2. The Eleventh Hour

Title: The Eleventh Hour
Author/Illustrator: Graeme Base
Publisher: Penguin Group
Copyright Date: November 1993
Number of Pages: 40
Reading Level: 12+
Genre: Mystery, Puzzle Book

Summary
Horace is turning eleven and he is throwing the party of his lifetime. The guests are carefully selected and invited. Horace prepares the grandest cuisine for all of his guests. Everyone shows up and there is one who no one knows. They are invited into the house where they are greeted by historical architecture and grandeur. The greatest sight though is the banquet hall and the mounds of food just waiting to be eaten, but not until eleven! All eleven guests and Horace spend the time playing games like tennis, cricket, cards, hide and seek, billiards, sack races, tug-o-wars and so much more. Finally the clock strikes eleven and they all rush to the banquet hall to find… nothing. All the food had been eaten. Suspicions arise and everyone suspects another. Horace decides to save the day and make sandwiches for everyone. The birthday cake was also saved because it was supposed to be revealed at the end as a surprise. Later the clues are put together and all the mice are found. Kilroy and his friends ate the feast! Shocking!

Recommendation
I love these books now. I think it was beautifully written, well formed and ingeniously fun. I would recommend this book to any parent who wants to have an enjoyable reading experience with their child. I would also recommend it to any kid who wants to have a small adventure and likes puzzles.

Problems/Conflicts
I can’t really see any conflicts within this book, other than now mice might have a bad reputation for ruining parties and with forever be held in suspicion.

My Reaction
Well my husband is in love with the Graeme Base books, especially Animalia. So while reading this book I was trying to think of what his reaction was when he read them as a kid. While we were picking it out at Barnes&Noble he had to show me the secret file in the back.
I love Base’s word choices in his books and everything is so exciting. These books are definitely page-turners. The pictures have so much life in them that it is difficult to pull away.