Zach Beckenhauer

Ms. Carver
Honors 10

September 25, 2015

Maze Runner
Are you someone who enjoys action and adventure in books? I read the Maze Runner by
James Dashner. And it is filled with action and adventure.
In the beginning of the book Thomas is sent up in a dark elevator and is eventually pulled
out by other teenage boys around his age, they welcome him to the Glade. Alby is their leader
and welcomes Thomas to the Glade. Thomas is one of the many boys that are sent up each
month. He finds out that the giant walls that surround the Glade are a maze and they shift every
night, and inside are monsters called Grievers. The very next day after Thomas is sent up, a girl,
Teresa, is sent up. She is the last one to be sent up to the Glade. Thomas feels like he knows
Teresa, but can't figure out why. Thomas wants to join Minho and his maze runners. The maze
runners go out everyday and map the maze. A little while after he decides this he is attacked by
Ben. Ben was stung by a Griever and went through the process they call the changing. It is very
painful and traumatic. Alby was exploring the maze and was stung. Minho tried to make it back
before the maze closed for the night but they weren't gonna make it, so Thomas raced out to help
and the three of them were trapped in the maze for the night, and the maze is the most dangerous
at nighttime. When Grievers approached Minho ran off and Thomas saved Alby's life by staying
behind. The three of them survived the night. After that Thomas was considered a hero, but
because he broke the law of going into the maze as a non-runner. He was sentenced to one day in
jail. After his sentence he becomes a runner. One night later the maze walls don't close and the

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Grievers come into the Glade. Gally comes back and tells everyone that the Grievers will come
back every night and kill one person until everyone is dead, then he sacrifices himself to the
Grievers. Thomas allows himself to get stung by a Griever in order to remember lost memories.
Once he reached a full recovery, he tells everyone that he and Teresa were forced to help create
the maze. He also tells that they share a telepathic connection. He also discovers the way out of
the maze. It is over an illusion cliff and there is a computer that they have to put a password into.
The fight there way to the exit through Grievers. When they finally get there they get sent down
into an underground bunker. In the bunker they meet the creators of the maze. A lady comes to
greet them and Gally is with them. Gally threw a knife a Thomas, but Chuck, Thomas's chubby
young friend, steps in front of the knife and is killed. Thomas is deeply saddened, because he
promised Chuck to get him back to his family. Out of rage Thomas beats Gally almost to death.
Out of nowhere a group of people storm in and shoot the woman. They take the Gladers. As they
board a bus they learn that the world has been scarred by a solar flare and a disease called the
flare has endangered humanity.
The most shocking part to me was that Thomas and Teresa helped make the maze, and that
the maze was artificial. And the thing that stood out to me the most was how Thomas
transformed throughout the book. The character I related to the best was Thomas. I feel like I
relate to him the best, because he is brave and a go getter and does what he thinks is right. Along
with Thomas the other characters changed throughout the story. They went from a quite life with
new members coming to the Glade once a month to chaos and a fight for survival each day.
This novel had a good lesson in it. The lesson I received from it was that even though you
are down, you keep fighting and you do what you believe is right.

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Not only do you get a good story line, the characters are interesting and fit perfectly in the
story. I would rate rate this story ten out of ten.

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