All These Bodies
By Carrie R. Wheadon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Thoughtful, macabre mystery with great main characters.
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What's the Story?
In ALL THESE BODIES, 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at a murder scene in the small town of Black Deer Falls, Minnesota. She's in the middle of a family room with three dead bodies drained of blood and soaked in blood. No one thinks she's the killer -- she's just a tiny teen girl -- or that she's solely responsible for the 14 other bodies found in other parts of the Midwest similarly exsanguinated, but clearly she has something to do with it. Marie is taken to the station until she gives up her accomplice. It's not long before the press descends and the district attorney of Nebraska, the state where the first murders occurred, starts to fight for her extradition. Marie insists she will tell her story, but only to the sheriff's son, 17-year-old Michael. Michael knows right away he's in over his head, but begins to interview Marie anyway. His most pressing question: What happened to all the blood? When Marie's answer veers into supernatural territory, Michael doesn't know what to believe or how he can save Marie from a hasty execution.
Is It Any Good?
This macabre, supernatural murder mystery focuses on its great characters and unfolds in a socially conscious way. The great characters are both Michael and Marie Catherine Hale, drawn to each other and incredibly different. Michael is a steadfast pursuer of the truth and suffers about every kind of injustice from his community that's easily swayed by salacious headlines and gossip. Marie faces off against her terrible beginnings and a system that will only see her as a virginal victim or a sexually depraved murderer. As Michael's interrogation gets closer to the truth, the truth gets wilder and harder to grasp.
The lurking presence of Marie's accomplice in the small town adds some fantastic tension. Michael and friends are toyed with in creepy ways. It's a surprise that the teens can sneak out at all to get toyed with, given how terrorized the town is supposed to be, actually, but it does keep the threat alive in our minds as Marie's time with Michael runs short. Before Marie leaves the local jail for good, though, there are more bodies to discover and most twists to keep readers guessing right up until the last sentence.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the sexism Marie faces in All These Bodies. The story is set in 1958-59. Would a girl accused of murder be seen any differently today? Would the press handle her story the same or differently?
Imagine if the story were set in the time of social media. How do you think it would impact how people saw Marie's case? If Michael was on the most popular social media platform, what do you think he would have shared on it? What would he have kept to himself?
Let's talk about the ending without giving anything away. Did you see it coming? Is the ending satisfying?
Book Details
- Author: Kendare Blake
- Genre: Mystery
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , High School , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Quill Tree Books
- Publication date: September 21, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 17
- Number of pages: 304
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: October 5, 2021
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