ELEVEN
By Patricia Reilly Giff
Random House/Wendy Lamb, 2008
Category: Middle Grade Fiction
I am a Patricia Reilly Giff fan. I often read her books twice, once for the pure pleasure of the story, and then again to study the way she crafts her fiction. This week the kids and I finished ELEVEN, and it is another gem.
Despite his struggles with reading and the early loss of his parents, eleven-year-old Sam has a good life with his grandfather, Mack, and the ‘family’ they’ve cobbled together. But an unexpected discovery has Sam wondering who he really is and, worst of all, who Mack really is. Giff does a fine job of carrying the tension of Sam’s mystery through the book, and the kids and I agreed: in the story department, ELEVEN delivers.
As to craft, ELEVEN left me thinking about subplot. Giff weaves her subplots perfectly and with what seems to be no effort at all. Having attempted such weaving myself, however, I know the truth: effortlessness like this takes a whole lot of effort.