Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff is about Sam, a boy who is deathly afraid of eleven... but he doesn't know why. Just before his 11th birthday, Sam sneaks into the attic of the apartment building where he lives and discovers a newspaper clipping with a photo of a himself at 3 years old along with the word "Missing". Suddenly the strange dreams Sam has been having seem like clues, and Sam starts to suspect something strange involving Mack, his grandfather who Sam has lived with most of his life. Unfortunately, Sam can't read very well and is unable to figure out what the article says. He is determined to solve this mystery, so he enlists the help of Caroline, the new girl at school who loves reading more than almost anything else. What they begin to uncover after reading the article and doing some more digging starts to reveal the reason Sam has always been afraid of the number 11.This was an excellent story! I thought it might turn out to be a fantasy or science fiction story, but it definitely was realistic fiction with some mystery thrown in. The book is short, but really "meaty"! I really felt connected to all of the characters, but especially Sam and his reading teacher. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a good mystery.
