#11-Ten by Gretchen McNeil

OMG!!!  (This is not a phrase I use, if at all, so that is momentous in and of itself.)  I often lose track of time when I'm reading a good book.  But today I was almost late to school for meetings because I was so sucked into this book!!!  We got Ten a week or two ago and it immediately caught my attention when I was cataloging it because it sounded like a remake of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (also known as Ten Little Indians), just with a modern twist and teenagers as the victims.  I love a good Agatha Christie story and And Then There Were None is my favorite....partly because I was in the play version in high school and partly because it was the first Christie I ever read.  I often tell my students who are looking for a good mystery that I've never been able to figure out who did it in an Agatha Christie book until she is explaining it to the audience....and I challenge them to try to figure it out before the end if they can.  So far, no one has been able to do it, but I'm still waiting for someone to be able to do it.

Anyway, back to Ten.  I read the first chapter last week and then life got in the way.  I was able to pick it up and read the next ten chapters over the weekend but had other things going on and wasn't able to get beyond that.  So, today after school and before having to get back for meetings, I decided to sit down and work on it.  I read more than 200 pages in less than 2 hours....that is how good this book is!!  Because I knew the Christie story, I had an idea that there was a pattern to the murders (in Christie's novel, the murders are based on the children's rhyme, Ten Little Indians--hence the original name of the book), but it took a little while before I was able to put the pieces together.  I also knew that the killer would be someone from within the group.  I did not figure out who the killer was or why he/she was bent on revenge until the end....just like a Christie!!

I refuse to say any more about this book as I don't want to give anything else away.  But you have to read this book!!!!

Happy Reading!!!

The original poem used in Agatha Christie's book and play.....

Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were nine.

Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were eight.

Eight little Indian boys travelling in Devon;

One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.

Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.

Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;

A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.

Five little Indian boys going in for law;

One got in Chancery and then there were four.

Four little Indian boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Three little Indian boys walking in the zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Two Little Indian boys playing in the sun;

One got all frizzled up and then there was one.

One little Indian boy left all alone;

He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.