The Maze Runner

By James Dashner

He arrives in a box without any memories except his name and a vague feeling that he’d been here before. His name is Thomas, but everybody is calling him “Greenie” as in, the new guy. They’re all kids and they’re all boys. One new boy arrives each month, Thomas being the newest. Each boy has a job to do and now they have to find something for Thomas to do as well.

After learning about the different job possibilities, Thomas decides he wants to be a runner. He needs to be a runner. He can just feel it. But newbies can’t be runners. Being a runner is the most dangerous job you can have in this place, whatever this place is. They all call it the Glade. From what he’s learned so far, Thomas begins to understand that outside of the Glade’s walls is a maze. Every day, the walls open up and the runners take off into the maze with the task of mapping out the maze’s twists and turns. The job sounds simple enough, except for the fact that the maze changes every day. The walls of the maze move. Despite their best efforts, the runners have yet to find the exit to the maze. Some in the Glade doubt they ever will.

The day after Thomas arrives, everything changes. Another person has come through the box. They’ve never had two kids come through the box on consecutive days. But that’s not the strangest part. This kid is a girl.

So what does it all mean? Is this girl somehow linked to Thomas? Just like he feels he needs to be a runner, Thomas also feels like he knows this girl. Is Thomas special? Is being special a good thing in the Glade? Check out The Maze Runner from the LFHS library to find out!