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Silent to the Bone
Connor is sure his best friend, Branwell, couldn't have hurt Branwell's baby half sister, Nikki. But Nikki lies in a coma, and Branwell is in a juvenile behavioral center, suspected of a horrible crime and unable to utter the words to tell what really happened. Connor is the only one who might be able to break through Branwell's wall of silence. But how can he prove Branwell didn't commit the unspeakable act of which he's accused when Branwell can't speak for himself?
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
E.L. Konigsburg
55 books1,305 followersElaine Lobl Konigsburg was an American author and illustrator of children's books and young adult fiction. She was the only author to win the Newbery Medal and a Newbery Honor in the same year (1968), with her second and first books respectively: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. Kongisburg won a second Newbery Medal in 1997 for The View from Saturday, 29 years later, the longest span between any two Newberys awarded to one author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 604 reviews
April 12, 2016
A short but interesting story that tackles a social problem in an intriguing manner. The title signifies what has happened to the main character because he seems to have lost his ability to talk after witnessing a terribly shocking incident between their au pair and his baby sister for which he was blamed and accused of.
This is also a story of loyalty and friendship which eventually led to the truth in the end of the story.
This is also a story of loyalty and friendship which eventually led to the truth in the end of the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2023
"I don't think there is any feeling I like more than the one that someone is glad to see me."
—Connor Kane, Silent to the Bone, P. 51
"I'm not sure that love and like aren't like cats and dogs: One can't grow up to be the other, but they can be taught to live under the same roof."
—Connor Kane, P. 74
My expectations for E.L. Konigsburg are always as high (or higher) than those I have for any other writer, and I have never known her to let me down. She did not disappoint in Silent to the Bone.
This is a different kind of mystery from the type that she has written previously (for example, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or The Dragon in the Ghetto Caper). It has a distinctly young adult tone throughout, including some story elements that one most definitely would not expect to find in a children's book.
The mystery held up very well the entire time, and E.L. Konigsburg hit the perfect notes while tightening the loop of suspense and moving the story faster and faster. Just when one figures that he has the answer pegged a new part is introduced, throwing all hypotheses out of whack. I found myself eager to see what would become of Branwell, and if he is truly guilty or if there is something more to the events that had occurred. Connor and his sister Margaret are determined to find out the truth, and will not stop until they have cleared Branwell of any false accusations.
"(F)irst impressions—especially when everyone is watching and waiting, looking for signs—are hard to overcome."
—Margaret Rose Kane, Silent to the Bone, P. 77
"I guess the only way to keep secret thoughts secret is not to say anything. Even to your lifelong best friend. If you don't speak at all, you don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing or having the right thing interpreted wrong."
—Connor Kane, P. 123
I think that Silent to the Bone is an excellent mystery story, and displays beautifully the diverse range of skills attributable to the legendary E.L. Konigsburg. The book also delivered what I'm really looking for from her books, though: A novel so perceptive in its insights that I find myself gawking at the author's shockingly perceptive words at several various points in the text. I found the wisdom in Silent to the Bone to live up to this hopeful expectation wonderfully.
I expected to really like this book, and I absolutely did. I almost wish that I could start over again at the beginning, without knowing anything about the plot. This is an excellent mystery and a great all-around story.
SIAS: E.L. Konigsburg has done it again, putting her literary ducks in a row with amazing precision in this tour de force of a novel that redefines the standard for mystery writing.(four cliches, zero ands=4 stars ;-)
"Seeing other people's happiness always makes us feel cheated. "
—Margaret Rose Kane, P. 128
"Because way down deep they know that civilized people have to preserve rare birds."
—Silent to the Bone, P. 134
—Connor Kane, Silent to the Bone, P. 51
"I'm not sure that love and like aren't like cats and dogs: One can't grow up to be the other, but they can be taught to live under the same roof."
—Connor Kane, P. 74
My expectations for E.L. Konigsburg are always as high (or higher) than those I have for any other writer, and I have never known her to let me down. She did not disappoint in Silent to the Bone.
This is a different kind of mystery from the type that she has written previously (for example, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler or The Dragon in the Ghetto Caper). It has a distinctly young adult tone throughout, including some story elements that one most definitely would not expect to find in a children's book.
The mystery held up very well the entire time, and E.L. Konigsburg hit the perfect notes while tightening the loop of suspense and moving the story faster and faster. Just when one figures that he has the answer pegged a new part is introduced, throwing all hypotheses out of whack. I found myself eager to see what would become of Branwell, and if he is truly guilty or if there is something more to the events that had occurred. Connor and his sister Margaret are determined to find out the truth, and will not stop until they have cleared Branwell of any false accusations.
"(F)irst impressions—especially when everyone is watching and waiting, looking for signs—are hard to overcome."
—Margaret Rose Kane, Silent to the Bone, P. 77
"I guess the only way to keep secret thoughts secret is not to say anything. Even to your lifelong best friend. If you don't speak at all, you don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing or having the right thing interpreted wrong."
—Connor Kane, P. 123
I think that Silent to the Bone is an excellent mystery story, and displays beautifully the diverse range of skills attributable to the legendary E.L. Konigsburg. The book also delivered what I'm really looking for from her books, though: A novel so perceptive in its insights that I find myself gawking at the author's shockingly perceptive words at several various points in the text. I found the wisdom in Silent to the Bone to live up to this hopeful expectation wonderfully.
I expected to really like this book, and I absolutely did. I almost wish that I could start over again at the beginning, without knowing anything about the plot. This is an excellent mystery and a great all-around story.
SIAS: E.L. Konigsburg has done it again, putting her literary ducks in a row with amazing precision in this tour de force of a novel that redefines the standard for mystery writing.(four cliches, zero ands=4 stars ;-)
"Seeing other people's happiness always makes us feel cheated. "
—Margaret Rose Kane, P. 128
"Because way down deep they know that civilized people have to preserve rare birds."
—Silent to the Bone, P. 134
March 13, 2014
An incredibly well written book, it drew me in very quickly, as I really wanted to know what had happened...but as it went on , I realized that it was probably leading where it did eventually lead...to modern immorality causing havoc in people's lives. (Hence the three stars rating - the writing deserved five stars.) I wouldn't want my tween/teen boys reading this book, it is graphic enough, and they don't need ANY additional influence of that, (although it is probably somewhat milder by today's standards, but I don't approve of today's "standards"!)
The mature handling of the situation, and helping everyone deal with the ramifications was masterful. Young people don't have the skills to deal with challenges like these, and often neither do the adults. I was impressed with the relationship that developed between the main character and his sister, and how they worked together to figure things out and deal with each of their own issues along the way. And I'm a succor for a happy ending.
Good book, if you can put up with the delving into modern "morality" deviations.
The mature handling of the situation, and helping everyone deal with the ramifications was masterful. Young people don't have the skills to deal with challenges like these, and often neither do the adults. I was impressed with the relationship that developed between the main character and his sister, and how they worked together to figure things out and deal with each of their own issues along the way. And I'm a succor for a happy ending.
Good book, if you can put up with the delving into modern "morality" deviations.
March 28, 2023
“It is easy to pinpoint the minute when my friend Branwell began his silence. It was Wednesday, November 25, 2:43 P.M., Eastern Standard Time. It was there—or, I guess you could say not there—on the tape of the 911 call.”
They say, “For every Yin, there is a Yang”. If that’s true, then Branwell Zamborska is the Yin to Connor Kane’s Yang. Two friends the same age (born just weeks apart), going to the same school, and living just houses away from each other. Connor will tell you that the biggest difference between them is that Branwell “is just plain different”. He stands out in a crowd (quite literally—he is tall with bright red hair), is clumsy (he’s always dropping things), and likes offbeat music. Still, they complement each other and even share secret “codes”. Like BLUE PETER means “ready to go” and DAY CARE refers to their school. Or SIAS, which requires you to “Summarize In A Sentence” a selected topic with points awarded afterward. Given their closeness, it isn’t difficult to understand why Connor rushes to the aid of his friend, who has been rendered mute after his baby sister suffers a horrible accident and is struggling for life. The message on the 911 tape is enough to send Branwell to the Clarion County Juvenile Behavioral Center, but Connor knows his friend and is certain that Branwell is innocent. But with Branwell rendered voiceless, how can the truth—whatever it is—be heard?
It is astonishing how many sensitive and provocative topics E. L. Konigsburg has dogpiled into one book: psychological trauma, sexual awareness, emotional manipulation, divorce, jealousy, revenge. But this isn’t the tawdry and explicit book that one might expect. Instead, Konigsburg handles each subject with sensitivity and care and scratches just enough of the surface to allow readers to reach their own obvious conclusions. This book is targeted for readers ages 10 and up, so some concepts may get a perplexed look from those on the younger end of the scale (“Hey, what’s Viagra?”) so be prepared for some possible teachable moments.
In addition to tackling so many complex issues with such finesse, Silent to the Bone received my highest review because of the deep bond that these two boys shared. This book was published in 2000, and you don’t often see the kind of unshakable, unquestioning, and unwavering devotion that Connor has for Branwell in many of today’s young adult books. In this age of jealousy, popularity, spite, ego, and peer pressure, friends are easily interchangeable. Connor is placed in the most impossible and unthinkable of circumstances by a friend who has totally withdrawn from the world. At any moment (and there are many), he could have simply given up and walked away. But somehow Connor finds a faint voice in the silence and that alone drives him to not give up on his friend nor abandon his cause.
E.L. Konigsburg gives readers a suspenseful book that explores the bond of friendship and demonstrates just how far that connection can be stretched without ever really breaking. I think if I had to SISA this book, I’d use the words of Yolanda, the day worker who lives across the street from the Zamborskas. When Connor explained to her how he had found a way to “talk” with Branwell, she said, “Friends always find a way to keep in touch.” Nine words. I wonder how many points Connor and Branwell would give me for that one?
They say, “For every Yin, there is a Yang”. If that’s true, then Branwell Zamborska is the Yin to Connor Kane’s Yang. Two friends the same age (born just weeks apart), going to the same school, and living just houses away from each other. Connor will tell you that the biggest difference between them is that Branwell “is just plain different”. He stands out in a crowd (quite literally—he is tall with bright red hair), is clumsy (he’s always dropping things), and likes offbeat music. Still, they complement each other and even share secret “codes”. Like BLUE PETER means “ready to go” and DAY CARE refers to their school. Or SIAS, which requires you to “Summarize In A Sentence” a selected topic with points awarded afterward. Given their closeness, it isn’t difficult to understand why Connor rushes to the aid of his friend, who has been rendered mute after his baby sister suffers a horrible accident and is struggling for life. The message on the 911 tape is enough to send Branwell to the Clarion County Juvenile Behavioral Center, but Connor knows his friend and is certain that Branwell is innocent. But with Branwell rendered voiceless, how can the truth—whatever it is—be heard?
It is astonishing how many sensitive and provocative topics E. L. Konigsburg has dogpiled into one book: psychological trauma, sexual awareness, emotional manipulation, divorce, jealousy, revenge. But this isn’t the tawdry and explicit book that one might expect. Instead, Konigsburg handles each subject with sensitivity and care and scratches just enough of the surface to allow readers to reach their own obvious conclusions. This book is targeted for readers ages 10 and up, so some concepts may get a perplexed look from those on the younger end of the scale (“Hey, what’s Viagra?”) so be prepared for some possible teachable moments.
In addition to tackling so many complex issues with such finesse, Silent to the Bone received my highest review because of the deep bond that these two boys shared. This book was published in 2000, and you don’t often see the kind of unshakable, unquestioning, and unwavering devotion that Connor has for Branwell in many of today’s young adult books. In this age of jealousy, popularity, spite, ego, and peer pressure, friends are easily interchangeable. Connor is placed in the most impossible and unthinkable of circumstances by a friend who has totally withdrawn from the world. At any moment (and there are many), he could have simply given up and walked away. But somehow Connor finds a faint voice in the silence and that alone drives him to not give up on his friend nor abandon his cause.
E.L. Konigsburg gives readers a suspenseful book that explores the bond of friendship and demonstrates just how far that connection can be stretched without ever really breaking. I think if I had to SISA this book, I’d use the words of Yolanda, the day worker who lives across the street from the Zamborskas. When Connor explained to her how he had found a way to “talk” with Branwell, she said, “Friends always find a way to keep in touch.” Nine words. I wonder how many points Connor and Branwell would give me for that one?
May 29, 2007
E.L. Konigsburg really comes through with this one. Beware, this isn't a book for younger readers. Branwell- a slightly odd, very precocious child- stops talking the day he calls 911. His sister Nikki is in a coma, and the au pair (the icky Vivian) explains that Bran shook and then dropped her. Bran is put in a juvenile detention center, and it's up to his best friend, Connor, to develop a code and find out what really happened that day.
This book is really, really good.
This book is really, really good.
July 23, 2009
Connor's precocious friend Branwell suddenly stopped talking the day Bran's baby sister was injured and the babysitter blamed it on him. While little Nikki is in the hospital in a coma, Bran is sent to a juvenile detention center, and Connor visits him every day to try to develop ways to communicate so that they can get to the bottom of the mystery of what really happened that day.
The book is well-written and engaging, and I bought everything except for the overarching premise that a 13-year-old would suddenly be unable to talk - not just choose not to talk, but be unable to talk - after an incident of the type that occurs in the story. It seems the reader really has to suspend disbelief to accept that point while reading the book, and I spent the whole time expecting some kind of payoff in the end to allow the premise to work. And while the story does come together quite nicely in the end, I really didn't feel that the explanation helped me understand what happened to Bran's ability to speak.
The book is well-written and engaging, and I bought everything except for the overarching premise that a 13-year-old would suddenly be unable to talk - not just choose not to talk, but be unable to talk - after an incident of the type that occurs in the story. It seems the reader really has to suspend disbelief to accept that point while reading the book, and I spent the whole time expecting some kind of payoff in the end to allow the premise to work. And while the story does come together quite nicely in the end, I really didn't feel that the explanation helped me understand what happened to Bran's ability to speak.
June 30, 2011
This is a more mature read than I initially thought. However, it was that maturity that made me really enjoy this book. The friendship between Connor and Branwell is one that is very admirable. Connor never allows the thought that his best friend could have hurt his sister into his mind at any point. The persistence to get him to talk and make him feel better makes Connor so likable as a character. Branwell's guilt and the struggle he endures wishing his sister gets better as well as knowing the truth similarly makes the reader automatically like him. For a huge majority of the book, the reader wants to just scream,"JUST TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED, TALK ALREADY" but Branwell's lack of talking makes the story that much more compelling. There are mystery aspects in addition to all the other high notes of this book that make it enjoyable for YA readers as well as adults.
October 27, 2011
I don't like such adult subject matter being discussed in a young adult book. I think these things should be talked about openly with kids who are old enough, but I would not hand them a book like this with the scenes it had.
October 19, 2021
I have never heard of anyone named Branwell before. This book was a lot better than I thought it would be! I really enjoyed this it's a wonderful mystery book and I totally recommend it.
November 24, 2017
3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Weil er unter dem Verdacht steht, seine kleine Halbschwester misshandelt zu haben, sitzt ein 14 jährige Junge in Untersuchungshaft und schweigt. Sein bester Freund versucht ihn zum sprechen zu bringen.
Eines der besten Jugendbücher zum Thema Patchwork Familien, den seelischen Verletzungen von Scheidungskindern und Zusammenhalt und frühe Pubertät . Die Heldin der Geschichte ist für mich die 14 Jahre ältere Schwester Margaret.
... she thanked me again and then said, „Some people say ‚God Is in the details.‘ Other say it‘ s the devil.“ Margaret replied, „Maybe it depends on who‘ s reporting the details.“
Weil er unter dem Verdacht steht, seine kleine Halbschwester misshandelt zu haben, sitzt ein 14 jährige Junge in Untersuchungshaft und schweigt. Sein bester Freund versucht ihn zum sprechen zu bringen.
Eines der besten Jugendbücher zum Thema Patchwork Familien, den seelischen Verletzungen von Scheidungskindern und Zusammenhalt und frühe Pubertät . Die Heldin der Geschichte ist für mich die 14 Jahre ältere Schwester Margaret.
... she thanked me again and then said, „Some people say ‚God Is in the details.‘ Other say it‘ s the devil.“ Margaret replied, „Maybe it depends on who‘ s reporting the details.“
Read
May 20, 2015Conner is in a bad solution, his best buddy is in the juvenile behavioral center because his sister is in a coma and Bardwell "his best buddy" is blamed for it.
I love this book Because it is a mastery were he has to find a way to understand what happened when his buddy however is struck dumb.
I learned that a French man who could not move any part of his body but his eyes wrote a book by having a person point his/her finger at a letter and if the French man blinked 2 times that meant to write the letter down.
I love this book Because it is a mastery were he has to find a way to understand what happened when his buddy however is struck dumb.
I learned that a French man who could not move any part of his body but his eyes wrote a book by having a person point his/her finger at a letter and if the French man blinked 2 times that meant to write the letter down.
January 18, 2022
This book is written for school-age children but deals with many raw, honest, and explicit topics. It's a book that keeps you reading and sheds new light on looking for subtle changes in the people around us every day.
June 17, 2021
This has always been a book I’ve been interested in for some reason. Even before I read, this one managed to catch my attention. And although I never did read it, I would think about reading it quite a lot. But now that I started a Konigsberg binge, it was finally time to read this one. Going in, I was sure it would be my favorite and now that I have finished, I’m not sure if it is my favorite, but it is certainly up there. “Silent to the Bone” is a chilling and interesting tale about a young boy who goes silent when a terrible accident takes place. I was impressed by how this book hooks you in and manages to keep you entertained throughout.
I did find that the book could be rather gimmicky to some as it follows a similar pattern for most of the book. And what I mean by that is it’s pattern is repeated basically every chapter. Normally I’d find this a bad thing, but in this case, I was okay with it. It was done in a very clean manner and kept it unique even though it was, admittedly, patterned. Every chapter it’s (1) go to Branwell and deal out cards (get a mission basically), (2) go to Margaret’s place and discuss, (3) using information from the first 2 steps, investigate whatever needs to be investigated. And (4) repeat. And I’m not really lying when I say this, it really is like this most of the book. But because of how interesting and fun each clue is and how Konigsburg handles it, it doesn’t tire like you think it would. At one point I thought to myself how good of a writer she is, because this happens with other books and the author does not manage to make its way out of said problem and ends up being rather lazy.
So yes, “Silent to the Bone” was a excellent read. I was impressed with a few other things such as the characters, especially Margaret, who was easily the best. The relationships developed between her, Conner and, quite frankly, everyone in the book is a treat to see unfold. And that’s why my final rating for “Silent to the Bone” by E. L. Konigsburg is...
5/5.
I did find that the book could be rather gimmicky to some as it follows a similar pattern for most of the book. And what I mean by that is it’s pattern is repeated basically every chapter. Normally I’d find this a bad thing, but in this case, I was okay with it. It was done in a very clean manner and kept it unique even though it was, admittedly, patterned. Every chapter it’s (1) go to Branwell and deal out cards (get a mission basically), (2) go to Margaret’s place and discuss, (3) using information from the first 2 steps, investigate whatever needs to be investigated. And (4) repeat. And I’m not really lying when I say this, it really is like this most of the book. But because of how interesting and fun each clue is and how Konigsburg handles it, it doesn’t tire like you think it would. At one point I thought to myself how good of a writer she is, because this happens with other books and the author does not manage to make its way out of said problem and ends up being rather lazy.
So yes, “Silent to the Bone” was a excellent read. I was impressed with a few other things such as the characters, especially Margaret, who was easily the best. The relationships developed between her, Conner and, quite frankly, everyone in the book is a treat to see unfold. And that’s why my final rating for “Silent to the Bone” by E. L. Konigsburg is...
5/5.
November 9, 2011
The book, Silent To the Bone, by E.L. Konigsburg has many exciting lines that leave me with suspense, and make me never want to stop reading. From the minute I read the first line in the book, to the last line in the book, I was always engaged in the reading. On the first page, Conner says, “ It is easy to pinpoint the minute when my friend Branwell began his silence. It was Wednesday, November 25th, 2:43P.M., eastern standard time. It was there-or I guess you could say not there-on the tape of the 911 call.” This sentence, is not only the first sentence of the book, but it is a grabber sentence. It forces me to want to figure out what is going to happen next in the story. It also hints me with foreshadowing, to make me think that Branwell is paralyzed because of something might that might of happened. Therefore, it leaves me with suspense, to keep reading. “I won't say what his first words were until I explain what I heard when he said nothing,” Konigsburg writes. This sentence proved my prediction wrong. I thought that Branwell might of not been able to do anything at all. After reading this sentence, it proves me wrong, and states that basically, Branwell and Conner can communicate without actually talking. There fore, it keeps me interested in the book, because it turned out to be a change, and be different than I thought it would be, so it makes me want to keep reading. “This is the way I mean it : For one thing, we had developed a means of communication that was verbal on only one said,” Conner explains. This line makes me want to keep reading because it forces me to want to understand how they are communicating without talking. It makes me want to know what is going to happen next, so therefore it leaves me with suspense, so I will keep reading. In conclusion, Silent to the Bone, by E.L. Konigsburg, is a book I would recommend and rate as 4 stars to friends because it is an exciting book that leaves me with suspense, and makes me never want to stop reading!
June 10, 2020
This book was a bit darker than I thought it would be. It covers some difficult topics and my copy of the book has a different cover than the one shown on here, it's more colorful and is drawn in a cartoon art style, so going into it I was expecting a lighter story. The book is about a 13 year old boy, Bran, and the things he goes through. His baby half-sister, Nikki, suffers a head injury and is in a coma. Bran is blamed for his sisters injury and is placed in a juvenile facility while an investigation is happening outside. No one believes bran except for his best friend Connor, and Bran hasn't been speaking due to his trauma from the recent events, his fathers new marriage, Nikki's injury, and the terrible babysitter Vivian. Connor communicates with Bran through note cards and they work to find out what has really happened and clear his name. It is revealed that Vivian is abusive towards Nikki and Bran and she takes advantage of Bran and his new found feelings towards girls to keep him quiet about her to his parents. That's the summary of the story. It deals with a lot and I like the way it brings up the way adults behavior can effect kids and just how much pain and complicated suffering it can cause. We see things through the eyes of Bran, who himself doesn't fully understand what is happening and why it's wrong and I think it's important that this teaches younger readers who may be going through similar things to speak up and explain them to them. The thing that keeps me from giving this book a higher score is that I feel like the copy I got is misleading with the seemingly child friendly cover and the basic information on the book not detailing how serious the issues addressed in this book are. This book is nothing that I can't handle but I am nearly 16 and the target age group seems to be around 13 and I feel like that may be a bit much for a 13 year old to handle depending on their maturity.
March 14, 2008
Silent to the Bone Alddin paperbacks, 2002, 261pp,. $5.99
e.l. Konigsburg ISBN 0-689-83602-3
Imagine you cradling your half baby sister in your arms, looking into her new born baby eyes, enjoying the moment, then all of a sudden you drop her. You run to call 911, you open your mouth…but nothing comes out. This is what happened to Branwell Zamborska. Since that tragic day, Branwell hasn’t talk since. His sister’s suffering from a coma and if he doesn’t speak up now he could be convicted for manslaughter, or worse murder!
“It is easy to pinpoint the minute when my friend Branwell began his silence.” This is the very first sentence in the book Silent to The Bone. As you can see the author, E.I Konigsberg already “pulls the reader in,” leaving them with questions like “Why did he go silent?” “Does he have the disease where you go mute?”, “Does he know how to speak?” Books, such as this one, grab my attention right away. The thought of solving a mystery always interest me. Another thing the author does that I like is he would include many flashbacks of Branwells life before the silence. This helps the reader to understand the reasons behind why he dropped his baby sister and how this problem could have happened.
Overall, I thought this book was very interesting to read. Just when I thought I figured out what happened, I would turn the page and think differently. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves mysteries and solving a good problem.
e.l. Konigsburg ISBN 0-689-83602-3
Imagine you cradling your half baby sister in your arms, looking into her new born baby eyes, enjoying the moment, then all of a sudden you drop her. You run to call 911, you open your mouth…but nothing comes out. This is what happened to Branwell Zamborska. Since that tragic day, Branwell hasn’t talk since. His sister’s suffering from a coma and if he doesn’t speak up now he could be convicted for manslaughter, or worse murder!
“It is easy to pinpoint the minute when my friend Branwell began his silence.” This is the very first sentence in the book Silent to The Bone. As you can see the author, E.I Konigsberg already “pulls the reader in,” leaving them with questions like “Why did he go silent?” “Does he have the disease where you go mute?”, “Does he know how to speak?” Books, such as this one, grab my attention right away. The thought of solving a mystery always interest me. Another thing the author does that I like is he would include many flashbacks of Branwells life before the silence. This helps the reader to understand the reasons behind why he dropped his baby sister and how this problem could have happened.
Overall, I thought this book was very interesting to read. Just when I thought I figured out what happened, I would turn the page and think differently. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves mysteries and solving a good problem.
May 17, 2019
It was a long time ago that I read this book. But from what I remember, this book dealt with abuse of children (and I think it involved sexual abuse) and that of children being accused of abuse in a graphic sense. So NOT a topic of fiction for middle grade readers ages 9 to 14!!
I really enjoyed three other books of Konigsburg's before this one, so I was eager to read this one when I found it. She had a reputation of writing for middle grade readers. After this book I can't trust this author and won't recommend her later books.
By the way, the books of hers that I have read and liked are:
* From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Newberry winner)
* Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinnley, and me, Elizabeth (Newberry honor)
* The View from Saturday (Newberry winner)
I really enjoyed three other books of Konigsburg's before this one, so I was eager to read this one when I found it. She had a reputation of writing for middle grade readers. After this book I can't trust this author and won't recommend her later books.
By the way, the books of hers that I have read and liked are:
* From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Newberry winner)
* Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinnley, and me, Elizabeth (Newberry honor)
* The View from Saturday (Newberry winner)
July 17, 2023
From the Mixed-Up Files is good. The View from Saturday is even better. But this, this is the Konigsburg book that should have won a Newbery. In Connor and Branwell, Konigsburg created characters who are highly sympathetic and realistic but also incredibly human and thus fallible. The themes and nuances of this book are woven together incredibly in a coming-of-age story that not once feels cliche.
2023: Consistently blown away by how masterful this is.
2023: Consistently blown away by how masterful this is.
May 17, 2019
My eleven year old daughter was forced to read this for school. Although it provided an opportunity to explain some very mature concepts, I wouldn’t read sexual content this explicit in adult books. The fact that this is a middle grade book and championed by the Ridley School District shows how close we are to Swarthmore College. 🙄
October 26, 2009
This book was captivating and read like a mystery. The whole thing was ruined by the last 20 pages which were nothing but soft porn and completely inappropriate for the ages written for. Would not recommend to anyone.
June 21, 2018
Wow so I remembered this book out of the blue yesterday. I read this when I was 10 or younger and I think I was way too young for some of the events that happened. It's funny how a book can affect you all the these years later.
June 3, 2021
Ending ruined it.
April 6, 2020
Silent to the Bone Alddin paperbacks, 2002, 261pp,. by E. L. Konigsburg.
So I just finished SILENT TO THE BONE, a rather unusual book about more adult situations, but written for middle school age kids, more specifically directed at boys. The book offers some important information for boys, responsibility, resiliency, dependency, friendship, loyalty and forgiveness.
I read several reviews and many indicate that some of the issues in this book should not be discussed with children... However, that said, when do they get discussed? Children are approached by various adults and older kids, so should not be left unprepared.
The book has some flaws in that the 13 year old friend is allowed to visit his in custody friend EVERY DAY. I don't know in what state this would happen, but not in mine for sure. So for the sake of the story I can let that one slide. Then you have a 13 year old leading the investigation... uHM...
Those are my only issues with the book, but it is after all a story and to make the story work, it has to be the way it is.
Super educational, well placed for adult critical thinking in middle school age kids.
4 stars
Happy Reading.
So I just finished SILENT TO THE BONE, a rather unusual book about more adult situations, but written for middle school age kids, more specifically directed at boys. The book offers some important information for boys, responsibility, resiliency, dependency, friendship, loyalty and forgiveness.
I read several reviews and many indicate that some of the issues in this book should not be discussed with children... However, that said, when do they get discussed? Children are approached by various adults and older kids, so should not be left unprepared.
The book has some flaws in that the 13 year old friend is allowed to visit his in custody friend EVERY DAY. I don't know in what state this would happen, but not in mine for sure. So for the sake of the story I can let that one slide. Then you have a 13 year old leading the investigation... uHM...
Those are my only issues with the book, but it is after all a story and to make the story work, it has to be the way it is.
Super educational, well placed for adult critical thinking in middle school age kids.
4 stars
Happy Reading.
August 7, 2023
Read for #buzzwordchallenge2023-body part (bone)
This is a middle book with some mature themes. It might even lean toward the YA spectrum, and as a parent, you might want to considered the maturity of your child.
-child abuse and neglect
-smoking
-Sexual situations
-first erection
-gas lighting and/or manipulation of the truth
-parent/step parent/ child relationship issues
Bran has a baby step sister. There is an au pair Vivian, who is an English exchange student, to be a baby minder. A 911 call comes in and the baby is non responsive and Bran can't speak. Vivian blames Bran, and he ends up in juvie, still not speaking. His best friend Conner is allowed to see him and starts communicating with flash cards. Conner and his sister Margaret start making inquires into what really happened.
The ending is fine, the mystery is solved satisfactorily. It was a decent read.
This is a middle book with some mature themes. It might even lean toward the YA spectrum, and as a parent, you might want to considered the maturity of your child.
-child abuse and neglect
-smoking
-Sexual situations
-first erection
-gas lighting and/or manipulation of the truth
-parent/step parent/ child relationship issues
Bran has a baby step sister. There is an au pair Vivian, who is an English exchange student, to be a baby minder. A 911 call comes in and the baby is non responsive and Bran can't speak. Vivian blames Bran, and he ends up in juvie, still not speaking. His best friend Conner is allowed to see him and starts communicating with flash cards. Conner and his sister Margaret start making inquires into what really happened.
The ending is fine, the mystery is solved satisfactorily. It was a decent read.
November 5, 2021
This book is brilliantly written. There is a lot of clever wordplay, most of which would go unnoticed by the book's intended audience. That said, there are a lot of adult topics in this, and I was stunned to see the recommended age 10-14. I would not be pleased to see my 10-yr-old reading it. There's too much adult content for that age. I think 12 (brink of puberty) is about as low as I'd recommend.
April 21, 2024
I've read a lot of her books and liked many of them a lot. I've found most of them to be kind of funny and quirky. But not this one - this book was written in a more "normal" fashion than she normally does, but it drew me in as soon as I started reading it. With her other books, I often found that most of her characters in her books were strange but in a funny/endearing way, but not this book. There were some characters who didn't make me want to be friends with. I felt that her portrayals of Branwell (being a pre-teen) were very realistic and made me sympathize with what he was struggling with (love, loneliness, perfectionism in exchange for love/acceptance, budding sexuality, friendship) - as a mom of a boy, I felt it was very good for me to read this. Maybe when my son is a bit older, I may recommend it to him.
August 9, 2017
It was a little long winded for the outcome being something I mostly suspected all along. I found the dialogue to be a little jarring too, how no one really seemed to speak or act their age. But I liked it enough to finish it so I guess that's something.
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September 26, 2018i think that people should read this because this book has multiple different symbols and it is actually really different hearing and waiting for the true story
June 19, 2022
I enjoyed reading this, but it was really obvious to me where the story was going and I had a hard time believing a kid’s investigation would go so smoothly.
January 25, 2024
messy YA fiction. Enjoyable dialogue and character building. Strong topics of neglect, exploration of power dynamics.
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