The Journal of Curious Letters (Book One of The 13th Reality Series) [Hardcover]

James Dashner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2008 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

What if every time you made a choice that had a significant consequence, a new, alternate reality was created--the life that would've been had you made the other choice? What if those new realities were in danger? What if it fell to you to save all the realities? Atticus Higginbottom, a.k.a. Tick, is an average thirteen-year-old boy until the day a strange letter arrives in his mailbox. Postmarked from Alaska and cryptically signed with the initials "M.G.," the letter informs Tick that dangerous--perhaps even deadly--events have been set in motion that could result in the destruction of reality itself. M.G. promises to send Tick twelve riddles that will reveal on a certain day, at a certain time, at a certain place, something extraordinary will happen. Will Tick have the courage to follow the twelve clues M.G. sends to him? Will he be able to solve the riddles in time? Will Tick discover the life he was meant to live? The first volume of an outstanding new children's fantasy series, The Journal of Curious Letters is filled with adventure, humor, riddles, and, oh, yes--danger... As M.G. warns Tick, Very frightening things are coming your way. Will you join Tick and his friends on an amazing journey through the Realities? What will your choice be?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Atticus Higginbottom (Tick) is relatively happy, even though he wishes that he were a little braver or could make the bullies disappear. Then he gets a mysterious letter that begins a strange adventure into alternate realities. According to the letter, he and hundreds of other young people around the world have a choice: save the world by solving a puzzle or burn the letter and go on with their lives as usual. The 13-year-old is sure that it's a hoax, but once he begins getting the other clues from strange visitors, he is determined to figure out the puzzle. This book had great potential. The beginning of the adventure starts with a bang, but by the middle of the story things begin to drag. The immediacy gets lost in the daily struggle to figure out the riddles and the unending descriptions of Tick's life as he awaits the next one. Suddenly, he receives multiple clues at once and the fight to save the world occurs at bewildering speed. The conclusion is open-ended, indicating a sequel. Stronger choices of books with similar ideas of alternate realities include D. J. MacHale's "Pendragon" series (S & S) or Michael Lawrence's "Withern Rise" trilogy (HarperCollins).—Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ
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Review

THE JOURNAL OF CURIOUS LETTERS A boy . . . a mysterious letter . . . twelve clues . . . a girl . . . a dad . . . two very strange strangers. These are just the basic ingredients in this adventure served up by Dashner in what is the start of a series that will capture the imagination of young and old alike. Atticus Higginbottom (Tick to all who know him) is smart, well-adjusted and something of a loner at school, preferring his family, the library and the Internet to his classmates. So he s surprised to receive a letter postmarked in Macadamia, Alaska, from someone he s never even heard of. But he s intrigued and makes a commitment to join with his correspondent to save many lives. Though there are chunks of text that are overwritten, the telling is generally laced with a strong sense of humor and a sure hand at plot; the author is plainly in tune with today s fan base. Let the adventure begin! (Science fiction. 10-12) --Kirkus Reviews

The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters (Shadow Mountain, 978-1-59038-831-0) accesses mind-boggling notions from quantum physics (kyoopy as Mothball calls it) and comes up with a tree called Prime Reality, with twelve branches, or alternate realties, or versions of Prime, growing off it. Master George and Mistress Jane both have instruments that make travel between the realities possible, but only one of them supports diversity. Mistress Jane believes that the world would be a much better place if it were all yellow, and she must be stopped. Author James Dashner claims the influence of Dean Koontz, Tad Williams, and Orson Scott Card in his writing. His four-part Jimmy Fincher saga sold over 20,000 volumes. This new series is wonderful for kids of middle school age: the characters are smart, they try hard not to make stupid mistakes, they take risks for others, their parents are helpful without controlling. Not to mention, of course, the book is a page-turner, the dialogue is snappy, and it ends with a cliffhanger. Expect readers to ask for more. --ForeWord Magazine

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain; First Edition edition (March 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590388313
• ISBN-13: 978-1590388310
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Dashner is the New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner trilogy and The 13th Reality series. Learn more by checking out his website, www.jamesdashner.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your ordinary YA fantasy, February 21, 2008

By 

Jeffrey S. Savage - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Journal of Curious Letters (Book One of The 13th Reality Series) (Hardcover)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kids Will Love This Book --- and I did too!, February 22, 2008

By 

Lu Ann Staheli "allstars" (Spanish Fork, UT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Journal of Curious Letters (Book One of The 13th Reality Series) (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Curious Indeed! We Loved It!!, March 18, 2008

By 

Amy Graham (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Journal of Curious Letters (Book One of The 13th Reality Series) (Hardcover)

I received The 13th Reality as an advance readers copy from the publisher through Library Thing on the 6th of February and finished it up on the morning of the 8th. I am happy to report that I got a real kick out of reading this book and am looking forward to the next book in the series. The premise is that 13 year old Atticus Higgenbottom (who prefers to be called Tick), our brainy co-protagonist (who enjoys chess, science, math and receives some typical for this genre, teasing and bullying at school as a result) begins receiving strange letters from all over the world with clues in them and which challenge him to undertake an adventure that the author of the mysterious missives insists is both deathly dangerous and threatens to destroy reality itself. In all, Atticus will receive 12 clues, riddles which he must solve by a certain date in order to successfully engage in this challenging and dangerous mission. I found the premise intriguing and while it's certainly not new or innovative, it's a sure crowd pleaser in the 10-14 age range of readers. I particularly enjoyed that Atticus has a strong and loving relationship with his whole family and is able to confide in his father when things get worrisome...it's a bit of a deviation from the standard abused/abandoned/orphaned child(ren) that generally populate this type of story (and a refreshing deviation at that). I like that he is able to ultimately undertake this journey with parental consent and does receive some minor assistance and support from them during the course of the story events.

Overall, The 13th Reality is engaging, fun, and managed to keep me interested to the very end. I give it 4 stars...I almost gave it three, but since I am actually looking forward to the next book in the series, I've bumped it up one star...any book that you really would like to read the rest of the series upon completion is a success in my opinion. I think it would be best received by the 10-14 age range...I had my daughter read the description on the back and she indicated a definite interest in reading it as well. I must also be quite honest, it was snatched (with great glee) off my desk when I announced I was done with it by my 10 year old daughter, I suspect that it will be a great hit! It's two down in her reading pile at her reading rate it will take her 7 to 10 days to read once she gets to it. I shall endeavor to update this review with her final verdict once she has read it...it is after all, children's fiction!