Books for Prep | |
 - The Power of SuggestionA little girl, seven years old, has been murdered. She is found out in the woods with a wound on the side of her head that looks like it was made by a rock. The last person to see her was a twelve-year-old neighbor, Jason. Jason liked the little girl and often stopped by her home to talk and to watch her put together jigsaw puzzles. Jason is very upset when she dies. Little does Jason know that he is the chief suspect in this murder. A superstar investigator named Trent, famous for getting people to admit their guilt, has been called in to talk to Jason and get him to confess to this murder. Trent and Jason are together alone in a small room at the police station. Will Jason confess? Did he commit this murder after all? Robert Cormier writes very vivid characters, who each have flaws as well as their strengths. I liked the psychological question that this story raises about children and the power of suggestion. Rating:  - Forever Changed by Certain Events of Our LivesThe last of Robert Cormier's 16 novels, THE RAG AND BONE SHOP is a chilling conclusion to this writer's fabulous career and life (January 17, 1925 - November 2, 2000). I can't say I've ever finished a book and felt the way I did after this one. Far from a happy ending, it'll have you thinking for hours. "I must lie down where all the ladders start / In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart." ~ William Butler Yeats The district has called in expert interrogator Trent for a special case. The whole town of Monument is riled up and wants a confession. They need a perp to make themselves feel better. Seven-year-old Alicia Bartlett's body is found in the trees a short ways off the path with no physical evidence. All they have to go on is the last person to see her alive, twelve-year-old Jason Dorrant. Jason has a short history of violence, but if someone were to ask him about it, he would say that punching Bobo Kelton was necessary. After all, he'd touched little Alicia inappropriately, and no one had done anything about it, not even Alicia. Alicia intrigues Jason. She's honest, smart, expert at puzzles, and befriends him when the rest of the world doesn't. The trouble is that Alicia's dead now. Trent needs a confession to move further up the ranks. Jason's trapped without an alibi. And the town wants blood. The tale Cormier weaves from this situation amounts to a social statement, or question, about the roles adults have in the formation of young lives. Are we innately good, or evil? Or perhaps we are forever changed by certain events of our lives, ones we'll never be able to forget, ones we'll eventually have to act on before our minds take over. -- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens Rating: - A Puzzling Mystery!This book is an exciting book with lots of emotions and feelings. Robert Cormier successfully stretches a 20 minute situation in over 100 pages! He expresses the character's feelings well while describing the setting very descriptively. This novel is a puzzling mystery about a 7 year old girl murdered. It's up to detective Trent to interrogate suspects- or force them to admit. He interrogates Jason, the prime suspect. Jason is a 13 year old boy who visited Alicia often. Trent interrogates Jason... The ending is baffling and makes you wonder a whole lot. The book is based on relationships and emotions. This book is a good mystery, and it expresses the emotions well. People who like mysteries will be baffled. Rating:  - Long and BoringI thought the point of this book was interesting but very badly written, the only reason I got until the end was because I wanted to know how it will end. I was disappointed. This is an over 100-page-book written about something that happened in 20 minutes. If you like reading yourself too sleep this book is perfect for you. Rating:  - Jason's ReviewI liked this book because the ending was a huge surprise to me. I never knew what's going to happen next. This story is about a boy named Jason who the police think killed Alicia so they call him to an interrogation to see who really murdered Alicia, to bring out the truth in him... or not. I think some one who likes suspense stories would like this book. In association with Amazon.com | |