The 13th Reality, Book 1: The Journal of Curious Letters

by James Dashner

Book Overview

What if every choice you made created an alternate reality? In The Journal of Curious Letters , Atticus Higginbottom, a.k.a. Tick, is an average thirteen-year-old boy until the day he receives a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590388313
• ISBN13: 9781590388310
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain
• Length: 434 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.9" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

Even Better the Second Time Around

I read this book twice - once on my own, and again with my daughters. While I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time through, I was pleased to find that everything held together the second time. So often re-reading a book will expose plot holes and character inconsistencies, but I found very little of that here. As a father, I was particularly impressed by the way Dashner portrayed the parent/child relationship. In YA fiction, the kid characters need to be free to resolve the story's problems on their own. This is too often accomplished by writing dysfunctional parents or removing them all together. In The Journal of Curious Letters, Tic's father is present and helpful, making a conscious, difficult decision to let his child do what needs to be done on his own. I also like that this story works hard to be believable, and doesn't ask the reader to suspend disbelief to the limit. As a family, we're excited to get our hands on the next volume.

Kids Will Love This Book --- and I did too!

I had the opportunity to not only read this book in manuscript form, but also to read an advance copy to a class of thirty-one 7th grade Honors English students. I feel confident in saying that kids will love this book---since every one of my students thought it was great. Some of their comments include: "I can't think of a better book than yours." "We just finished the book and I thought it was awesome!" "My all-time favorite thing about the book was Mistress Jane. I've decided I want to be her." "I think your book will go on to be a New York Times Bestseller." "I can't wait for your next book, even though your first one isn't out yet." "It's a great book. Everyone should read it." "Oh how I love your book. You know how to keep it tense." "I loved the 13th Reality so much! Once your series hits stores, you're going to be able to retire early." "One thing I like about your book is that a parent plays an active role in the story. In most middle grade novels the kid goes off on a magical adventure and the parents remain totally oblivious, despite all the obvious hints that their child is doing extremely dangerous things. That, or the parents are just dead. The book has likeable characters." As for me, I loved it enough that I've written reviews for several professional journals to tell other teachers and librarians just how great it is. Teachers will feel safe in using this book as a read-aloud for their students. Librarians will promote it to a wide variety of readers. This is one that should belong on every school library shelf, although once word gets around, it won't stay there long! BUY MULTPILE COPIES.

Great start to the series!

The 13th Reality: the Journal of Curious Letters is the first in a series by James Dashner. We follow the adventures of Atticus Higginbottom, or Tick as he likes to be called, as he begins to receive mysterious letters in the mail with clues as to a secret, magical ritual that he will need to perform that will help save the lives of many people. With no idea who is sending the letters or how to perform the ritual other than the enigmatic clues hidden in the letters he receives, Tick must discover the secret to the ritual and where and when to perform it. Gaining some friends along the way, Tick overcomes many obstacles to complete his mission and save the day. To put it simply, I really enjoyed this book. Reading this as an adult, I didn't find it a particularly challenging book, but I know that when I was younger I would have loved this book just as much, if not more. Not being a parent, I can't always comment on how these books would be perceived by children, but there was one aspect of this book that immediately stood out to me from other books in the genre. In most kids books today, the protagonists are always the same age as the target audience, which is expected, but the kids always feel the need to keep their adventures secret from their parents or the adults most capable of helping them. I suppose the idea is to instill a sense of independence in kids, to give them the feeling that they can do anything, and that's a great attribute to instill in kids. It's what I'd want to do if I were a parent. However, it seems that sometimes this idea that kids need to keep secrets from the adults around them is taken to new levels in some books. What I liked about The Journal of Curious Letters is that Dashner did away with that stereotype and had Tick go to his dad and explain what was going on, and his dad took an active role in the story and the process of discovering the secret behind the mystery. Granted, they then kept the whole secret from Tick's mom, but the idea that Tick appreciated the fact that an adult's input would help him really stood out to me. I thought that this was a nice departure from the norm; that Tick's dad allowed him to be independent and follow through with his mission while being there as a support system for his son. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of the typical young kids books notions in The 13th Reality: like many protagonists, Tick's name is unusual, he's considered an outcast in school, he has an unusual physical feature that we wants to keep hidden, he gains a select number of friends around his same age to join in the adventure; there are secrets galore, a mysterious villain, mental and physical challenges, but he always overcomes these obstacles. The scientific part of the mystery I think will help the book appeal to a wider range of kids, too. My only real complaint would be that the buildup of the story throughout the book seemed a little long in comparison to the actual ending. I feel that with such a l

Not your ordinary YA fantasy

When Atticus "Tick" Higginbottom begins receiving mysterious letters, his life changes dramatically. The mysterious "M.G." warns him that he must either burn the letter or face unknown dangers. Each of the letters contains clues that he (and the reader) must unravel to solve the mystery. Deciding to meet the challenge, Tick uses the internet to meet several other friends from around the world who help him solve the clues. The 13th Reality is filled with a variety of odd but enchanting characters both good and evil. Unlike the typical swords and sorcery type fantasies, Dashner makes use of quantum physics. Also, unlike many YA fantasies, Tick is not an orphan, but actually turns to his father for help. The story is told with a tongue in cheek humor that kids will love--somewhat reminiscent of Lemony Snicket or Dean Lorey. The action comes fast and furious. The clues are both funny and fun to solve. And the ending leaves clear opportunity for the characters to explore other realities and face the growing evil. I would highly recommend this book to kids ages 8 and up. The younger ones will enjoy the humor and the older ones will get off on the cool gadgets and interesting SciFi aspects. This series looks to be a definite winner.

Great New Series Starting Here!

James Dashner's "The 13th Reality Series" is off to a thrilling start in the book The Journal of Curious Letters! The reader is introduced to Atticus Higginbottom, nicknamed Tick, a budding genius who receives a mysterious letter informing him that he has been chosen to help with an important mission - if he is willing to solve clues presented to him in subsequent letters. As the story unfolds, Tick embarks on an exciting adventure and is met with a unique cast of characters along the way. The world Dashner creates for this novel is a fresh mix of witty teen literature and science fiction. The characters range from believable young adults and supportive parents to a broad range of fantasy-world sidekicks and villains. The brain-teasers and science aspects of the story will hopefully encourage young readers to engage their minds in the book. Part of the fun in reading it is certainly the challenge of solving the puzzles before the protagonists. Another great aspect of this novel was that the main characters were not heroes because of some magical destiny. Each one had the choice to pursue greatness in the face of dangers and I think the lessons of courage and responsible choices will resonate with young adult readers. Overall, The Journal of Curious Letters is a delightful book that will leave audiences of all ages eager for the next installment of what looks to be a very promising new series!