YAM Book Club Report – The Maze Runner
Name: Abhiram U
Book Title: The Maze Runner
Number of Pages: 374
Book Author: James Dashner
Why do I think the author chose this particular title for the book and what is its significance?
| I think the author chose this particular title for the book because this was a title held by the main character of the book, Thomas. He was a “runner” for the Gladers, observing the patterns in the maze outside the Glades, an area in the middle of the maze that housed children who lost their memories. This title is significant as it plays a large role in the book, as Thomas is a runner for most of the book. It means that he runs through the maze, writes down his observations on paper, and tries to find a pattern between how the maze looks every day, as it changes 30 times before repeating the same pattern again. |
Brief Plot Summary
| This book is about some young boys being trapped in the middle of a maze with no memory of their past lives. The main character, Thomas, was the last boy to come to the Glades, an area in the middle of the maze where all the boys stay. In this area, the Grievers, vicious monsters with needles that can only be cured by going through the Changing, can not go in due to doors that close in the night. These young boys have survived this maze for two years, all having different jobs either in the Glades or outside, running to make maps and figure out a pattern to get out of the maze, once and for all. Boys are being killed by the vicious Grievers, and Thomas wants to do something about it. He becomes a Runner, one who navigates the maze, after becoming the first Glader to survive a whole night in the maze, killing several Grievers with Minho, the Keeper of the Runners. A girl in a coma known as Teresa also comes through a box, being the last child to do so. She has several messages and has a strange mind connection to Thomas, but they become great friends. Teresa, Thomas, and Minho work together to solve the code related to the Maze, trying to get out. They must do it before the Grievers kill everyone. |
Favorite Scene
| My favorite scene in the book is when Thomas drags an unconscious and nearly dead Ably with ropes made out of vines away from the scary Griever. This scene happens inside the maze at night when the doors to the Glade close. Thomas was very brave to go into the maze at night, knowing he was not at all experienced and that he was risking his life. However, he stayed calm and thought through the situation, acting productive and being successful in killing the Grievers by leading them down the cliff. |
Interesting Character
| I think Alby is the most interesting character because he possesses traits of okay leadership, a lot of rage, and a bit of timidness. Alby has okay leadership because even though he has the potential to be a great leader like he was before the Changing, he let his fears of the Flare in the real world control him. He has a lot of rage because he is always mad at someone or the other, and he never really smiles or jokes, not even to his friend, Newt. Alby was always mad and mean to Teresa and Thomas, letting his anger cloud his judgment. He is also slightly timid, as he was scared of the Grievers and of the Flare. He was so scared of the Flare that he gave his life to the Grievers, and while Newt broke down about it, Thomas and Minho thought of it as a sacrifice. |
Conflict and Resolution
| The major problem in the story which Thomas must overcome is getting out of the maze completely safe. Thomas solved this by becoming a Runner for the Glades, where he navigated the maze, and by finding a pattern in the movements of the maze. He was able to burn the maps in such a way that they would show a letter on each map, 30 times, which gave a code. Then, Thomas and the other Glades would have to jump into the Griever hole and type in the code into a computer to go to the area where the Creators lived. Thomas was able to do this with the help of Chuck, who later died in the area where the Creators lived. The final was Chuck’s death, and Thomas raged when Gally killed Chuck. Finally, some adults had come to rescue them from the Creators, bringing them to a safe area where they could rest. |
One thing I would change about the story and whether or not I would recommend this book
| If there was one thing I could change about this story, I would make it a bit less violent. Even though I like how it is very action-packed, I think there is too much blood and horror in the book, like Ben going through the Changing. This was a very weird and disturbing moment that I don’t enjoy, and I don’t see how it impacts the story much in a positive way. However, I would recommend this book because it is very suspenseful, action-packed, and overall interesting. I love the character development in the book, especially with Chuck. He went from a below-average Glader to a boy who saved another boy’s life. |
