Silent Voice

by Julia Cunningham

Book Overview

A fourteen-year-old street urchin who can not speak is befriended by a famous Parisian mime. They change each other's lives. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525392955
• ISBN13: 9780525392958
• Release Date: October 1981
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 145 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Excellent

This is the third book in the trilogy about the mute Auguste, that began with Burnish Me Bright and Far in the Day. This book finds Auguste, now fourteen, back in France, alone on the streets of Paris. He falls in with a group of street children, led by the resourceful girl Astair. Recognizing his talent, she takes Auguste to a school for mime, where he flourishes. But not everyone is happy to see a penniless street urchin become the star student in the school. Although I enjoyed all the books about Auguste, this one is by far the best. The story of the poor orphan struggling to survive is wonderfully Victorian, and sweetly sentimental. Auguste is an unusual and compelling character. Highly recommended, even if you haven't read the first two books. Also, I'm not sure why this book is listed as "baby/preschool" in the description above, because it's not. This is definitely a Young Adult book.

The Best Book

I read this book a while back, so I don't really remember any details. I've been trying to find another copy, and it really is a shame that it has gone out of print. In any case, I do remember that this is one of the best books I've ever read. It's light reading, no more than 100 pages, but the message it conveys is deep and touching. This is a story about a mute boy who must earn himself a living using his own unique ways of expression, while holding himself up against those who make his life miserable. A wonderful book.