Eleven by James Phelan

Eleven (The Last Thirteen: Book Three)
Written by James Phelan
Published in Australia February 1st 2014
192 Pages
Thank you to the wonderful Scholastic Australia
This is it. My nightmares have finally come true.

Sam's deepest fears become real as his enemies grow more numerous and ever-more powerful. Struggling to stay one step ahead, Sam must locate 11 more Dreamers and solve the next piece of the puzzle.

Can Sam and his allies unlock the secrets of an ancient journal to reveal their final destiny? Sam is far from home, with the fate of the entire world in his hands.

He must find the last 13. The race is on
.

Sam knew escaping Solaris was too easy, after he and pop sensation Gabriella found the next piece of the puzzle hidden within the Vatican. Fleeing from the traitorous German Guardians, Sam finds himself in the company of Xavier Dark once again, the wealthy teen along for the adventure of a lifetime, while Gabriella, Lora and Eva return to the academy with their findings from Rome. Sam and Xavier are now on their way to Berlin, looking for the next piece of the puzzle. But it's clear that Xavier is more crucial than either boy realises, when he starts foreseeing the future through his dreams.

Eva is concerned for Sam's safety, knowing that he and Xavier are now on their own. But Sam needs to follow his true dream, to find evidence of the missing half of the Dream Stele, the very same the guardian's had destroyed in New York. But when they are forced to flee with the evidence, the boys receive help from an unlikely source who has more invested in the race for The Last Thirteen, and the true dreamers then Sam could have imagined.

The academy believe that Alex is missing, possibly presumed dead. Alex has been working alongside his mother, for those who threaten to derail the academy and their teachings. He finally feels that he has a purpose, aiding in the search for The Last Thirteen, but it isn't until Alex stows away on a mission, that he realises how dangerous Sam's life has become, allowing jealously to cloud his judgement.

But as Sam and Xavier inch closer to their goal, it's Alex who discovers the deep betrayal within those he though he could trust, and it may just cost them Sam's life.

My Thoughts


The Last Thirteen is a fun, adventure series that's ideal for preteen readers. It follows the story of Sam, a boy plucked from his science class and thrown into a world of reluctant superheroes, secret training facilities and a race of children known as The Dreamers. In the same vain in which the Twilight series brought mature young adult readers back to books, The Last Thirteen is perfect to reintroduce reading to middle grade, preteen boys. Although Ava's character seems to be more invested in Sam beyond their friendship, the series to date is age appropriate for target audience, no inappropriate language, mature themes or romance, which is sure to appeal to boys.

In each book, Sam interprets his true dream, which ultimately leads him to the next player in the Last Thirteen, a group of kids that are destined to help save the world. Each teen dreams the next piece of the puzzle that Sam must then reach before Solaris, the mysterious villain. The storyline and characters are simple, where most young adult readers may find the series a tad uneventful, but it's a quick little read that's perfect for lovers of Middle Grade and children's fiction. 

6 comments

  1. Thanks for your review, it sounds like a lovely book for MG boys! I like the sound of this that it is about villains and superheroes. Lovely review Kelly.

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    1. Hey Jeann,
      It really is the perfect series to get boys into reading, and there aren't many of those out there. The books are super cheap and a new one in the series is released each month. I can imagine parents will love this series too, it's age appropriate and just enough to challenge kids without adding any mature themes either.

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  2. I haven't read a lot of positive reviews on this one but the concept of this series sounds pretty cool.

    Lovely review! <33

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    1. Thanks Mel. It's basically kids plucked from normal lives and thrown into a secret world of semi superheroes. I love these little reads in between series. They're short enough to finish within a few hours at most, they're just fun reads.

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  3. Meh. I'm totally meh about this series. But you're review is a lot kinder (and more logical?) than mine was. I think I might have shaken this book and then stuffed it at the back of my bookshelf. Bad me.

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    1. From a tween boys perspective, I can imagine how well loved this series would be. No icky romance or girly emotions, no crying outbursts, just action. From a young adult perspective, it's simple, unemotional and I totally agree. But for the intended demographic, parents would enjoy knowing that there's something out there to lure boys back to reading again. Anything that does that is a huge bonus.

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