Setting Sketch

The setting of this story is in the “Glade” which doesn’t seem to be a nice place. It is a place where every month a new teenager shows up in a metal elevator just as confused as the one who came before. It is a place where there are runners who try to solve a maze the changes every night. It is a place with four giant moving walls which open and close every morning and night; they keep people in and the unimaginable out. On each of the doors there are metal spikes which act as locks that make is impossible to open. All of the boys in the Glade don’t like it. It could be because they don’t like working all day, or maybe that there aren’t any beds and people are forced to sleep outside, it might even be because no one knows how they got there or how they get out.

“A loud boom exploded through the air, making Thomas jump. It was followed by a horrible crunching, grinding sound. He stumbled backward, fell to the ground. It felt as if the whole earth shook; he looked around, panicked. The walls were closing. The walls were really closing-trapping him inside the Glade."

First 3 Chapters

Review in Brief

Thomas (protagonists) wakes up in a metal elevator not knowing where he was. Not knowing where he was is one thing but not knowing anything about him is another. He then begins to hear voice of teenagers from outside of the elevator. Kids come into view and they are pointing and whispering about him. He looks around to see an open space. Confused, he looks around at the unfamiliar area. He sees a big, larger than some others, in clear view. He seemed to be the leader. Thomas would later then ask about where he was or how he got there but no one would tell him.

Quotes

“The lightless elevator swayed back and forth as it ascended, turning the boy’s stomach sour with nausea; a smell like burnt oil invaded his senses, making him feel worse.”

“He looked in every direction but saw only darkness; he felt along the walls, searching for a way out.”

“My name is Thomas, he though. That …was the only thing he could remember about his life.”

“It’s a long story shank. Piece by piece, you’ll learn-I’ll be takin’ you on the Tour tomorrow. Till then….just don’t break anything”

“Welcome to the Glade”

“Where am I?”….”Nowhere good”

Interesting Words

Greenie: the newest person

Glade: a clearing; a piece of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area, or in this case in four stone walls

Shuck-Face: an insult known by to the characters in the book

Keeper: a person who is in charge of a certain task in the Glade

James Dashner

James Dashner is the author of The Maze Runner. He writes children’s fantasies and adult novels. He is mostly famous for The Maze Runner trilogy, The Jimmy Fincher Saga, and the 13^th Reality series. He was born in 1972 in Georgia. He attended Brigham Young University. James lives in South Jordan City, Utah. He is now married and has four children.

Below are some words that readers have said about the book……

“The Maze Runner by James Dashner is a mind-blowing dystopian novel. I sped through the last hundred pages, reading as fast as I could to find out how it ended.”

“Wow. The Maze Runner is by far one of the most suspenseful reads I've come across in a long while.”

“Loved this book! Everyone should read this. It will grab you and you won't be able to stop until you are done with the book. “

“I have just finished this book. Stayed up all night to read it. I give it 2 thumbs up! More if I had more thumbs! Definitely a MUST-READ”

“I just finished The Maze Runner and loved it. There are some books that prompt me to pick up a pencil and jot down prophetic quotes and amazing moments - I just let this one take me on a great ride and I enjoyed every page of it.”

“This book was intense and always kept me clinging to the pages. I couldn’t get enough!”