Product Description
What if every time you made a choice that had a significant consequence, a new, alternate reality was created--the life that would've been had you made the other choice? What if those new realities were in danger? What if it fell to you to save all the realities? Atticus Higginbottom, a.k.a. Tick, is an average thirteen-year-old boy until the day a strange letter arrives in his mailbox. Postmarked from Alaska and cryptically signed with the initials "M.G.," the letter informs Tick that dangerous--perhaps even deadly--events have been set in motion that could result in the destruction of reality itself. M.G. promises to send Tick twelve riddles that will reveal on a certain day, at a certain time, at a certain place, something extraordinary will happen. Will Tick have the courage to follow the twelve clues M.G. sends to him? Will he be able to solve the riddles in time? Will Tick discover the life he was meant to live? The first volume of an outstanding new children's fantasy series, The Journal of Curious Letters is filled with adventure, humor, riddles, and, oh, yes--danger... As M.G. warns Tick, Very frightening things are coming your way. Will you join Tick and his friends on an amazing journey through the Realities? What will your choice be?

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 27 reviews)

Hurray for the 13th!

I recently received an email from Brandon Mull, author of the wonderful Fablehaven series, recommending The 13th Reality books while we wait on the the spring release of Fablehaven #4. I imediately requested a review copy and received it in less than a week. From the moment I started reading The Journal of Curious Letters (#1 of The 13th Relity), I could not put it down!

The story is about 13 year old Atticus Higgenbottom (who prefers to be called Tick), an intelligent boy who who lives with his parents and two sisters in the state of Washington. Tick enjoys chess, science, math and going to the library, but as a result he is often the target of teasing and bullying at school.

Tick starts to receive mysterious letters from all over the world - the first one is postmarked from Alaska - with clues in them. According to the first letter, Tick will be receiving 12 clues which will enable him to save many people. He is warned that the clues will be challenging and the mission "deathly dangerous" to the current reality. Each clue contains a riddle which must be solved by a certain date in order to complete this dangerous mission.

During the time he is receiving the clues, Tick befriends internet pals Sophia - from Italy - and Paul - from California - who are also receiving the clues. We also get to meet two of the strangest characters I've read in a long time: Mothball - a tall, lanky lady who is almost 8 feet tall - and Rutger - a man who is extremely short and squatty.

Will the children figure out the clues sent from the mysterious Master George? Will they be able to save many lives? What will happen if the children fail? Will they learn the meaning of the 13th Reality?

I loved the idea of this book and it allows young readers to work along with Tick in solving the mysterious 12 clues. I also enjoyed the fact that Tick has a great relationship with his family, and in the middle of his investigation, he finally tells his father about the clues and they work together to solve them.

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this wonderful new series. I think middle school age children will love this book, and even younger children will love having parents read this book to them. This is not only a book for enjoyment reading, but it helps children use their thinking skills while trying to solve the clues. I think James Dashner has a hit series on his hands and I hope children are clamoring for his books for a long time to come.

**This is a book series I will be recommending to the children's library at the Mercer County Public Library in Kentucky.**
November 30, 2008

Even Better the Second Time Around

I read this book twice - once on my own, and again with my daughters. While I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time through, I was pleased to find that everything held together the second time. So often re-reading a book will expose plot holes and character inconsistencies, but I found very little of that here.

As a father, I was particularly impressed by the way Dashner portrayed the parent/child relationship. In YA fiction, the kid characters need to be free to resolve the story's problems on their own. This is too often accomplished by writing dysfunctional parents or removing them all together. In The Journal of Curious Letters, Tic's father is present and helpful, making a conscious, difficult decision to let his child do what needs to be done on his own.

I also like that this story works hard to be believable, and doesn't ask the reader to suspend disbelief to the limit.

As a family, we're excited to get our hands on the next volume.

May 31, 2008

Riddle-Solving Fun!

THE 13TH REALITY is the first volume of THE JOURNEY OF CURIOUS LETTERS by James Dashner. I found it a complete delight.

Tick (short for Atticus) is your ultimate unlikely hero. He has a birthmark on his neck that he hates so much that he wears a scarf year-round. The school bullies call it the "barf scarf" and when we meet him, he is in the midst of being bullied. That very day, he receives the first in a series of curious letters, each with have a clue (or two). What are they clues for? Well, if he solves the riddles in time, they will "reveal on a certain day, at a certain time, at a certain place, something extraordinary will happen."

This novel is about a kid finding courage and learning that he is stronger than he thinks.

One problem that authors of children's novels have is how to get rid of the parents. In order for a child to have dangerous adventures, the author must somehow get rid of the parent or render them impotent. So we therefore have children at boarding schools, dead parents, absent parents, incompetent parents, stupid parents, kidnapped kids, runaway kids, kids vanishing into other worlds, etc.

James Dashner hit on a solution that I loved. I don't want to give it away, because it was a truly magical moment in the story. Tick has an excellent relationship with his excellent father, whose only fault appears to be that he is very overweight. His mother is a bit more distant in the story, but since this story is as much about a father-son relationship as it is an adventure story, I found it appropriate.

Along the way, Tick uses the Internet to find other kids who got letters as well. Unfortunately, his activities online also attracts the attention of someone who works for the enemy. The enemy's attempt to hurt Tick ends up with Tick unexpectedly meeting one of his fellow riddle-solvers. Her name is Sofia and she's a somewhat Hermione-like brainy girl, except she's Italian. Later in the story, Tick meets the wonderfully refreshing Paul, who is, in his own description, "fourteen years old, six feet tall (yes, six feet), African-American, and drop-dead handsome. I love to surf, I play the piano like freaking Mozart, and I currently have three girls who call me every day, but my mom always tells them I'm in the bathroom." I can't imagine Paul being anyone's sidekick.

A fourth youth turns up once the "extraordinary" thing happens, but I won't say too much about him. The extraordinary thing involves many secrets being revealed to both the reader and to Tick, after which the four youths embark on an adventure similar to Dorothy having to steal the Wicked Witch's broomstick.

It's a rousing adventure story. Once I started reading, I had a difficult time putting it down. I really enjoyed the father-son relationship and the oddball characters who assist the mysterious riddle-writer. Some of the riddles were easy to solve, but most would have involved significant brain work. Two of them would have involved me getting out a piece of paper and doing lots of math, but I wasn't that ambitious and I just let Tick solve those riddles for me. But all were solvable by the reader.

It is a fun book and I can definitely recommend it for children of any age (including adults), but it would probably most appeal to kids between the ages of ten and fourteen.

May 30, 2008

Cute story for kids

Tick is a nearly normal 13-year old. He's a bit nerdy and loves solving puzzles, and never takes off the scarf which covers his birthmark (even in the summer).

Then one day he receives a mysterious letter in the mail which changes his life forever.

"The Journal of Curious Letter" is amusing, and I think I will be reading the rest of the series as it is released in paperback, but I did have some issues with it.

I know that my copy was an unproofed ARC, but there were several typos and/or omitted words. The author also tries too hard in places to be funny, and has an unnatural obsession (it seems) with the number 3.
May 27, 2008

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is probably one of the best books I have read for a very long time. The plot is good, its nice that he made the parents good, not the usual oblivious idiots you see in other books. The heroes of the book are good and pretty deep. My favorite is Sato, but Tick, Sophia and others are cool too. Can't wait until the next one!!!!!!!!! Five stars!!! (And I am sure my Alterant agrees with me.) :)
May 09, 2008

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Brisingr (Inheritance, Book 3)
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The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4)
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