The Scorch Trials (2010) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 5 stars

“Brilliant!”

• Rated 5 stars

“Week April 14 and previous weeks (Spring Break)
Pages 0-285
"The Scorch Trials" is a very big leap from "The Maze Runner" in the way that the setting is completely different and the world has suddenly become much realer at an unexpected time, and also that "The Maze Runner" was a much more original idea than "The Scorch Trials". However one scene so far that I was particularly impressed with was one in which Thomas and his new friend Brenda are being chased through the underground tunnel systems by diseased insane people. They find a hiding spot, a cubbyhole in the wall, and wait for their pursuers to leave. The impressive part is how shocked the reader is when they have waited five minutes and turn on the light, but the man is still there, hiding, and scares the life out of Thomas and the reader. Thinking about how Dashner was able to "scare" the reader, I think that the first step was showing that the insane people mean business. They had been seen previously in the book, and talked about, so the reader knows how lethal and scary they are. The next step was creating the action scene that the one scary part follows, so that it would be more intense. Then, after the reader is convinced that the man is indeed, not hiding outside, just like Thomas and Brenda are convinced, but he turns out to be. This scene was intriguing and good because of its surprise.
Week May 5th and previous weeks (Book was finished long before)
pages 285-359 (end)
SPOLIERS
This book, like its prediscesor, is amazing because of its action, its messages, and its astonishing character development. In book one, Thomas developed a lot, going from being an almost realistic person to a fearless and inhuman hero, learning to put up with all kinds of hardship and abuse. In The Scorch Trials, this aspect of the series only intensifies. Thomas becomes more durable and tolerant in the face of the trouble that WICKED is giving him. This is because of the physical pain, psychologically threatening situations, and emotional disturbance of WICKED even stepping on his relationships with his friends, manipulating him. This is where one of the main morals in the story comes in. Thomas always remains strong despite the surrounding terror, a quality that everybody is better off with. Because of this trait, the reader learns to appreciate Thomas (in combination with how his humanity is still made known). That is why I think that The ScorchTrials is even better than The Maze Runner.
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• Rated 5 stars

“In this adventurous - heart stopping novel, Thomas and the Gladers are presented with a new challenge, to make it across the Scorch. The Gladers have to face a serious of challenges such as head-eating metal balls, a city full of whacked-in-the-brain Cranks, a group of girls that want to kill them, and the small amount of time they have to get across the Scorch and make it to the safe heaven. This book created a movie in my head because of its descriptive words and vivid scenes. This is a beautifully written book and I love how it kept me on the edge of my seat during the whole time I read it. ”

• Rated 3 stars

“This was pretty good. Not quite as good as the first, but still full of twists and turns. I was surprised at how gory it was.”

• Rated 5 stars

“This book was so far the best in the trilogy!”

• Rated 4 stars

“I actually enjoyed this one better than the first book. I thought it added a few more little twists that were interesting and left me hanging and ready to read the 3rd book. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Very good book. At some points you might think you know whats going to happen next but then it switchs! ”

• Rated 4 stars

“Not as good as the first one but I really like the plague feature in it and I think that's what makes it so intense”

• Rated 0 stars

“The whole point of this book is to get their lives back to normal. There was no way that those people could. There is nothing that would get their lives back because the maze was only the beginning. Tons of obstacles coming at thomas and the scorch trials began. This book is a harder book than most but relatively easy to read. I would recommend at least fifth graders to read this type of book.”

• Rated 5 stars

“the scorch trials is fantastic probably the best in the series with the cranks and a choice of life and death its crazy good”