Newbery Honor for Lily's Crossing (a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book) and Pictures of Hollis Woods. She lives in Connecticut.

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    Reviews for Eleven

    3.5/5

    181 ratings19 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Eleven was about a young boy named Sam who is obsessed with the number 11 but can't recall why. One night he discovers he may be apart of a kidnapping long ago but can not read the article himself due to his lack of reading skills. He befriends the new girl at school who insists on not having friends named, Caroline. Together they piece together the mystery and become best friends. This is a good realistic fiction because there are kids like Sam who have reading disabilities, children like Caroline who's parents jobs cause them to move around a lot, and everything they do is realistic yet the story and characters are made up. I would use this book in intermediate or middle school.
    • 2/5
      Sam, a functionally illiterate ten-year-old who is being raised by a man he believes is his grandfather, is snooping in the attic and finds a small piece of a newspaper article sticking out of a locked box. The part sticking out has a picture of him, and he can manage to read, "Sam Bell, Missing." Since his last name is not Bell, he jumps to the conclusion that his grandfather is not his grandfather, and that he must enlist the aid of a fellow student at school to come home, sneak in the attic, unlock the mystery box, and read the materials to him so he can discover his origins.Caroline is a new student in school, and she is the one he enlists. The growing friendship between Sam and Caroline - a girl whose family moves to another town several times each year - is the one highlight of this mediocre novel for young readers. Sam can't read simply because for the story to exist, he needs to get someone's help. There is no other reason for his illiteracy, nor is there any resolution along those lines at the end. And the solution to the great mystery of Sam's origins and the newspaper article are quite anticlimactic. (spoiler) It turns out that, surprise!, the man he always thought was his grandfather really is his grandfather.If, like me, you adored "Pictures of Hollis Woods" by Patricia Reilly Giff, don't expect that level of literary quality in this novel. Just skip this one altogether.
    • 3/5
      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.

      The book was a bit slow reading but they mystery of who Sam really is and where he came from is most intriguing. I kept thinking, Sam just ask Mack for the answers but Sam is a child and doesn't have the mind to go in such an unfamiliar land with his grandfather. When the book begins to climax the story excalates fast and furious.
    • 4/5
      Sam lives with his grandfather Mack above the shop, joined to Onji's restaurant and Anima's restaurant. One day, exploring the attic, Sam finds a newspaper clipping his picture that says "missing", throwing his world into confusion, but he can't read well at all, words looking like spiders on the page. With the help of a new girl at school, he sets out to fond answers.
    • 4/5
      This was about a boy who whats to find out his past. He blocked out what had happened to him; so it's interesting to see him discover who he really is. The format is great, most chapters start out with recounts of stories. He finds out that who he is with is actually his grandpa, which is a huge relief to him. His disability is dyslexia, but he meets a friend who helps him move past this barrier by helping him read. She encourages him to read in the future. I really enjoyed this book!
    • 4/5
      This book is about a boy names sam who is dyslexic. He wonders about his past as sometimes he has flashback dreams that remind him of his childhood. He meets a friend named Caroline. Together, they try to discover the mystery of his past. Soon, she leaves and Sam begins to ask his Grandfather about his past. His Grandfather begins to share all about Sam's life. At the end, Sam learns how to read and writes Caroline a letter. He conquers his fear of reading and learns how to do it.
    • 5/5
      Sam is turning 11 and cannot figure out why he is so hung up on that number and why he has snippets of memories that don’t seem to fit with his present life. He is convinced that there is more to his background than what his grandfather Matt, and family friends Onji and Anima have told him. When he finds a box in the attic with an article about a missing boy who resembles him & items that trigger more memories. His attempt to solve the mystery is complicated by his inability to read the article due to his dyslexia. He is motivated and recruits a new classmate, Caroline, to help him with the reading. They uncover the astounding truth about Sam’s past, and in the process become friends despite resistance on both parts.
    • 2/5
      MSBA nominee 2009-2010

      Eh....this was just okay. Sorta like The Face on the Milk Carton. Kids are requesting it like crazy at the library though, so it must have some appeal!
    • 3/5
      Sam, who is just about to turn 11, stumbles on a newspaper article about himself. The only thing Sam, who isn't a great reader, can get out of the headline is that he was once missing. If he was missing, who found him and where did he originally belong? As Sam struggles to answer these questions, he enlists the help of a new friend and together they learn more about Sam then he ever thought there was to know. Judging by the cover (which you are not supposed to do) I thought this would be more of a thrilling/scary mystery -- along the lines of Skeleton Creek -- but it's quite tame, though still very intriguing.
    • 5/5
      This chapter book was about a young boy, Sam, who didn't know how to read. He was snooping for birthday presents in the attic when he discovered a newspaper article with his picture on the front. He could make out the words, "Wanted" Sam Bell. Although he went by another last name, he couldn't stop thinking about the picture. He wondered if he was adopted. He had nightmares about Tom Cat with him on a sinking ship in the middle of an ocean surrounded by islands. As time went on, he befriended a girl named, Caroline from his class. He eventually gained her trust and she helped him to find out his true identity and background. He learned that all of his dreams were for a reason. He was in a horrible orphanage and got rescued and adopted by his grandfather. Above all, he was happy with the family he now had, and became eager about reading from then on.
    • 4/5
      Who is Sam, and what do his strange dreams mean?The shock of icy water as a boat crashes onto rocks feels real; so does the castle high above him that is almost hidden in the mists. And what about the number eleven woven into all those dreams?
    • 5/5
      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 was missing. He needs to find out what the paper means, but to do that he has to find someone to read it to him. Sam can't read, this is the opposite of the new girl Caroline who always has her nose stuck in a book. She is determined not to make any friends. When the two are assigned to work together on a class assignment Sam realizes he has someone to help him. What he doesn't realize is that in the end he helps Caroline. This was a great book with an emotional ending. Either that or as my husband put it I am just getting sappy in my old age. Either way I am glad one of my students asked me to order it and then read it first. She was right, it was an awesome book.
    • 3/5
      Personal Response:I was reminded how hard students struggle when they can't read. The teacher assigned Sam a project that she knew he could succeed at. As a teacher I need to look for my students' strengths and focus on them instead of their weaknesses.Curricular Connections:I think this would make a gook read aloud for my 6th graders.
    • 3/5
      good character development but I kept waiting for more... I expected something more to happen or to be revealed... anti-climactic
    • 3/5
      Not a huge fan. I felt like there was way too much character development and not enough tension or action, considering the depth of drama she sets us up with. I found myself just dying to get through it. Having said that, the imagery is vivid and it is very well-written for a YA book. Worth a read for a more patient reader.
    • 4/5
      Sam's story is very compelling - just enough tension to keep you going without making it too annoying or plot center. I wish Caroline had been a little more fleshed out - but Mack, Onji and Anima were so real and warm. Nicely done!
    • 2/5
      Eleven is a book that really falls into a younger reader category. Sam, about to turn eleven, doesn't have the best of luck with reading. Truth be told, he can't read very much at all. One evening he stumbles upon a newspaper clipping that shows a younger child, but most definitely him, underneath a banner headline that reveals him to be missing. Sam wonders whether his supposed father, Mack, is really indeed his dad. Sam has apprenticed under Mack in woodcutting, and his skills are superb. He befriends a girl in his class, Caroline, and together they set about crafting a physical representation of the visions of castles Sam has seen in his dreams. Caroline has been moved around a lot, and alas, she will be moved again. The friendship becomes the driving force behind Mack's will to learn to read and write when the distance between them grows.
    • 2/5
      11-year old Sam lives with his Grandpa Mack and has a close relationship with him and with his two neighbors. The big problem in his life is his near-inability to read or write - and when he finds some items in the attic that awaken strange and unpleasant memories of a pre-Mack existence, he needs to find someone (not Mack) who can help him read and perhaps uncover the mystery.
      This is a slim and quiet book, its strength being its characters rather than its plot. The secret turns out to be intense but not as bad as Sam had thought - but it's the friendship between Sam and his new pal Caroline that is absorbing, not the mystery. And Mack is the best grandpa/guardian a boy could want, who teaches woodworking to Sam and is always patient and stalwart.
    • 3/5
      While searching for his birthday presents, Sam becomes convinced that his past is not what he suspected when he finds an article with the word missing on it and his picture. Although he is turning eleven, he can't read the clipping, so he enlists the aid of a new classmate, Caroline, who helps him unravel the mystery surrounding his past.