Eleventh Hour Review
Here is a story about Horace's (an elephant) eleventh birthday party, and apparently there's a mystery to solve! The mystery isn't revealed until near the end, and the book definitely requires that you look back through it to solve the mystery.
Overall, mystery hunting aside, I enjoyed this book, the fun characters, and the whimsical, jam-packed illustrations! For a rhyming book, the rhymes were really pretty good! I didn't find myself tripping over the rhythm or words hardly at all!
For the mystery, well, I didn't read the entirety of the solutions, but I skimmed to figure out how the puzzles where to be solved. My only gripe was that the end note made it appear that the mystery would be easily solved by looking at the pictures, which led me to think a simple glance back through would suffice. But, for better or worse, such is not the case. These clues are definitely only going to be found by those willing to spend several hours searching and decoding, something which I probably would have loved at around 10 to my tweens. There's bound to be several hours worth of fun, but only for those who don't mind the tediousness required. But, knowing how all the clues worked into the story, I was even more impressed with the illustrations!
So, definitely a fun, creative book/hidden clues mystery! And if you like that sort of book, I think you'll love this!!
Eleventh Hour Overview
When Horace the elephant turns eleven, he celebrates in style by inviting his exotic friends to a splendid costume party. But a mystery is afoot, for in the midst of the games, music, and revelry, someone has eaten the birthday feast! Rhyming text and detailed illustrations provide clues to help readers find out who committed the crime. Full color.
Eleventh Hour Specifications
Reading The Eleventh Hour is like running a marathon: one finishes exhausted but satisfied. Graeme Base, creator of the popular Animalia, has crafted another intricately wrought, gorgeously illustrated picture book, this time a mystery in verse. When Horace the Elephant decides to throw himself a party for his 11th birthday, he never suspects a crime will be committed by lunchtime. Who has stolen the birthday feast? As with any good mystery, everyone is guilty until proven innocent. The proof lies in the myriad clues embedded in each glorious illustration. Young sleuths will delight in decoding the complex messages that pop up in unexpected places.
Graeme Base used the buildings he saw during his travels through Africa, Asia, and Europe to design and decorate Horace's fantastic house. Astute readers may recognize Roman cathedrals, Scottish palaces, and stone carvings from India. Best of all, secreted in these walls are cryptic messages in Egyptian hieroglyphics, anagrams, and even Morse code to challenge the perceptive and deductive abilities of any reader "of tender years or long in tooth." The Eleventh Hour is a brilliant, rigorous, creative romp that no child (or adult) should miss. (All Ages)
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Customer Reviews
The Eleventh Hour - Melody A. Atwood -
This book purchased for grand-nephews. I read it myself and truly enjoyed the book. The artwork is fabulous. Great job by the writer and the illustrator.
Best 11 year old bday present - Teachermommy -
We order this book in bulk and give it to all of our friends for their eleventh birthday. It is a great book visually and to solve the mysteries with their family.
Jefferson, Ga
his very best - LibKat - Cape Cod, MA
All of Graeme Base's books are absolutely stunning from the story to the illustrations. However, this book is his shinning accomplishment. The story is wonderful and only exceeded by the gorgeous illustrations. This book can be read cover to cover but then it is also fun to go back and solve on the hidden puzzles.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 05, 2010 12:13:06
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