Acceleration

by Graham McNamee

Book Overview

It's a hot summer and in the depths of the Toronto Transit Authority's lost and found, 17-year-old Duncan is cataloging misplaced belongings. And between Jacob, the cranky old man who runs the place,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385731191
• ISBN13: 9780385731195
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

omg just wait till the end!!!

i seriously could not put that book down!!! especially when it got near the end. suspensfull... the mice thing was a little... disturbing but I'm a girl so maybe thats why?

A Great, Fast Read

Acceleration by Graham McNamee is a great read if you are looking for a fast-paced and exciting book. From start to Finnish I never put the book down. It always kept me wanting more, and at the end of the book I was ready to go buy any other books by the author. The book was written in first person, and the main character was my age and it helped me relate to him. Sometimes it felt like I was actually in Duncan's, the main character, head. I thought that the way Graham McNamee wrote was very descriptive. He made me feel like I was in the book. I would read this book again, and I will recommend it to many people, but especially people who like edge-of-your-seat stories. Overall I enjoyed this book a lot.

You will get a boost of ACCELERATION with this book!

Imagine this: you're looking around for something to read when you find this little brown book that turns out to be a diary. Inside you find the dirty and sick writings of an unknown writer. That's what happens to 14 year old Duncan in the book Acceleration written by Graham McNamee. Duncan is a normal, average teenager living in Toronto, a place known as the Jungle. He also works a normal job every day, but it's the subway lost and found, which he calls the Dungeon. There is no air or sunlight, so you can imagine what he's going through. While trying to pass the endless hours of his shift, he finds a little brown book that was turned in ten days ago. But that little brown book isn't just an average book, it's the diary of a crazy serial killer, who Duncan calls Roach. Roach has drowned mice, hung cats, started numerous fires, and is now "hunting" three women and planning to kill them. Duncan knows its up to him to put the pieces of this puzzle together, think like a serial killer thinks, find and stop this killer before he strikes and it's too late. I really liked the book Acceleration because of its fast-paced action and feeling of the clock ticking and time running out. If you like realistic fiction books with lots of suspense and action, Acceleration is the book for you! This book will make you stay at the edge of your seat throughout the entire story.

Accelerate Your Heart Rate

Acceleration is a wonderfully written suspense novel. This book actually got my heart rate up. Finding out what acceleration means is an interesting part of this novel. Some who are critical of this novel must not have read all of it because all of the preliminary facts and details suck the reader into the world of the main character, Duncan. By the time you realize you are totally immersed in the cold, dark, murky existence of Duncan and his nightmares, you are hooked. McNamee does a tremendous job with the setup, which makes the climax a thrilling peak to the intriguing story of a lost soul who finds himself depressed by his recent past, and looking for a way to make up for mistakes he feels so much responsibility for. The main character, Duncan, gets himself in WAY over his head and nearly drowns himself in a world of terror and PURE FEAR and adrenaline that moves this novel to a perfect conclusion. Whatever the author did, he did it right because I forgot where I was and actually became immersed in the world that exists in the novel. I FELT the fear and the adrenaline rush that leads to the book's climax and resolution. Fantastic book!

Realistic Characters, Strong Mood, Valuable Themes

Good characterization from Duncan to Vinny, Wayne, and Duncan's boss Jacob. Even the parents have personalities without taking up valuable story time. McNamee is able to develop these people through his scenes without annoying pauses from the story to set down details. McNamee also establishes the mood through Duncan's job at the Lost and Found (the Morgue). Duncan himself belongs at the Lost and Found as he sorts out his failure of last summer. Is he a hero or is he just like everyone else? The mood also comes through with Duncan's father's work on the night shift--his vampire habits which come across with humor and realism--and their home in the Jungle. McNamee establishes Duncan's life, past to present, and shows how the 17 year old is in a rut. His discovery of the skin-covered journal revives him into action. With solid details about the true habits of serial killers, McNamee lends credibility to Duncan's tale. The one flaw, which is the same flaw as Speak, is the tidy ending. However, changing the end would be a mistake. This ending allows for McNamee's theme to come through and allows us to cheer for the hero. A great read. I had to read the thieving of the toilet scene out loud to my wife--very funny. The best book I've read this summer.