Silent to the Bone

by E.L. Konigsburg

Book Overview

When he is wrongly accused of gravely injuring his baby half-sister, thirteen-year-old Branwell loses his power of speech and only his friend Connor is able to reach him and uncover the truth about what really happened.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0439329574
• ISBN13: 9780439329576
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Length: 261 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

An Amazing Book!

Once again, E.L. Koningsburg has pulled off a thoroughly astounding book. The whole book is about a task assigned to Connor involving his very best friend, Branwell Zamborska. In the end, this mission proves to be much more difficult than it first sounded. After being accused of dropping his baby half sister, Nikki, Bran suddenly stops talking. He is sent to a Behavioral Center where Connor visits him every single day in an effort to make his buddy speak. With the help of Connor's half sister, Margaret, as well as some hints dropped along the way, Connor tries to put the mystery together. He is constantly wondering what really happened that Wednesday afternoon. However, this didn't come without some hard work and major dedication. Piece by piece, he plugs along with very little complaining. I have to admit that it took a chapter or two for me to fully get into the book. From there on out, I was reading a mile-a-minute. Koningsburg uses her remarkable talent in writing to suck us into the story and keep us glued. In an effort to solve the mystery, Conner thinks of ingenious ways to persuade Branwell to talk and to somehow communicate with him. This was just one of the qualities that I loved about the book. All in all, Silent to the Bone was amazing. I highly recommend it to readers older than 11 or 12. This is due to some mature content in the story. As with all of E.L. Koningsburg's books, this one always left me hanging. I could not stop my fingers from creeping to the bottom of the page to flip it.

Silent to the Bone- Gripping and Thought-Provoking

E.L. Konigsburg's Silent to the Bone is an excellent choice for the young, but mature reader. The story of Branwell's silence following an incident in his home keeps the reader in suspense. Branwell's friend is the only person who may be able to help him break his silence. He attempts this by understanding that this silence is a sure way of communication. And sees it as so. The characters are very well developed and the story is all together unpredictable, which forces the reader not to put it down. Though I hoped that this book would be an appropriate read-aloud for sixth graders, I found that it was not, due to some sexual content. But, I do recommend it for mature kids ages 12 and up.

Simply Marvelous

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.*Also, I would like to warn anyone who's not read the book to not read the "eleven-year-old from New York"'s (April 10, 2001) review. It gives away all of the ending to this very suspenceful story.

A new kind of Konigsburg

E.L. Konigsburg's writing has been migrating in style and subject matter; her latest work. Silent to the Bone, is ample proof of that. It's also proof that she can write anything she wants to. It is an excellent and intense book that explores family, friendship, love, and lies with Konigsburg's accustomed skill and intelligence.The main character and narrator is Connor. Branwell, Connor's best friend, has been accused of seriously injuring his baby sister Nikki, and has been unable to speak since she was hurt. Connor visits Branwell in the detention center, where he realizes that he must first learn to communicate with his friend and then learn what really happened to Nikki. Connor is a very intelligent kid, but still real and fully-fleshed. In fact, the main characters of this book - Connor, Branwell, the au pair, and Connor's sister - are all very well developed, as are the relationships between them.Although the subject is rather grim, the book itself is not. The primary focus is actually Connor's detective work, the ways in which he goes about discovering what happened both in Branwell's house and in Branwell's head. The plot is gripping and believeable, and the truths - about Branwell's sister, but many others as well - unfold naturally, without calling attention to themselves. Although Konigsburg rarely makes blatent statements about emotions or complex relationships - people mostly don't, after all - she makes everything clear to the reader. The family relationships, for example, are for the most part background, but so perfectly drawn that they are easy to see and understand. Although it's very different from her early works, like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Silent to the Bone is every bit as good. It's certainly better than The View from Saturday, which was a Newbery book. I would suggest that it is more of a YA book, for a slightly older audience than the age range suggests. A nine-year-old could read and enjoy this, but he'd have to be a fairly mature one. SIAS: Average boy uses wits, compassion, and help from sister to uncover the truth, protect the helpless, and save the day. (Ands: 2, cliches: 3, ranking: ?)(And a side note: *what* is with Konigsburg's obsession with the word epiphany?)