I first came across this book a couple years ago and finally got around to reading it myself. I was trying to find more for my students to read who quickly became obsessed with the Hunger Games. They flew through that series and then struggled to find anything new. Since then, there are many dystopian series that are reminiscent of the HG like this one and Divergent.
It starts off with a teenage boy named Thomas waking up on a lift carrying him up to the Glade, which is a large area surrounded by walls. He only is sure of his name since all of his memories involving other people have been wiped clean. When the doors open he is surrounded by other boys that have also been dropped here with no idea where they came from. All they know is that there are doors in the walls that opens the maze in the morning and closes it at night and that a new boy comes up on the lift every thirty days. But things start changing because the day after Thomas arrives, someone else arrives on the lift. But it's a girl. The first girl in Glade. Chaos ensues as the kids try to figure out how they are going to get out of a maze the creators built nearly two years ago. The nasty creatures called the Grievers don't make the task any easier. Can they get out and figure out where they came from in time? Or will the creators win again?
I enjoyed this read and could see why my students really have as well. Some of the wording was almost humorous as the author has made up his own language to replace cuss words. The ending definitely leaves you at a place where you want to pick up the sequel, The Scorch Trials, right away. I know that this will be turned into a movie this year but I'm very curious to see how they make the idea of the Grievers (basically blobs with metal tools coming out of them) will work without being too cheesy of special effects.
