Silent to the Bone

Rating:
Summary: The silence cant be broken untill the truth comes out
Review: I felt that anyone could tell the story a mile ahead, as soon as you opened the book, you know who the real villain was.

I also thought that Connor showed a lot of patience for silly old Branwell. That was nice as it illustrated the unexpected depths of friendship between two boys. Trying to bring him back from the life of a mute, Connor did something few would even try to do. Bran's incipient sexual feelings are also handled delicately. However, given that darling Nikki, the young infant sister of Bran, has just been nearly shaken to death, I think he should have just dealt with his red face and sucked it up and gotten on with life, especially with the prosecution of the real batterer! No one would ever clam up to such a degree just because one is embarrassed about being aroused. Now, finally, I also feel that Vivian, the au pair girl, and her boyfriend, Morris, did not get a fair shake. I believe that they were used as an excuse by an author who obviously believes women should stay home with their kids and that care providers cannot be trusted! In this way Silent to the Bone is a bone-headed book, not only for kids, but for anyone with a clue about what's going on today.

Rating:
Summary: Sensitive and Intelligent
Review: I haven't read a children's or YA book in a long time, but as a kid, I was an avid reader. I really enjoyed reading this book as an adult and know that I would have loved it as a child--I would have probably been ready for the sexual content at about ten and a half or eleven. That is not to say that every ten and a half year old will be, but I believe that it should be brought to the attention of any potential buyer that it's not THAT bad. In fact, the subject matter is dealt with gently, gracefully and in a way that speaks well to young people just beginning to figure out "adult stuff". It is all very elusive and briefly described. Before reading the book I perused through a few of the negative reviews and must say that some of them were quite misleading--this book left questions unanswered and painted a patchy picture of the 'bad guy' on purpose. First of all, it's a mystery; the main character's parents and life separate from the mystery he was solving were only briefly alluded to. Also, I believe that this book was aimed not so much toward a specific age group as much as it was towards smarter than average children and teens; after all, the main characters, Connor and Branwell, are obviously very intelligent kids that grew up around a university, and most of the people in their lives are academics. Yet, they are still kids, and just as unfamiliar with their newfound sexual feelings as most of the adolescents reading this book are, no doubt. Like Connor, readers are encouraged to dig deeper and find the hidden meanings and messages, and that is the cool thing about good mystery novels.

I found the secrets behind Branwell's silence to be very compelling and I raced through the book to figure out what clue would be given next. The mystery is not so much the "who" but the "how", the "why" and the "what." I especially enjoyed the relationship shared between Connor and his older sister, Margaret, who helped out a great deal with his quest to set the record straight. She was a great example of the type of adult that treats kids as human beings and recognizes that they deserve respect.

The book also sends a message out that whenever an adult takes advantage of a child, it is never the child's fault, even if it causes feelings of shame.

Anyway, it's as much up to the child as his or her parent(s) when it comes to making the decision to read particular books. Once, when I was a kid, my mother saw that I had taken a novel out from the library that told the story of a girl's sister's battle with, and, eventually, death from leukemia. She said, "are you SURE you're ready to read this?" and explained why I might not be ready for that kind of material. She left it completely up to me instead of just telling me no, and I really appreciated that. I decided to read it despite her warning, and although I don't regret that decision, it was a tough read. Still, I would have hated for someone not to have trusted my own judgment just because I was a kid.

Great mystery!!