The
Eleventh Hour (
1989) is yet another wonderfully written and spectacularly illustrated book by
Graeme Base. From the jacket:
When Horace the elephant turns eleven, he celebrates in style by inviting his friends to a splendid party. Fine music, games, and the promise of a magnificent feast prepared by Horace himself (everyone knows elephants are the world's best cooks!) make this costume gala a most special event. But little does Horace know that when the partygoers gather for the banquet, a curious mystery will be revealed. None of the eleven animals is above suspicion when the clock strikes The Eleventh Hour!
The
rhyming text and detailed
illustrations provide
clues to
solve the
mystery. The back of the book holds a
sealed section labeled
Top Secret, which (if you
break the seal) will
reveal not only the
solution, but detailed explanations of all of the clues and
puzzles.
The guests are
- Horace, an elephant and the host, dressed as a Roman Centurion
- Kilroy, a mouse, dressed as a musketeer
- Oliver, a pig, dressed as an admiral
- Eric, a zebra, dressed as a punk rocker
- Thomas, a rhinoceros, dressed as an astronaut
- A swan, dressed as a princess
- Maxwell, a Bengal tiger, dressed as an American Indian
- Alexandra, a cat, dressed as Cleopatra
- Sam, a crocodile, dressed as a judge
- Cora and her sister, twin giraffes, dressed as angels