Student Book Review:


Murder on the Orient Express

by: Agatha Christie


Review done by:

 Leah Brustman
Grade 7
Van Antwerp Middle School
Niskayuna, NY

One of my favorite books that I read this year was Murder on the Orient Express , by Agatha Christie. It's a great ,on the edge of your seat mystery. It takes place in the mid 1900's. The book is a little bit confusing in the beginning, but as you get into it, it's very easy to follow. The reading level is perfect for a sixth or seventh grader.
It's a book about a man by the name of Hercule Poirot. Poirot is a detective who is going on the Orient Express, a train. The train is supposed to go to Rhode Island. One night, the train stops because of technical difficulty, and a man is mysteriously murdered. He is stabbed in twelve places with a knife. The victim's name was M. Rachett. On the train, there are many mysterious people. After the murder, Poirot and another man on the train named M. Bouc interview every passenger in the part of the train that Rachett was murdered in. Every passenger has something about their alibi that isn't completely believable. Poirot and Bouc are very smart and they realize that there's something amiss. They realize that in some way, all of the suspects are connected. Some say that they saw a woman walking around in a red kimono the night of the murder, and others say that they saw a very short man with a feminine voice. Since the train has broken down in the middle of no where and there is snow all around them, the two men know that no one could have possibly gotten off of the train. If someone had escaped from the train after the murder, there would have been snow prints outside in the snow. Together, the two interview everyone that could have possibly been the murderer, and they can't find out who the murderer or murderers are. They do finally come to a conclusion, and when you find out who is guilty, you will be shocked.
If you are looking for a great mystery, it's definitely the book you want to read. Sometimes, with a mystery you can solve it before you read the ending, but with Murder on the Orient Express , you will never truly know the answer until you are done with book. It's a book that you will not want to put down because you want to know the answer to the mystery as soon as you can. Agatha Christie has written many books, but I rate this one as number one. It's the best book of hers that I have ever read, and over all it's one of the best books I read before. So, I strongly suggest you pick up this book and start reading it.
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