The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery

My mother first bought this book in 1989. She didn't know about anything about Graeme Base, but was greatly impressed by the illustrations and got it for my siblings and I to pore over. Not only were the illustrations lively and BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL, but the mystery itself was so cleverly set up! I never would have guessed...actually we did correctly guess who it was, but we had no idea how until after we opened the seal in the back. Once we did, we realized we didn't know the half of it. By the way, did anybody ever find out the name of the Swan? Because my older sister did, and that was even harder to figure out than "Who Stole The Feast?" (Here's a hint, and I hope it doesn't give the answer away: The Card Game) I guarantee if you buy this book, you will NOT be disappointed! P.S. "Animalia" was pretty good, too!

My six-year-old sister recieved this book for Christmas last year. From looking at the cover I thought it was meant for kids aged 5-7, but after reading it I was determined to solve it. When my friend came over for a sleepover, she read it and we cracked it within one hour. Although I know who stole the feast, I still enjoy looking at all the little details in the pictures.

I first encountered this book while babysitting, many years ago. It was the kids' new favorite book (they were aged 6-10 perhaps). I read it to them & was enchanted with it (they just liked the story). I put the kids to bed & proceeded to spend 3+ hours (and I was a TV-loving young adult) trying to solve all the riddles & the find the answer to the mystery. I finally figured it out, but later, when I read the previously sealed "who-dunnit" section, I realized how much I'd missed in fantastically re-created architecture & secreted clues & jokes. The author/illustrator is incredibly imaginative & incorporates amazing artistry. I was totally engrossed & completely hooked. The family who introduced me to this book felt strongly about providing intelligent, stimulating & highly creative resources to their children. Since then I have bought this as a gift more than once... The story is simple & rhymes pleasantly so that it is appealing to children. The pictures are complex & fantastic to look at. However, I'm sure the wonder & adventure I found is lost on many children & adults. They may not have the patience or love of mystery that I do, but perhaps they could grow into it, certainly, over time, new discoveries would appear to even the most uninterested reader.

When Horace turned eleven, he arranged himself a birthday party at his stunning house. He invited eleven friends to his party, and made an eleven course feast for them to eat at eleven o'clock, after playing eleven games. But after the eleven games are played, they return to eat the feast, but it has vanished. You are invited to turn back the pages, and look in the pictures for clues to find out which of the guests was the guilty one. I first saw The Eleventh Hour at a friend's house a few years ago. I was tatally amazed at how many codes and details could be packed into so few pages! The pictures, though, were beautiful nontheless! And even though there were so many codes and puzzles, it was still really difficult to figure out who-done-it. This book is a masterpiece for anyone who enjoys mysteries, puzzles, or Graeme Base's books, and I recomend it to nearly anyone.