Silent to the Bone

New York: Scholastic , 2001. Hardcover. Very Good +. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Pictorial boards. School/Library Binding (sewn). "With this impeccably crafted novel two-time Newbery Medalist Konigsburg (The View from Saturday) again demonstrates her keen insight into the needs and tastes of a middle-grade audience. Here she ventures into what seems, for her, unusually dark territory. The story begins with a transcript of a 911 phone call. The caller himself (shortly afterward identified as 13-year-old Branwell Zamborska) appears silent, then a young British woman (an au pair) takes the phone and says that a six-month baby is unconscious: "He dropped her." As the comatose baby undergoes hospitalization, Branwell is struck mute and brought to a county facility for disturbed youths while prosecutors weigh charges against him. Young readers, unlikely to recall Louise Woodward and the Eappens, will be rapt as Konigsburg slowly unravels the true circumstances of the baby's accident and of Branwell's silence. Connor, Branwell's best friend, narrates and serves as detective, ingeniously finding a way to prise clues out of Branwell and piece them together. He enlists the help of his 20-something half-sister Margaret, one of those brilliant, slightly cryptic and idiosyncratic heroines Konigsburg fashions so well. In her classic style, the author inlays the plot with intriguing facts that prove significant (e.g., a Frenchman paralyzed completely except for his left eye "wrote" a book by having a friend recite the alphabet, then blinking when she came to the letter he needed). Along the way, Konigsburg also investigates the dynamics of step-families, preadolescent sexuality and other knotty subjects -- the extraordinary achievement here is that she joins every element so seamlessly in the service of her gripping story. Ages 10-14." -- Publishers Weekly. "Silent to the Bone is an amazing children's book. Only E.L. Konigsburg could have written it because almost no other author has such an understanding of young people. No other author could have given the reader such insight to the character's lives. Silent to the Bone is mostly about these insights. The plot follows Connor and Branwell, two thirteen-year-olds. Branwell has been accused of shaking and dropping the baby, but has become mute after whatever it was that happenned. Connor doesn't think that Branwell committed the crime; so he takes it upon himself to get Branwell to speak. To do this, though, means Connor (with his sister's help) must begin to peal back the layers of Branwell's life. He must learn exactly why Branwell became silent. He must learn about the tension and stress in the family's like (all the while, learning about his own family). Connor must try to piece together what happened at Branwell's home the months preceeding the accident as well as the day of the accident. The end result is almost a detective novel, but one with psychological insights. Silent to the Bone is a novel which will make a person think. Some of the themes may be too mature for younger readers, but young adults and older readers will gain from this novel and will certainly be fascinated and entertained by it." -- review by John. Book is in very good condition with very mild edge wear, surface smudging. Pages are clean and binding is tight. No dust jacket