 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Silent to the Bone
- By E. L. Konigsburg
- Genre: Mystery
Common Sense Media says
Absorbing mystery includes child abuse, sexual manipulation.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this book includes all the hallmarks of a classic mystery story surrounding an infant in a coma. Connor is a loyal friend, determined to discover the truth, and ultimately justice -- and friendship! -- prevail. But mature details make this a better choice for tweens and up: the plot deals with a baby being shaken and injured, and there's an undercurrent of sexual tension in the book between two 13-year-old boys and an adult au pair.
What's the story?
Here are the facts: Branwell Zamborska's baby half-sister, Nikki, has had a head injury and is in a coma. No one knows whether she will survive. Vivian, the Zamborska's British au pair, has given a deposition that Bran, after showing an unhealthy interest in changing Nikki's diapers, dropped her. Bran has lapsed into silence, unable to speak, and has been placed in an institution while prosecutors ready a case against him. Only his best friend, Connor, believes in him. Connor visits Bran every day and develops a way to communicate with him using flash cards. But instead of telling Connor what happened, Bran uses the cards to send him on a series of errands designed to help him piece together the whole story.
Is it any good?
The engrossing nature of this story can't be denied. It follows the formula of a classic mystery, with red herrings, a climactic revelation, and detective Connor putting the pieces together. Readers will admire Connor's dedication to his friend, and be glad when justice -- and friendship -- prevail.
Unfortunately, none of the key elements -- the characters, the emotions, the psychology -- ring true. E. L. Konigsburg's child characters have always been precociously gifted, but in recent novels, such as The View From Saturday, she has strayed perilously close to making them indistinguishable from very clever adults, and here she goes over the line. Neither Connor (who tells the story) nor Bran are credible young teens; they don't talk -- or, more importantly, think -- like kids at all. And the adults in the story, save Margaret, are just detestable. Readers may also not be convinced by the connection between the nanny's sexual manipulation of Bran and his silence (and be troubled that it is never really called abuse). Though the identity of the culprit will surprise no one, readers might be unsatisfied by the punishment given to the person who actually abused Nikki.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about mature material in books for kids and teens. This book features both a badly injured baby and an au pair, who is inappropriately sexual toward a young teen. What age is the book best for? Did the material here surprise you?
Have you read other E.L Konigsburg books? Do you see any similarities between this book and her other works, like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler? How are her protagonists similar?
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AGE
Not for 6th Graders!
Each year I encourage my children to read books from the school's suggested reading list. I often read the books before my children do so that I can discuss the content with them. Last summer I read Silent to the Bone by E. L. Konigsburg, a selection from the 6th grade list.
I was appalled to find Konigburg’s book to be several grades over my child’s head in terms of its sexual content. It is about a young boy who has an erection and feels so guilty about it that he literally stops talking (read the title again). The episode occurs when the naked, older, unmarried babysitter cozies up to him in the bathroom after bathing. The narrative includes a reference to a “Viagra thing” happening to the boy. The scene takes place after the babysitter has had sex with her biker boyfriend in the adjoining bedroom while the parents aren’t home.
Naturally, I don’t think that this book should be “suggested” for sixth graders. Remember, sixth grade children are 10, 11 and 12 years old.
The sexual content of this book is not what we should be teaching our 10, 11 and 12 year olds, at least not without the consent of the parents. To do so in this example would mean that we would first need to explain to a 10 year old the notion of premarital sex, why the main character in the book feels so guilty about his adolescent erection, and what Viagra is and why it was referenced. In Silent to the Bone, we learn in fiction that premarital sex is acceptable and that normal adolescent events are shameful and cause for terrible guilt.
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AGE
Tread carefully
My 12 year old was upset by the distrubing sexual content that is revealed in the last pages. I should have been more wary about the age range given on the book itself, which said ages 10-14; I think ages 14 or up would be better.
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AGE
Not for young teens
My 12-year-old daugther was very embarrased by sexual content in this book. The conduct of the adult nanny with a 13-year-old boy is very disturbing and not something for young teens to be reading.
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AGE
Doesn't make sense, but is discusting in the meanwhile
Dont read, please
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AGE
Do not read! You will waste precious hours of your life! Read something like Doctor Zhivago instead.
I had to read this book for school, and I found it dull and slow. Once I'd put it down I dreaded picking it up again. I love to read, but this wasn't enjoyable. I thought the writing was poor and the story unbelievable. I didn't want to spend time reading about two teenage boys struggling with adolescence.
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AGE
While this book is partially a family story and partially a mystery, the message and the main plot center around the friendship between two 13 (?) year old boys. The book emphasizes the power of love and the necessity of trust in friendship, and shows the way that secrets can tear people apart.
This book has very strong, positive themes (love, friendship, the destructive force of secrets and shame, familial bonds, the process of growing up, and above all, the power of friendship) and I would strongly recommend it for anyone 13 and up.
Parents should know that it does deal with somewhat mature issues at times, but trust me, it is not even close to being half as bad as the majority of the stuff in the media these days, and it deals with them in a mature, non-invasive way that I think is very accessible for young adults.
Yes, a part of this book deals with a kid experiencing sexual feelings for the first time, but that is NOT the main point at all and the book does not treat it like a good thing. In fact, it makes it very, very clear that the adult behaved wrong and the boy was not to blame. In an age where the media focuses on men abusing young girls, it's good to have a book that isn't afraid to address the difficult truth that it can happen the other way around (a woman abusing a young boy.) Also, this part of the book is a very brief part--the vast majority of the book contains no mention of sex, and it is never portrayed as 'cool' or 'fun.'
But, again, that is NOT the point of the book.
I first read the book when I was about eleven, and I didn't even understand what happened in the infamous 'scene,' but I loved the book regardless--my point being, I came away from it with a positive message (the power of love) and not grossed out and/or corrupted by what I'd read. When I was old enough to get what had happened, it only enhanced my understanding of the story. I've re-read that book every year since the first reading (I am now 20) and every time reveals something new, deep, and touching. I've never read a book that better captures the beauty, heartache, fun, confusion, and love that are part of any true friendship. Definitely recommend it to any teenagers looking for a compelling story that captures the confusion of adolescence without resorting to copious amounts of drugs, drinking, sex, etc.
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AGE
Not that great..
The sexuality is very very very mild and the violence is nothing
I read this in my reading class and i got a C- because the book was so bad that I could really read it. But I what happens because we had discusions about the book every day.
The sex/nudity is nothing at all and there is not violence
(from a perspective of someone who reads Steven King books)
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| Author: | E. L. Konigsburg |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Mystery |
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
| Publication date: | January 1, 2000 |
| Number of pages: | 261 |
| Paperback price: | $5.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 9 - 12 |
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