Books for Prep | |
 - A rapid readingThis book is easy to read, and not boring, I hope to read some other books by the author Rating:  - The Rag and Bone ShopI purchased a class set of this novel for my freshmen class. The enthusiasm for it was overwhelming and although it is a tragic topic, the resolution was appropriate for this age level. It is an easy read and allowed for most reading levels. Vocabulary is fairly basic and the concepts were clear. I highly recommend it as an independent reading book which can also be easily summarized and critiqued by the students Rating: - Exploring the Human Condition with R. CormierWhen seven-year-old Alicia Bartlett is mysteriously murdered, Trent, a relentless ace investigator for the police department, finds himself faced with a difficult and irresistible moral decision. Is it worth the risk to sacrifice truth for the sake of his impeccable reputation? As Trent interviews Jason, a thirteen-year-old friend of the victim and the last person to see her alive, he questions whether or not the innocent, naive boy, too, is expendable. With no clues as to the identity of the murderer, Trent's hard-earned, perfect record of criminal confessions is in danger. But young Jason has even more to lose. Concisely and subtly, yet effectively and without didacticism, Cormier bravely poses a question facing the human condition: what price would one pay for success, love, and reputation? In this dark novel, the protagonist struggles against himself. The reader is afforded a glimpse of the same "foul rag and bone shop of the heart" of humanity that Trent claims to visit in each criminal he interrogates. The backdrop settings, from the freshness of a sunny and carefree early-summer vacation day, to the sweltering confines of the tortuous interrogation room, are highly effective in reinforcing the chacterization and heightening the tension of the plot. The unexpected denouement is thought-provoking and alarming. This novel may not be for everyone, though. Raw emotional brutality is part of the plot and may be too frank and offensive to some readers. Rating:  - Guilty Until Proven InnocentRobert Cormier, the Godfather of YA Lit, gave us one last effort with THE RAG AND BONE SHOP, and this troubling, novella-length book aims squarely at a favorite Cormier theme: the misuse and abuse of authority. The intriguing title comes by way of a W.B. Yeats poem with the lines "I must lie down where all the ladders start/In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart." Foul? There's plenty to go around in this economic cautionary tale (like a short story, it can be read in one sitting). First there's an opening scene with a man named Trent -- a Vermont detective -- extracting a confession from a 17-year-old murderer. In fact, Trent has developed quite the reputation for using psychology to coax confessions from killers. Cormier uses this brief opening scene to show the master at work. Meanwhile, in familiar Monument, Massachusetts -- home to many Cormier books -- 7-year-old Alicia Bartlett has been murdered. The last person to see her alive was our 12-year-old protagonist, Jason Dorrant. An average kid who has some difficulty making friends, Jason gets along better with younger kids than kids his own age. Little did he realize how risky this odd fact might become. The wrong person at the wrong place at the wrong time, young Jason will become the focal point of a witch hunt to find the killer -- fast. Detective Trent is called in to accomplish just that, and then the fun begins. The book's strength lies in the interrogation techniques used by Trent on Jason. The back-and-forth is riveting and deeply disturbing. If you ever wondered if America was truly the land of "guilty until proven innocent" instead of "innocent until proven guilty"; if you ever wondered if innocent people ever went to the gas chambers or to lethal injection due to rushes to judgment by the police; if you ever wondered if the power of the word and the net of the law could easily entrap -- then this detective vs. suspect stretch of the book is for you and will not disappoint. What does disappoint is the ending. It comes out of nowhere. As a reader, I have no problem with surprise endings, but they have to be realistic and this one is not. At all. And even if I allowed that the ending WAS possible, it would never occur as quickly in time as this one seems to. Despite that, I round up a 3.5 rating and give Cormier the lifetime achievement benefit of the doubt here. Not anywhere near the equal to I AM THE CHEESE or THE CHOCOLATE WAR, THE RAG AND BONE SHOP will nevertheless provide a diverting hour or two some lazy afternoon. It's food for thought, this book. Just pass on the dessert (the ending). Rating:  - Bad EndingWhen I saw this book, I was very interested in reading it. The plot sounded interesting and I couldn't wait to see the outcome. Jason is a 12 year old boy who is accused of murdering Alicia, the 7 year old sister of one of Jason's "friends". Trent is the interrogator hired to interrogate Jason and make him confess murdering Alicia. I read this book in one day for the same reason I decided to read the book: to see the outcome. It wasn't the most exciting book to read and I found myself confused during Trent and Jason's conversations, but overall it was okay. When I got to the ending, I have to say I hated it. I absolutely hated it. I won't say any more, but this book is not one I would read again. However, I do think it is a worthwhile read for people over 13 due to most of the context within the book. This book is gory at times and for mature readers. Overall, The Rag and Bone Shop was an okay read, but definitely not one of my favorites. In association with Amazon.com | |