|
The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery | 
| Author: Graeme Base
Publisher: Puffin
Category: Book
Buy New: $7.99
Rating:  59 reviews
Sales Rank: 620074
Format: Large Print
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 32
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 12.1 x 9.1 x 0.2
ISBN: 0140561609
EAN: 9780140561609
Publication Date: September 1, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
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)
Product Description
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.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 54 more reviews...
An engrossing mystery for fun book lovers December 13, 2000
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
I first encountered this book while babysitting, many years ago. It was the kids' new favorite book (they were aged 6-10 perhaps). I read it to them & was enchanted with it (they just liked the story). I put the kids to bed & proceeded to spend 3+ hours (and I was a TV-loving young adult) trying to solve all the riddles & the find the answer to the mystery. I finally figured it out, but later, when I read the previously sealed "who-dunnit" section, I realized how much I'd missed in fantastically re-created architecture & secreted clues & jokes. The author/illustrator is incredibly imaginative & incorporates amazing artistry. I was totally engrossed & completely hooked. The family who introduced me to this book felt strongly about providing intelligent, stimulating & highly creative resources to their children. Since then I have bought this as a gift more than once... The story is simple & rhymes pleasantly so that it is appealing to children. The pictures are complex & fantastic to look at. However, I'm sure the wonder & adventure I found is lost on many children & adults. They may not have the patience or love of mystery that I do, but perhaps they could grow into it, certainly, over time, new discoveries would appear to even the most uninterested reader.
A fantastic book! November 3, 2005
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
My mother first bought this book in 1989. She didn't know about anything about Graeme Base, but was greatly impressed by the illustrations and got it for my siblings and I to pore over. Not only were the illustrations lively and BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL, but the mystery itself was so cleverly set up! I never would have guessed...actually we did correctly guess who it was, but we had no idea how until after we opened the seal in the back. Once we did, we realized we didn't know the half of it. By the way, did anybody ever find out the name of the Swan? Because my older sister did, and that was even harder to figure out than "Who Stole The Feast?" (Here's a hint, and I hope it doesn't give the answer away: The Card Game) I guarantee if you buy this book, you will NOT be disappointed!
P.S. "Animalia" was pretty good, too!
Just Amazing for kids and adults!! August 3, 2001
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I first saw this book when my six year old son saw it at the library. He wanted to check it out because his summer school teacher had read it to him and he said it was really good. So we brought it home and read it. Of course, by the second page my son was revealing the answer to the mystery (because his teacher had explained it to him). So, I didn't get to figure it out like everyone else. After we read the book, I put my children to bed and promptly went back to the couch and picked it up. I went to the "top secret" section in the back that reveals the answer to the mystery. Detailed explanations about each clue on each page were there and everything was so fascinating. If you've had this book forever and not figured out the mystery, your missing out on a lot of neat info by not opening the back section! I plan to buy this book for road trips... I think my kids could entertain themselves for hours trying to find all the mice!
A great party book November 4, 2001
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
My six-year-old sister recieved this book for Christmas last year. From looking at the cover I thought it was meant for kids aged 5-7, but after reading it I was determined to solve it. When my friend came over for a sleepover, she read it and we cracked it within one hour. Although I know who stole the feast, I still enjoy looking at all the little details in the pictures.
My Favorite Book. August 1, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I`m a Thirteen year old, and i got this book from my brother when i was about 3. I read it up until i was about 11. I never did read the pages within the seal [of course, my brother had already broken it - he`s about 9 years older than me] and i figured it out. last night i looked through the pages of the seal, and i had figured everything out, EXCEPT the swans name. i really want to know her name. what helped me the most figuring it out was the musical notes, i played them out on the piano and it was a dead give away. but anyways, i would recommend this to ANY other child. Along with Animaila - i still read these books. [and in animalia, try to find the kid with the shirt in all the illustrations.]
|
|
|
|
Copyright 2008 BetterEditor.net
| |
