The 13th Reality by James Dashner

There is so much about The 13th Reality by James Dashner to like, I don’t know where to start. From fresh plotlines to fresh scenarios to fresh hooks, it’s all a party of newness that hasn’t been overused. It’s something we haven’t read before, and that alone is enough to make my timbers shiver.

The story goes that young Atticus Higginbottom, known as Tick, has received a strange note which tells him that very dangerous things are in store. Twelve riddles are to be delivered to him at certain times by post. As Tick accepts the riddles, strange and unusual things begin to happen to him, including but not limited to frightening beasts attacking and strange visitors sent to help him on his quest.

Top of my list of wonderful things about The Thirteenth Reality are certain features to the character Tick that make him hop right out. No catch-phrases like ‘raz’ or ‘radical’ that expired in the 90′s but some authors still think kids use. Upon receiving the riddles, Tick searches the Internet for any bloggers who might have written about it. Then, he posts on a site looking for anybody who has also had these strange happenings, connecting with a girl in Italy by email.

The 13th Reality also has a whiff of nice about it because the main protagonist really cares about his family and shows it easily. I wasn’t in the least bit surprised when I found out that the author grew up with five brothers and sisters: clever mentions of the ‘junk drawer’, playing Scrabble nights and the frequent retreats to the quiet of the library reminded me so much of back home with my own three brothers and sister.

Fans of the Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale will certainly enjoy this book. This is a wonderful start to a new series. It goes to stores March 3rd, 2008, so be absolutely certain to grab a copy for yourself and enjoy a wonderful read!