Rating: 
Summary: awesome chick book
Review: I am reading this book becuse it sounds great.I even have
good thoughts about it. I think this book is realy good af-
ter you have read it. It is good but real sad to think
about that poor little baby if you like sad books I reccomened
this book to you.
Rating: 
Summary: Reeled in Like a Fish on a Hook!
Review: As a teacher, every year I receive information about new books from Scholastic Publishing, Co. Last year, they sent an anthology of first chapters from some of the new books. This is an old teacher trick- read 'em the first chapter and they'll want to know more. Well, it certainly worked in this case. The first chapter of this engaging book was included, and it hooked me so badly that I had to go out and buy the novel that day to find out what would happen next. For the most part, the rest of the book lives up to the expectations created by such a well-written and intriguing beginning. The main character, Connor, takes on the responsibility of solving the mystery of his friend Branwell's silence. After Branwell's baby sister is hospitalized for injuries, the boy can no longer talk and everyone, except Connor, believes the nanny's statement that Branwell hurt the baby. There are some interesting plot twists along the way, and young readers will enjoy figuring out the mystery. However, I did not give this book 5 stars because many adult readers, and more mature young readers, will find the ending a bit predictable. Another problem with this book is the age group it is being marketed to. While the reading level might be ages 9-12, the content is more appropriate for the 12-16 age group. The sexual situations are intense and emotionally charged and may be too graphic for the younger readers. The positive side of this is that it is a good book for older readers who are not reading at grade level. The high interest content combined with an accessible reading level would make this a good book for the reluctanct reader.
Rating:
Summary: PHENOMENAL Book
Review: E.L. Konigsburg has been my sole favorite author for some time now. But I read this book, Silent to the Bone objectively, knowing that after a few hits, E.L. could be drying up so to speak. But I was not disappointed. Phenomenal was the only way I could describe this book to people I knew and people I don't. The story is great, but it's the feeling that gives the book so much power. Wow. The subject matter was a bit mature, but it was so necessary. I found that this is somewhat of a magical book, and that all I can do is hope you can read it, but you will be captivated and mesmerized.
Rating:
Summary: silent boy kills kid?
Review: this book is a wonderful book by a wonderful auther. about a young boy who is struck dumb after having his little sister in hospital in critical condition!and whats worse is everybody thinks he did it, but he is struck dumb and cant prove it,or can he? his friend trying to help him along the way they find one way to communicate.cards. did he hurt little kimmy?why cant he talk? how is it solved?these are answered in the book when he gets help from the pizza man and his friend.
Rating: 
Summary: Sold on the Name
Review: I would not stop a child from reading this book, but I also would not find myself recommending this book to the age group in which it was written for. A twelve-year-old student of mine described it perfectly when she said, "It was weird". Connor and Branwell, the main characters are likable enough but the entire plot is drawn out way too long and the ending disappointing. This story could have been told in a hundred less pages. I almost expected to find out that the story was true because only life can be this boring sometimes. The friendship between the main characters is a special one that I would hope young readers pick up on. Their friendship prevails during trauma, anger, good times, silence, and other's incorrect viewpoints. Most children at this age don't know what it means to be a true friend and these two boys set an excellent example. The part I would find most difficult to read with a young adult is when Branwell tells of his "Viagra moment" near the end of the book. The fact that it happens and is a real issue in a young male's life is not what I would consider avoiding. The way in which the moment played itself out is very unlikely for most of Konigsburg's male readers. Having a fascination with a promiscuous European au pair is not likely to happen to most of the twelve-year-old boys I've met. Another difficult situation is the sexual relationship between the pizza boy and the au pair. Most parents may not feel comfortable explaining the morals they wish for their kids when they're so blatantly ignored by the teenagers in this book without any real consequences. The writing gets extremely choppy around the time that Connor gets close to solving the mystery. A letter is written to the au pair agency and readers and the main character are surprised by the letter since it seems as if a whole sequence of events was missing. I am truly surprised that critics spend their time ripping apart Harry Potter when there is so much in this book for them to sharpen their teeth on. I believe that Konigsburg sold this book on her name alone and I personally would rather read From the Mixed Up Files... twelve times in a row than to read this book ever again.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!! Definitely should read.
Review: This book was so good that I had to read it over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Silent to the Bone
Review: What events happened to cause Branwell Zamborska to become silent? The book tells the story of how Branwell had been accused of dropping his baby-sister, Nikki, on her head. He then gets sent to the Juvenile Behavioral Center where he will either stay or get out depending on if his sister pulls out of coma or not. Nikki is in coma for the whole story, but you will have to read to see if she survives, and if Branwell will get out of the Behavioral Center. Vivian Shawcurt, the English au pair, had been the Zamborska's nanny. She had been there when Nikki was injured. Morris from JJ's pizza had been there also. He had been there every day after school. Vivian and Morris had a "relationship." Conner had talked to him about that day many times to find clues that would find Branwell guilty or innocent. Conner Kane, Branwell's best friend, visits him every day in the Behavioral Center. Since Branwell can't talk they have a code. For the first code Conner had cards, which he had written words on them such as Blue Peter, SIAS, and other words that the two used often between each other. They used that code for a while until Conner remembers that a guy that couldn't talk had written a book by blinking. Branwell would blink out the word, and then Conner would go investigate. That is how he would solve the problem of Branwell being wrongfully accused or not. The codes had brought Conner all over town. He went to his half-sister, Margret, for help, and together they solved the mystery. Vivian has been a smoker and the nanny service had specifically told her that she had to quit, but she didn't. So when Conner started to investigate, Vivian went back to England so Conner faxed a letter to Gretchen Silver and told her about Vivian smoking, and to never let her get another job. Branwell was very disturbed when he found out that Vivian went back to England. Read the book to see if Branwell starts to talk, if he gets out of the Behavioral Center, and if Nikki lives. I thought that this book was very good. It was well written and E.L. Konigsburg wrote it so that it was very easy to understand. I liked this book because it had a lot of mystery in it. Was Branwell really guilty? Was Nikki going to make it? These questions and more were answered using their special code. The book was also enjoyable to read because of the friendship that had evolved. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: I was very disappointed in this book. I find it hard to believe that this book is on the reading list for middle school students. It read like a trashy novel or tabloid news. The sexual innuendos were very inappropriate for this age group. We continue to complain as a society about inappropriate youth behavior and yet we continue to expose them to inappropriate content. What can we expect to get? Middle school students are embarrassed and appalled that they are reading this book as assigned reading. It should be the book they are sneaking around to read.
Rating:
Summary: A complex and gripping story from Konigsburg
Review: When 13-yr old Branwell calls 911 to report that his infant half sister has been seriously hurt he is struck dumb. The baby's nanny tells the operator that Branwell dropped the baby, and he is taken to a juvenile detention center. Branwell's friend Connor goes to visit him and realizes, in spite of Branwell's silence, that he couldn't have hurt the baby. Determined to help his friend, Connor devises a way to communicate with Branwell using cards with words written on them. With Branwell's direction and help from his own half sister, Connor searches out the people who can help understand his friend and help him reveal what really happened to the baby, learning about himself and his own family in the process. While in some ways a mystery story, this book is about much more ' friendship, family, and the sometimes-difficult relationships between people. This novel successfully addresses complex issues of family dynamics and teenage sexual awakening in a compelling manner, with well written characters and a gripping story line.
Rating:
Summary: It's pretty cool
Review: This book is really cool. My teacher told me it was pretty funny, so I decided to read it. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. It shows how a friend helps a friend in proving that he's innocent. The boy who was accused won't speak because he's hiding an embarassing secret. But I'm not saying anything 'cept you gotta read it. It's a funny book, considering the fact that a teacher recommended it to me.
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