The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery

Graeme Base

Published by Penguin Books Australia Ltd.

Copyright 1988

Reading Level: 9-12 years

Pages: 32

Genre: Picture Book, Mystery,

Summary: Horace is turning 11 years old and he decides he should have a birthday party. He invites his friends and makes a wonderful feast. His friends come but they cant eat the feast until the eleventh hour. So they go and play games until the time and when they go for the feast all the food is gone. Everyone claims they didn't eat it. Horace makes sandwiches and then he brings out the Birthday Cake. It hadn't been eaten. To find out who took the feast we have to solve the mystery.

My Reaction to the Book: I thought it was fun. The mystery was fun to figure out. I had lots of fun staring at each page and trying to figure out the messages and who stole the food and every time a clue it was so exciting! I still haven't solved all of the mysteries or found all the hidden things on each page so there is more to find the next time I read it.

Recommendations: I think younger children and older children would enjoy this book. The story is simple enough for young children and the pictures are fascinating, but the older children would enjoy solving the mystery.

Potential Problems: I can't see any problems with this book. I thought it was incredible.

Interview with Graeme Base:

Other books by this author:

• My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch (1983)
• Animalia (1986)
• The Sign of the Seahorse (1992)
• The Discovery of Dragons (1996)
• The Worst Band In The Universe (1999)
• The Water Hole (2001)
• Truck Dogs (2003)
• Jungle Drums (2004)
• Uno's Garden (2006)
• The Discovery of Dragons: New Research Revealed(2007)
• Enigma (2008)
• Watts, J. The Art of Graeme Base (2008)
• The Legend of the Golden Snail (2010)