What do you think?
Rate this book
Marco's Millions #2
The Boxes
Orphan Anne Levi tolerates her distant Aunt Ruth, with whom she lives, but adores her mysterious Uncle Marco, who flits in and out of their lives at irregular intervals. When he gives Anne two unusual boxes with strict instructions not to open them, curiosity gets the better of her. Opening the first one, she releases an unusual crablike creature that grows and reproduces rapidly; the life form and its offspring construct a fantastic palace in the basement and communicate with Anne telepathically.
Dismayed by what she has done, Anne opens the second box, which she had hidden in her closet, revealing a clocklike object that has the ability to slow down time at the basement creatures' request, but only when Anne agrees to carry messages between the creatures and the clock.
Unfortunately, the owners of a suspicious development company are intrigued by the time slowdowns and increase their ominous efforts to control Anne, her home, and the strange devices within it.
- Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA (School Library Journal)
Dismayed by what she has done, Anne opens the second box, which she had hidden in her closet, revealing a clocklike object that has the ability to slow down time at the basement creatures' request, but only when Anne agrees to carry messages between the creatures and the clock.
Unfortunately, the owners of a suspicious development company are intrigued by the time slowdowns and increase their ominous efforts to control Anne, her home, and the strange devices within it.
- Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA (School Library Journal)
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
15 people are currently reading
352 people want to read
About the author
William Sleator
49 books324 followersWilliam Warner Sleator III was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on February 13, 1945, and moved to St. Louis, MO when he was three. He graduated from University City High School in 1963, from Harvard in 1967 with BAs in music and English.
For more than thirty years, William Sleator thrilled readers with his inventive books. His House of Stairs was named one of the best novels of the twentieth century by the Young Adult Library Services Association.
William Sleator died in early August 2011 at his home in Thailand.
For more than thirty years, William Sleator thrilled readers with his inventive books. His House of Stairs was named one of the best novels of the twentieth century by the Young Adult Library Services Association.
William Sleator died in early August 2011 at his home in Thailand.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
November 4, 2019
Pretty fun. Cool aliens. Characters are 2-dimensional at best. Definitely for younger readers. Ends with the perfect set-up for a sequel, but that will never happen now.
February 26, 2011
Another fun William Sleator book. This one combines a mysterious uncle, the Pandora myth, evil real estate developers, and some creepy gothic elements into a lively quest and battle against the bad guys. Like many Sleator books, there's a fun element of warped physics going on as well. This is clearly a YA book, as the writing is okay but not stellar -- but it's a fun read regardless. (His best books, in my opinion, are still House of Stairs and Singularity.) Really, I mostly wanted to hear more about awesome Uncle Marco!
November 3, 2010
Uncle Marco is Annie's favorite person in the world. He's exciting and mysterious and he doesn't put her down like Aunt Ruth does. If only she could live with him! But Uncle Marco is always travelling, although Annie doesn't know quite where he goes. Then Uncle Marco brings home the two boxes and gives Annie two instructions: 1) Do Not Open the boxes and 2) Don't tell Aunt Ruth about them. Annie wants to obey Uncle Marco, but the boxes give her a funny feeling...
The Boxes is a companion to Marco's Millions, which I read several years ago for a class. I enjoyed that book enough to have The Boxes on my List of Books To Read, but I (obviously) didn't get around to it for awhile. I remember enjoying the first book a lot more than this one.
The Boxes is a companion to Marco's Millions, which I read several years ago for a class. I enjoyed that book enough to have The Boxes on my List of Books To Read, but I (obviously) didn't get around to it for awhile. I remember enjoying the first book a lot more than this one.
July 11, 2016
This is a fun story about Annie whose strange Uncle Marco gives her two boxes and tells her not to open them whatever she does. Like Pandora, she is overwhelmed with curiosity and opens the boxes. She finds a strange clock and even stranger little creatures. Enter some evil property developers and a budding friendship with her neighbor Henry and the story is off and running. This book begs for a sequel.
March 28, 2023
As always a very intriguing read. It is very easy not to put the book down. Although, the ending seemed really quick and without explanation. Maybe there was thought of another book? I felt like I was left hanging.
February 11, 2015
The Boxes is a story of a girl who matures over the course of a week. Annie was just a girl who was living with her aunt. Her aunt hated her and just thought she was just another mouth to feed. The only time she was happy is when her uncle Marco is home. She has some friends in school, but her two main friends are just using her to secretly date. She also has a friend by the name of Henry. Henry is probably her only real friend.
One day when her uncle Marco came home when her aunt was at work. He had her hide two heavy boxes inside the house. She had one in her closet and the other was inside the basement. Her uncle Marco did not want her aunt to find out about the boxes. He told Annie never open the boxes. Just as He came Uncle Marco was gone. That night Annie had a dream that she should open the boxes. She went and opened the one in the basement and a small alien like creature that looked like a crab ran from the box and into the darkness of the basement. She was spooked and ran back up to her room. The next day she decided she already opened one box so why not open both. There was a weird looking device that looked like a airplane propeller. This is where the real story begins.
She finds out that the creatures in the basement worship the “clock” like a god. They chose Sarah as their “nervous system”. She ram back and forth from the basement to her room to tell messages to the clock. One time the creatures requested for a slow down. They sacrificed some of their own kind to get the slowdown. When Sarah told the clock what they wanted, the entire world slowed down for a short period of time. This is when she finally saw the true power of the clock.
She told her friend Henry about the creatures and the clock, but acted like it was a recurring dream. Henry said that he wouldn't have opened the boxes. After a while Sarah tells Henry the truth and, said it was all really happening. Henry went to her house and saw it with his own eyes. What they did not realize is that there was a spy for Crutchley, and he snuck inside Sarah’s house and took pictures of everything. They knew about the slowdown, and they want to use it for the construction for their mall.
Crutchley wanted to buy Sarah’s entire neighborhood and build a mega mall. Sarah's aunt had denied selling the house. Now that Crutchley knew about the clock, and they made a one million dollar offer for the house. Her aunt said yes, but they still wanted to talk to Sarah. When Sarah went to talk to them, they said that they knew everything and that they wanted the clock. uncle Marco was surprisingly home and told Sarah to give them the clock. She didn't want to, but she listened to him. Then she realized what she had to do. Her and Henry had to get a slowdown and ruin Crutchley's plan.
When they had the slowdown began they had no idea what to do. They grabbed the clock and went to the lobby. They saw that every paper to sell the houses were signed by Mr. Crutchley, and there was no prices for the houses. They put one hundred million dollars for the selling price for all of the houses. Sarah, Henry, and Uncle Marco all saved the neighborhood. When they went home, the creatures opened a portal with the help of the clock. It was Sarah’s choice weather to jump in or not. She went with Henry and Uncle Marco to a new adventure.
Sarah, the main character of the book, matures over the course of the book. In the beginning, she was living without a real reason. She hated her life and had almost no real friends. When her uncle gave her the boxes, he made it her choice to open them or not. When she decides to open the boxes, her life was filled with hard questions and difficult choices. She was more willing to do whatever it takes to save her neighborhood.
This book is great for kids who are beginning to not want to rely on their parents for every choice. Kids around the ages of 12-15 would probably learn the most and understand it. They need to grow and see that the actions that they take have consequences. Their parents do not want to do everything for them up until they turn 18. They have to slowly grow away from them and see the world in their own eyes.
I thought that the book was easy to read and very straight forward. Some younger kids could easily read this book, but it is not strictly for children. I just did not really like how they ended the book. I know that it is like that so they can write a sequel, but I would have done it differently. I would have also done more with the creatures in the basement. They do play a big role in the book at the end. Looking over it all, it is a good book and I would recommend it to anyone.
One day when her uncle Marco came home when her aunt was at work. He had her hide two heavy boxes inside the house. She had one in her closet and the other was inside the basement. Her uncle Marco did not want her aunt to find out about the boxes. He told Annie never open the boxes. Just as He came Uncle Marco was gone. That night Annie had a dream that she should open the boxes. She went and opened the one in the basement and a small alien like creature that looked like a crab ran from the box and into the darkness of the basement. She was spooked and ran back up to her room. The next day she decided she already opened one box so why not open both. There was a weird looking device that looked like a airplane propeller. This is where the real story begins.
She finds out that the creatures in the basement worship the “clock” like a god. They chose Sarah as their “nervous system”. She ram back and forth from the basement to her room to tell messages to the clock. One time the creatures requested for a slow down. They sacrificed some of their own kind to get the slowdown. When Sarah told the clock what they wanted, the entire world slowed down for a short period of time. This is when she finally saw the true power of the clock.
She told her friend Henry about the creatures and the clock, but acted like it was a recurring dream. Henry said that he wouldn't have opened the boxes. After a while Sarah tells Henry the truth and, said it was all really happening. Henry went to her house and saw it with his own eyes. What they did not realize is that there was a spy for Crutchley, and he snuck inside Sarah’s house and took pictures of everything. They knew about the slowdown, and they want to use it for the construction for their mall.
Crutchley wanted to buy Sarah’s entire neighborhood and build a mega mall. Sarah's aunt had denied selling the house. Now that Crutchley knew about the clock, and they made a one million dollar offer for the house. Her aunt said yes, but they still wanted to talk to Sarah. When Sarah went to talk to them, they said that they knew everything and that they wanted the clock. uncle Marco was surprisingly home and told Sarah to give them the clock. She didn't want to, but she listened to him. Then she realized what she had to do. Her and Henry had to get a slowdown and ruin Crutchley's plan.
When they had the slowdown began they had no idea what to do. They grabbed the clock and went to the lobby. They saw that every paper to sell the houses were signed by Mr. Crutchley, and there was no prices for the houses. They put one hundred million dollars for the selling price for all of the houses. Sarah, Henry, and Uncle Marco all saved the neighborhood. When they went home, the creatures opened a portal with the help of the clock. It was Sarah’s choice weather to jump in or not. She went with Henry and Uncle Marco to a new adventure.
Sarah, the main character of the book, matures over the course of the book. In the beginning, she was living without a real reason. She hated her life and had almost no real friends. When her uncle gave her the boxes, he made it her choice to open them or not. When she decides to open the boxes, her life was filled with hard questions and difficult choices. She was more willing to do whatever it takes to save her neighborhood.
This book is great for kids who are beginning to not want to rely on their parents for every choice. Kids around the ages of 12-15 would probably learn the most and understand it. They need to grow and see that the actions that they take have consequences. Their parents do not want to do everything for them up until they turn 18. They have to slowly grow away from them and see the world in their own eyes.
I thought that the book was easy to read and very straight forward. Some younger kids could easily read this book, but it is not strictly for children. I just did not really like how they ended the book. I know that it is like that so they can write a sequel, but I would have done it differently. I would have also done more with the creatures in the basement. They do play a big role in the book at the end. Looking over it all, it is a good book and I would recommend it to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2008
Annie’s Uncle Marco entrusts two boxes to her; like Pandora, she peeks inside. Out scurries a creepy-crawly; it reproduces, starts building, and tells Annie telepathically to open the second box, a time-altering clock. Everything else slows down so the creatures can build faster.
Unscrupulous developers steal the clock, but it slows them down, and Annie recovers it. Uncle Marco reappears, praises Annie for snooping, and accompanies her through a doorway in the creatures’ structure to the unknown.
Fascinating and weird, the twist here is that the creatures pose no threat - the selfish humans do. Not as dark as some Sleator, but enough unanswered questions – what is Uncle Marco up to, where are the creatures from, where does the doorway lead – that a sequel is needed.
Unscrupulous developers steal the clock, but it slows them down, and Annie recovers it. Uncle Marco reappears, praises Annie for snooping, and accompanies her through a doorway in the creatures’ structure to the unknown.
Fascinating and weird, the twist here is that the creatures pose no threat - the selfish humans do. Not as dark as some Sleator, but enough unanswered questions – what is Uncle Marco up to, where are the creatures from, where does the doorway lead – that a sequel is needed.
November 12, 2007
Annie's self-absorbed friends and relatives rely on her to act as their messenger, a role she begins to resent when she realizes how seldom they take an interest in her problems. After opening THE BOXES, Annie becomes the "nervous system" in a symbiotic relationship between a society of insect-like creatures and the device they revere as their deity. Sleator is like the YA version of Dean Koontz, with horrific plots that hinge on scientific or paranormal phenomena.
Read
November 11, 2021Even though I am not fully finished with "The Boxes" I have really enjoyed the book so far. There are parts in there that will catch you by surprise. This book is filled with thrills and mysteries that I would recommend to others.
December 20, 2024
Please utilize THIS google doc to draft up your book review. Turning in THIS document does not equal turning in the assignment–this still needs to be posted to Goodreads when it is finished!
The Boxes by William Sleator
START
Beginning with my story In The Boxes by William Sleator, the narrative explores themes of curiosity, temptation, and the consequences of unchecked desire. The story centers around a mysterious set of boxes that appear in the home of the protagonist, a young boy named Peter. When Peter and his family find the boxes, they are warned not to open them, but the allure of the unknown proves too strong. Through this tale, Sleator examines how human curiosity often leads to unintended consequences and the moral implications of acting on impulses.
PEOPLE
The story begins when Peter’s parents bring home a set of unusual boxes. The boxes are simple in appearance, yet they come with strict instructions: "Do not open them." This mysterious warning creates a sense of tension and curiosity, compelling the reader to question why the boxes should remain unopened. Sleator uses this buildup to demonstrate how temptate and how it can overpower The story begins when Peter’s parents bring home a set of unusual boxes. The boxes are simple in appearance, yet they come with strict instructions: "Do not open them." This mysterious warning creates a sense of tension and curiosity, compelling the reader to question why the boxes should remain unopened. Sleator uses this buildup to demonstrate how temptate and how it can overpower rational thinking. Peter, like many of us, is driven by the desire to uncover the unknown, but this curiosity blinds him to the potential danger of opening the boxes.
WHAT HAPPENS
As Peter’s curiosity grows, he becomes more and more fixated on the boxes. He imagines all the possibilities of what could be inside them, and his obsession begins to interfere with his daily life. This illustrates a central theme in the story: the destructive nature of unchecked curiosity. Sleator emphasizes that while curiosity can be a powerful force for discovery and learning, it can also lead to harm when opening the boxes becomes an obsession that clouds his judgment and makes him ignore the risks involved. and if you like the world of uning the would be a really good choice.
When Peter finally decides to open one of the boxes, the consequences are immediate and dire. Sleator uses this moment to show the dangers of ignoring boundaries and acting impulsively.Without consideration of the consequences. The author underscores the idea that some things are better left unexplored, as the knowledge or experience they offer may come at a great cost.This story connects to the real world with the power of unknowing what is going to happen next to you and the power to keep going even when things get hard. In conclusion, *The Boxes* by William Sleator offers a powerful exploration of curiosity, temptation, and the consequences of acting without fully understanding the risks. Through the protagonist’s journey, the story warns readers about the dangers of ignoring rules and giving in to impulses. Sleator skillfully weaves together mystery, suspense, and moral lessons to create a thought-provoking narrative that encourages reflection on the importance of making wise choices. Ultimately, the story reminds us that some mysteries are best left unsolved.
This book is for the average mystery person if you like that kinda stuff give this book a try.
At the begging of the story it is a bit confusing to understand but once you get in to it becomes really good some of the part really lightened my day with a good part there is nothing like a good cliffhanger there are a lot but the ended well form my busy time even for a student i finished the book in a smaller time frame with school work and sport even some of the most busy people will get this book done in about 3 too 4 weeks.
The Boxes by William Sleator
START
Beginning with my story In The Boxes by William Sleator, the narrative explores themes of curiosity, temptation, and the consequences of unchecked desire. The story centers around a mysterious set of boxes that appear in the home of the protagonist, a young boy named Peter. When Peter and his family find the boxes, they are warned not to open them, but the allure of the unknown proves too strong. Through this tale, Sleator examines how human curiosity often leads to unintended consequences and the moral implications of acting on impulses.
PEOPLE
The story begins when Peter’s parents bring home a set of unusual boxes. The boxes are simple in appearance, yet they come with strict instructions: "Do not open them." This mysterious warning creates a sense of tension and curiosity, compelling the reader to question why the boxes should remain unopened. Sleator uses this buildup to demonstrate how temptate and how it can overpower The story begins when Peter’s parents bring home a set of unusual boxes. The boxes are simple in appearance, yet they come with strict instructions: "Do not open them." This mysterious warning creates a sense of tension and curiosity, compelling the reader to question why the boxes should remain unopened. Sleator uses this buildup to demonstrate how temptate and how it can overpower rational thinking. Peter, like many of us, is driven by the desire to uncover the unknown, but this curiosity blinds him to the potential danger of opening the boxes.
WHAT HAPPENS
As Peter’s curiosity grows, he becomes more and more fixated on the boxes. He imagines all the possibilities of what could be inside them, and his obsession begins to interfere with his daily life. This illustrates a central theme in the story: the destructive nature of unchecked curiosity. Sleator emphasizes that while curiosity can be a powerful force for discovery and learning, it can also lead to harm when opening the boxes becomes an obsession that clouds his judgment and makes him ignore the risks involved. and if you like the world of uning the would be a really good choice.
When Peter finally decides to open one of the boxes, the consequences are immediate and dire. Sleator uses this moment to show the dangers of ignoring boundaries and acting impulsively.Without consideration of the consequences. The author underscores the idea that some things are better left unexplored, as the knowledge or experience they offer may come at a great cost.This story connects to the real world with the power of unknowing what is going to happen next to you and the power to keep going even when things get hard. In conclusion, *The Boxes* by William Sleator offers a powerful exploration of curiosity, temptation, and the consequences of acting without fully understanding the risks. Through the protagonist’s journey, the story warns readers about the dangers of ignoring rules and giving in to impulses. Sleator skillfully weaves together mystery, suspense, and moral lessons to create a thought-provoking narrative that encourages reflection on the importance of making wise choices. Ultimately, the story reminds us that some mysteries are best left unsolved.
This book is for the average mystery person if you like that kinda stuff give this book a try.
At the begging of the story it is a bit confusing to understand but once you get in to it becomes really good some of the part really lightened my day with a good part there is nothing like a good cliffhanger there are a lot but the ended well form my busy time even for a student i finished the book in a smaller time frame with school work and sport even some of the most busy people will get this book done in about 3 too 4 weeks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2023
Revisited this one from my childhood. It's a sci-fi book that plays with some very interesting concepts, such as time travel/time dilation, as well as some very mature topics, such as observing an alien culture that does not think the way human beings think and have a different concept of morality, all while keeping it simple enough for a child to understand (and against an anti-real estate/anti-capitalist backdrop as a bonus). There are wonderfully dark and creepy scenes throughout the book, but unfortunately the book doesn't keep up the tension quite as well as I would like. There are far more questions than answers, and it seems like Sleator wants you to be on the edge of your seat wanting more but unfortunately for me I was just confused and unsatisfied.
Also I understand that Aunt character is supposed to be a villain of sorts, but the descriptions of her felt a bit fatphobic, idk.
Also I understand that Aunt character is supposed to be a villain of sorts, but the descriptions of her felt a bit fatphobic, idk.
January 17, 2018
I think this book was amazing. It has a lot of imaginative information with twists and turns in the middle and the ending was just heartbreaking. the thing I liked about this book is that it has a very nice story line and everything adds up in the end when it was not all put together in the beginning. My favorite part of this entire book was when Annie was opening the boxes to see what was inside because it was so nerve wrecking.
February 28, 2017
Didn't realize there was a prequel. Still, you can read this on its own I guess. I did.
Twas a very creative tale, which I will not spoil. Is not an adult novel. Rather it's for middle school readers or some teens too.
I liked the ideas the author presented. Would like to have read such in an adult novel.
Twas a very creative tale, which I will not spoil. Is not an adult novel. Rather it's for middle school readers or some teens too.
I liked the ideas the author presented. Would like to have read such in an adult novel.
April 17, 2018
I couldn't get past the how the character of the Aunt was written, so obnoxiously self-absorbed and a martyr and I was tired of hearing how good looking Uncle Marco was. The writing seemed very juvenile to me. I didn't care enough about any of the characters to continue past page 20. It is going to Goodwill.
May 18, 2017
I loved this book. It had a lot of mystery. It was relatable and I read this so fast and I would read it again. I would recommend this book to everyone.
June 4, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed "Marco's Millions", but "The Boxes" left me a little unfulfilled. It was a good story. Awkwardly paced.
February 9, 2024
It's definitely science fiction.
March 11, 2025
3.75/5 for this one.
October 17, 2025
perception of beauty
January 29, 2021
Exciting, fast-paced, imaginative, everything I would like in a science-fiction book... and then a cliffhanger. This author has a tendency to do that.
May 26, 2021
At first glance this book screams juvenile fic - and that would be the correct call. Part of a duology called Marco's Millions and a Goosebumps-esque cover was not what I had hoped for, which was a genuinely creepy read. This tale was more of a coming-of-age story with a few twists: the big baddies were a real estate conglomerate, there was a heaping helping of child abuse tied up with weird telepathic aliens and a very awkward relationship between a niece crushing HARD on her uncle. All of this couldn't save it, and the cliff-hanging end CLEARLY was meant for a sequel that never happened. The weird little critters were cool though, and I wish we got more of that, esp. the examination of their caste system, but the book sort of glossed over a fair bit, positioned them initially as a curiosity, then threat, then savior. But the ideas here saved this book from a 1-star review for sure.
May 18, 2017
This book is amazing, I love the thrill and excitement in this book.
December 18, 2009
Imagine that one of your family members left you boxes and said don’t open them; doesn’t it make you want to open them up even more? People tell people to not stick their nose where it doesn’t belong or mind their own business. These things make people’s curious mind attract to what they want to know inside their puzzle mind. The Boxes is an excellent mystery novel because of the way it is related to life which it seems true about how people really acts, the mind pulling force of mystery pops out at you which make you wants to read more of the book, and this story remind of the myth of the Pandora’s box.
All people want to know what is prohibited to them. People explore and find their answer to the questions they have sought, like a jigsaw puzzle, and that is how life works. In this book, there was a girl named Annie and she was left with boxes her Uncle Marco gave her. He told her not to open them no matter what. But her curious mind has so tempted that she opened the boxes and guess what she found in it. Her eyes popped out in amazement because those things were extinct and were ancient. They had powers that Annie has never seen before.
Even though Annie didn’t have many people to love her, but she still has her Uncle Marco. But he traveled anywhere and anytime even when she least expected it. Annie really listens to her uncle but since her uncle is so mystifying, she keeps asking him to take her on his adventure with him. But he keeps saying no to her because she is not responsible for an adventure with him. So telling her to stay at home with the boxes is tough for her. So once she opens the boxes, her world is going to change and so is her life.
Remember a god told Pandora not to open the box. This is the same as Uncle Marco telling Annie to not open the box. But then Pandora’s mind was so tempted is the same as Annie being tempted to open her uncle’s boxes. Once when Pandora open the box, it release hell to earth but in Annie instead of hell open to earth, it was an army of crablike and grotesque to be unleash on earth. But in the Pandora it was something inside which was hope but in the book, Annie was save by her Uncle Marco by sealing the creatures back into the boxes.
. The Boxes is for ages 8 to13. Even though it not a bestselling book, I still recommend the book to anyone who want a mystery novel to read when they are bored or just trying to found something good to read. Think of it more like the novel is something that hold the secret to something. There funny moment in the story also so it not all mystery and it talk about life, how people act. So it is good start for kid to teen on life. Think about this story, it might come in handy to teach your friends or kids a lesson.
All people want to know what is prohibited to them. People explore and find their answer to the questions they have sought, like a jigsaw puzzle, and that is how life works. In this book, there was a girl named Annie and she was left with boxes her Uncle Marco gave her. He told her not to open them no matter what. But her curious mind has so tempted that she opened the boxes and guess what she found in it. Her eyes popped out in amazement because those things were extinct and were ancient. They had powers that Annie has never seen before.
Even though Annie didn’t have many people to love her, but she still has her Uncle Marco. But he traveled anywhere and anytime even when she least expected it. Annie really listens to her uncle but since her uncle is so mystifying, she keeps asking him to take her on his adventure with him. But he keeps saying no to her because she is not responsible for an adventure with him. So telling her to stay at home with the boxes is tough for her. So once she opens the boxes, her world is going to change and so is her life.
Remember a god told Pandora not to open the box. This is the same as Uncle Marco telling Annie to not open the box. But then Pandora’s mind was so tempted is the same as Annie being tempted to open her uncle’s boxes. Once when Pandora open the box, it release hell to earth but in Annie instead of hell open to earth, it was an army of crablike and grotesque to be unleash on earth. But in the Pandora it was something inside which was hope but in the book, Annie was save by her Uncle Marco by sealing the creatures back into the boxes.
. The Boxes is for ages 8 to13. Even though it not a bestselling book, I still recommend the book to anyone who want a mystery novel to read when they are bored or just trying to found something good to read. Think of it more like the novel is something that hold the secret to something. There funny moment in the story also so it not all mystery and it talk about life, how people act. So it is good start for kid to teen on life. Think about this story, it might come in handy to teach your friends or kids a lesson.
March 11, 2016
SPOILER ALERT
The book that read is called The Boxes by William Sleator. The genre of this book is fantasy. The main character of this book is Annie. She has short black hair, dark eyes, and is in good shape. She is very shy, obedient, and curious throughout the whole book. She feels like she is being abused and is very sad because her parents died in a car crash. She also has a bedtime, chores, and is too young to date just like many young disciplined people. The initial story problem is that her Uncle Marco brings boxes to her house and asks Annie to take care of them and to never open them. She has dream that tells her to open the boxes and exactly how to open them, so she listens to the dream and opens the boxes exactly how she remembered the dream told her. The primary goal for Annie is to open the boxes and find out what is in them. She does succeed to open the boxes and find out what is in them but fails to keep it a secret. She does keep it a secret throughout most of the book but at the end she has to let the secret go because the bug that was in the boxes multiplied to a big swarm of them and that's when she knew that her Aunt Ruth and Uncle Marco were going to find out so she decided to get it over with and tell them. The three main settings were at Annie’s school, her Aunt Ruth’s basement, and Annie’s room. The most important settings are her room and her Aunt Ruth’s basement because she opened the wooden box in the basement and the metal box in her room and that is basically how the author got the title, because of the boxes. The climate or the turning point of the story is when Annie tells her Aunt Ruth and Uncle Marco that she opened the boxes. They were very disappointed in her, especially Aunt Ruth because she abuses her and basically treats her like Annie is her slave and Uncle Marco was also very disappointed in her because Annie and her Uncle were very close. They were basically like brother and sister and that ruined her relationship with her Uncle. Annie has actually dramatically grown physically and mentally. Physically because she is in better shape, her hair got a lot lighter, and she has grown a couple of inches. Mentally because she has gotten stronger especially with her parents gone and is not shy or afraid of anything but is disappointed in herself because she opened the boxes when she knew she wasn’t aloud to. Nothing really confused me during this book because it contains all of the key elements a fantasy book should have. I would recommend this book to people who like scary and suspenseful books but if not i would recommend you not reading this book.
The book that read is called The Boxes by William Sleator. The genre of this book is fantasy. The main character of this book is Annie. She has short black hair, dark eyes, and is in good shape. She is very shy, obedient, and curious throughout the whole book. She feels like she is being abused and is very sad because her parents died in a car crash. She also has a bedtime, chores, and is too young to date just like many young disciplined people. The initial story problem is that her Uncle Marco brings boxes to her house and asks Annie to take care of them and to never open them. She has dream that tells her to open the boxes and exactly how to open them, so she listens to the dream and opens the boxes exactly how she remembered the dream told her. The primary goal for Annie is to open the boxes and find out what is in them. She does succeed to open the boxes and find out what is in them but fails to keep it a secret. She does keep it a secret throughout most of the book but at the end she has to let the secret go because the bug that was in the boxes multiplied to a big swarm of them and that's when she knew that her Aunt Ruth and Uncle Marco were going to find out so she decided to get it over with and tell them. The three main settings were at Annie’s school, her Aunt Ruth’s basement, and Annie’s room. The most important settings are her room and her Aunt Ruth’s basement because she opened the wooden box in the basement and the metal box in her room and that is basically how the author got the title, because of the boxes. The climate or the turning point of the story is when Annie tells her Aunt Ruth and Uncle Marco that she opened the boxes. They were very disappointed in her, especially Aunt Ruth because she abuses her and basically treats her like Annie is her slave and Uncle Marco was also very disappointed in her because Annie and her Uncle were very close. They were basically like brother and sister and that ruined her relationship with her Uncle. Annie has actually dramatically grown physically and mentally. Physically because she is in better shape, her hair got a lot lighter, and she has grown a couple of inches. Mentally because she has gotten stronger especially with her parents gone and is not shy or afraid of anything but is disappointed in herself because she opened the boxes when she knew she wasn’t aloud to. Nothing really confused me during this book because it contains all of the key elements a fantasy book should have. I would recommend this book to people who like scary and suspenseful books but if not i would recommend you not reading this book.
February 26, 2012
Annie is a girl living with her Aunt Ruth, who is lazy and dislikes her. Her Uncle Marco she likes very much, and one day he leaves her two boxes with specific orders not to open them and not to keep them together. She does, and something pops out. Meanwhile a real-estate company is trying to get Aunt Ruth to sell her house.
It's hard to go into why I dislike this book without plot spoilers, but here they are. For one thing, the main villains in the book are the real-estate company, and to a lesser extent Aunt Ruth. But the little creatures that pop out, and their Lord up in Annie's room are horrifying. The little creatures sacrifice their own to the Lord, in a wince-inducing scene where they try to comfort themselves to face their own deaths, but are programmed to sting Annie until she reaches their Lord, so it can kill them. It's mentioned that it takes its time doing so. How on earth could any real-estate company be a credible villain after that?
What's worse is that they are seen as even more of a threat than the Lord, and both Annie and Marco seem to be okay with that. Massive moral dissonance, at least for me. Did I mention it also tried to wound her best friend Henry, who seems to just be able to move during the timestops the Lord causes?
Of course, Marco returns. The boxes seem to be a test for Annie, and designed to make something for Marco to use. It just rubs me raw, being both a big cliche (tell someone not to do something, and then they do it) and in service of odd, if not immoral ends. Marco himself I'm not keen on, mostly because Sleator tells rather than shows. Marco is in Annie's mind to be her best friend ever, but reading the book and wondering why he would give her the chance to be "the nervous system" of the critters and the Lord is that good, or really "growing up." It may be decent sci-fi, but it just rubs me the wrong way.
It's hard to go into why I dislike this book without plot spoilers, but here they are. For one thing, the main villains in the book are the real-estate company, and to a lesser extent Aunt Ruth. But the little creatures that pop out, and their Lord up in Annie's room are horrifying. The little creatures sacrifice their own to the Lord, in a wince-inducing scene where they try to comfort themselves to face their own deaths, but are programmed to sting Annie until she reaches their Lord, so it can kill them. It's mentioned that it takes its time doing so. How on earth could any real-estate company be a credible villain after that?
What's worse is that they are seen as even more of a threat than the Lord, and both Annie and Marco seem to be okay with that. Massive moral dissonance, at least for me. Did I mention it also tried to wound her best friend Henry, who seems to just be able to move during the timestops the Lord causes?
Of course, Marco returns. The boxes seem to be a test for Annie, and designed to make something for Marco to use. It just rubs me raw, being both a big cliche (tell someone not to do something, and then they do it) and in service of odd, if not immoral ends. Marco himself I'm not keen on, mostly because Sleator tells rather than shows. Marco is in Annie's mind to be her best friend ever, but reading the book and wondering why he would give her the chance to be "the nervous system" of the critters and the Lord is that good, or really "growing up." It may be decent sci-fi, but it just rubs me the wrong way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
May 19, 20155th grade booktalk Scifi
Have you studied Greek mythology? Not the Percy Jackson kind, but the real stuff? Okay – someone tell me the story of Pandora.Pandora, the first woman, was created by the gods and given to Epimetheus as his bride. She took with her a jar (or, in some retellings, a box) given to her by her creator, Zeus, as a wedding present. Zeus told her that she must never open the jar… and of course, she opens it, spilling out death and evil into the world. Pandora struggles to get the box closed before all the evil, death, and disease escapes from it but only manages to get it closed when one thing remains – hope.
Fifteen-year old Annie, several thousands of year after the curiosity of Pandora, is faced with the same choice as Pandora – but she is given two boxes.
When Annie opens the first box (and it’s not a spoiler, you know she’s going to open it… come on!) it isn’t necessarily all the evils of the world that come out. Something small, and crablike, that scuttles off into the darkness to hide as Annie SLAMS the lid back onto the box, hiding it back in the basement. After that, Annie can’t stop thinking about the box – and what came out of it. She starts to have dreams, where her Uncle Marco tells her he’s changed her mind – he wants her to open the box – he shows her how to open the box…
Finally Annie goes into the basement again to visit the box. The thing that came out of it has grown. IT speaks to her with its mind. It thanks her for visiting. There are more of them. Are they the evil that came out of Pandora’s box? Maybe not… unless you think of telepathic crab-like things as evil. Though they’re scary looking, and Annie is initially terrified, she soon learns that the monsters aren’t necessarily bad. They don’t want to hurt her – they want her to open the second box.
Have you studied Greek mythology? Not the Percy Jackson kind, but the real stuff? Okay – someone tell me the story of Pandora.Pandora, the first woman, was created by the gods and given to Epimetheus as his bride. She took with her a jar (or, in some retellings, a box) given to her by her creator, Zeus, as a wedding present. Zeus told her that she must never open the jar… and of course, she opens it, spilling out death and evil into the world. Pandora struggles to get the box closed before all the evil, death, and disease escapes from it but only manages to get it closed when one thing remains – hope.
Fifteen-year old Annie, several thousands of year after the curiosity of Pandora, is faced with the same choice as Pandora – but she is given two boxes.
When Annie opens the first box (and it’s not a spoiler, you know she’s going to open it… come on!) it isn’t necessarily all the evils of the world that come out. Something small, and crablike, that scuttles off into the darkness to hide as Annie SLAMS the lid back onto the box, hiding it back in the basement. After that, Annie can’t stop thinking about the box – and what came out of it. She starts to have dreams, where her Uncle Marco tells her he’s changed her mind – he wants her to open the box – he shows her how to open the box…
Finally Annie goes into the basement again to visit the box. The thing that came out of it has grown. IT speaks to her with its mind. It thanks her for visiting. There are more of them. Are they the evil that came out of Pandora’s box? Maybe not… unless you think of telepathic crab-like things as evil. Though they’re scary looking, and Annie is initially terrified, she soon learns that the monsters aren’t necessarily bad. They don’t want to hurt her – they want her to open the second box.
August 10, 2014
Anne is a curious child, so it's odd that her Uncle Marco entrusts her with two sealed boxes WHICH MUST STAY SEALED before he disappears on a trip. Of course, Anne cannot resist the temptation, and ends up releasing weird crablike creatures that take over her basement and send her telepathic messages about what she has to do for them. She also releases a time-control device that the crab creatures order her to use. When the safety of her little world is threatened by a curious development company that seems to know too much, Anne has to make the right decision about going forward.
I did not like the premise of this, because as we find out, Anne was actually meant to open the boxes, even though she was told not to. Uncle Marco gives them to her specifically because he believes she will disobey him, and it's ultimately a good thing that she did. Relationships and plots built on complete manipulation and distrust always make me shudder, especially since the message is "I told you no, but I meant the opposite." The crab-things' city in Anne's basement was super creepy and that was kind of cool, but at the end of the day, I felt like this book had too many weird loose ends and a weak central message.
I did not like the premise of this, because as we find out, Anne was actually meant to open the boxes, even though she was told not to. Uncle Marco gives them to her specifically because he believes she will disobey him, and it's ultimately a good thing that she did. Relationships and plots built on complete manipulation and distrust always make me shudder, especially since the message is "I told you no, but I meant the opposite." The crab-things' city in Anne's basement was super creepy and that was kind of cool, but at the end of the day, I felt like this book had too many weird loose ends and a weak central message.
July 12, 2015
Annie lives with her cranky, hateful aunt Ruth, and sometimes her charming, kind, but frequently absent uncle Marco. One day, before Marco leaves on one of his frequent, lengthy excursions, he trusts Annie with two mysterious boxes, which he tells her she is absolutely not to open for any reason. Of course, she opens them right away, and is sucked into a strange conflict between some strange, telepathic crablike critters, and the silently malevolent clock that they worship. The clock can slow down time, giving the crabs a speed boost when building their immense palace in Annie's basement.
Some made-for-TV-movie level villains find out about Annie's time-slowing abilities and twirl their mustaches evilly, and it's up to Annie and her friend Henry to stop them.
This is classic Sleator, pairing rather flat characters with unforgettable sci-fi concepts. Frankly, I can get past the flat characters for what Sleator is able to do with science fiction. *kisses fingertips*
Edited to add:
Some made-for-TV-movie level villains find out about Annie's time-slowing abilities and twirl their mustaches evilly, and it's up to Annie and her friend Henry to stop them.
This is classic Sleator, pairing rather flat characters with unforgettable sci-fi concepts. Frankly, I can get past the flat characters for what Sleator is able to do with science fiction. *kisses fingertips*
Edited to add:
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews