Silent to the Bone

Amazon.com
What happened on Wednesday, November 25, 2:43 P.M., Eastern Standard Time, to cause Branwell Zamborska to become mute? All anyone knows is that he called 911 because his baby sister, Nikki, had stopped breathing, and when he was unable to speak to the operator, Vivian, the English au pair, came on the line to say that Branwell had dropped the baby and shaken her. His best friend, Connor, begins visiting him at the juvenile behavioral center, where he has been sent while Nikki remains in a coma at the hospital. Working out a code they both can use, Connor begins the long process of trying to communicate with his friend to find out what really happened. With the help of his own half-sister and some canny detective work, Connor uncovers a complex, multilayered tale of human desires, adolescent confusion, and a touch of menace.

ANNOTATION

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.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

"This middle-grade novel combines a plot loosely based on a real case with a taut psychological mystery. The author inlays the story with tantalizing facts and peoples it with her hallmark idiosyncratic characters and joins every element seamlessly," said PW's Best Books citation. Ages 10-14. (Jan.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

The latest from Newbery Medalist Konigsburg--a taut novel with the momentum of a detective story--never catches fire in this ultimately disappointing audio adaptation. When his infant half sister Nikki appears unconscious, 13-year-old Branwell Zamborska rushes to call for help. But when the 911 operator asks him for key information, Branwell cannot speak; he's been struck mute, seemingly by the tragic, frightening situation. The family's British au pair completes the emergency call and accuses Branwell of injuring the baby. While Nikki lies in a coma at the hospital, Branwell is sent to a facility for troubled youths. It's there that Branwell's best friend Connor Kane devises a code for communicating with Branwell and, with help from his older half sister Margaret, begins to untangle the truth about what really happened to Nikki. Konigsburg's crisply drawn tale crackles on the page as narrated by Connor. But McGillin never truly inhabits Connor's skin. He seems to strain for a chipper, youthful intonation in each sentence. And with this forced rhythm, McGill fails to convey the emotional intensity and suspense of the text. Ages 10-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

The transcript of a distress call to 911 opens this story of silences, emergent sexuality, family and honor. Someone dropped Branwell's baby sister and Vivian, the pretty au pair, accuses him. But Branwell has stopped being able to speak, so no one knows his side of the story. When his best friend, Connor, is called in to help, the boys develop a creative method of communicating. Connor spreads out flashcards in front of Bran, who blinks at the one carrying a word or symbol that represents something or someone to the boys. Like the other children we have met from the town of Epiphany (The View from Saturday), these boys are bright and painfully sensitive. Connor gradually pieces together the crucial events, as well as Bran's emotional situation, by beginning to feel the allure of Vivian's taunting sexuality. By enlisting the help of his adult half-sister, and speaking with Branwell's father and stepmother, he facilitates some much needed bonding in both blended families. Although Vivian is drawn one-dimensionally as a sexual predator and cruelly neglectful babysitter, Connor and Branwell's story will speak volumes to sensitive young teen readers. 2000, Atheneum, $17.00. Ages 12 to 14. Reviewer: Jendy Murphy

VOYA

Newbery Award winner for both The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Atheneum, 1967) and The View from Saturday (Atheneum, 1996), Konigsburg provides mystery and intrigue, woven with wit and warmth in this multilayered detective story. Fans of The View from Saturday will revisit the setting of Epiphany, New York, and be introduced to more teens who harbor exceptional vocabularies and above-average intellectual abilities. Readers quickly become engaged in thirteen-year-old Conner's twenty-day search to determine why his best friend, Branwell, has stopped talking, and how this silence is linked to Branwell's baby sister's coma. Before the accident, the two boys loved to play games with words; afterward, Conner relies on their unique forms of communication to help solve the mystery and to help Branwell emerge from his silent world. Conner's search not only helps Branwell, it also brings the two boys closer to their families, which have been strained due to divorce, death, and remarriage. This book takes the themes of friendship, family, loyalty, trust, communication, and growing up and merges them into a tightly woven tale that explores human relationships at their deepest levels. At first, some readers might be put off by the brilliant characters' sophisticated banter, but the pace will quickly grab readers' attention as they try to determine the reason for Branwell's silence. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2000, Atheneum/S & S, 272p, $16. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: Denise Beasley

SOURCE: VOYA, December 2000 (Vol. 23, No. 5)

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