In a new world of blended families where parents sometimes die, sometimes divorce, sometimes remarry and worst of all sometimes have new babies, where does the older child fit?Branwell Zamborska and Connor Kane have been best friends for a very long time. They have a lot in common; they are both quirky. Like a lot of kids in the town, their parents work at the university. Their fathers are a genetics professor and the university Registrar respectively, their mothers are PhD holding lab assistants and psychologists. They have their own jokes, code words and a private language shorthand, and each is in a blended family. So when Branwell goes mute during the 911 call to emergency services after his six month old half-sister Nikki stops breathing, his friend Connor decides to try and communicate with him. Using flashcards with some carefully chosen words written on them he tries to find out what is wrong, because being Branwell’s friend, he knows there is something wrong.Branwell loves words and for him to stop using them altogether is a large red flag to Connor. Plus, he is being held in the Juvenile Detention centre while Nikki struggles for life in a coma. He won’t, or can’t, talk to his lawyer or his father. His new stepmother doesn’t visit.The first word Branwell blinks twice at is ‘Margaret’, Connor’s adult half-sister, so he enlists her to help and together they investigate. Margaret says she understands because when Connor came into the world she was in Branwell’s position. But Branwell’s mother died when he was born and Dr Z, as Connor calls him, spent all his time with Branwell until he remarried. Margaret says Dr Z may be highly intelligent but he is also very stupid.The second word is ‘the ancestors’ - Branwell’s term for his grandparents.Another word is ‘911 call’ and when Margaret gets a tape of the call analysed at the university digital lab, another voice can be heard in the background. Someone else was in the house along with Branwell and the English au pair, Vivian.Margaret invites Vivian over for dinner and after refilling her wine glass a lot, they hear her side of the story. She describes it as practising for her deposition statement, but she never mentions the other person who was clearly there at the time of the accident and she says a lot of things about Branwell that Connor just can’t believe.~~~Kid 3 insisted that I read it and it was a good recommendation.The boys are about thirteen and they seem a little different but they are friends because they are different. And they were never really treated as children by their parents. This is a world of faxes and a rare mobile phone so I guess it is about the nineties. There is no Google for instance. Konigsburg deals with some major issues in this charming book; communication or the lack of it, growing up, awakening sexuality, and the realisation that sometimes adults do not know everything. If you are concerned about young teens being exposed to these things, then keeping silent is clearly not the solution. As Connor discovers, Branwell’s silence started a long time before he actually stopped speaking.
Silent to the Bone, by E.L. Konigsburg is the second book that I have read in the past few weeks that involves the main character who has withdrawn from using the spoken word. We live in a world where people communicate by speaking, the main characters in both of the novels were voiceless. This type of protest, avoidance or inability to speak-up fascinates me. I cannot imagine my life without the spoken word or loss of my voice. In Silent to the Bone, Branwell Zamborska is a teen-ager whose voice disappears right in the middle of a 911 call to report an emergency regarding his baby step-sister, Nikki. His sister lies in a coma, and Branwell is suspected of committing the injury, and is locked up in a juvenile behavior center. He is unable to speak of the true events that occurred the day of Nikki’s accident. During these chapters, I found myself wanting to know why Branwell is keeping himself physically and emotionally a prisoner. I was excited at this point to read on to hear what the true circumstances were of that day, and hoping that his voice would return.In order to figure out what happened to baby Nikki, Branwell is fortunate to have a best friend named Connor who decides that he will find out the truth, and begins to investigate the mystery of what truly happened the night of the emergency. Connor uses an elaborate system of flash cards and Branwell’s blinking to get a silent commentary of the events that took place that day. I felt Connor is quite clever in his approach to find the truth. From reading, I gained much respect for Connor, would I be so persistent to help and patient with Branwell? The relationship between these two characters is impressive. Branwell is desperate to find ways to communicate, and Connor develops creative ways for Branwell to be able to express himself without using words. This determination from both parties speaks volumes of their close bond that is displayed throughout the book.During the emergency call, the British au pair to baby Nikki, Vivian is introduced. Something did not feel right about this character from the beginning of the novel. When this character was mentioned, there was something that felt uneasy to me about her dealings with Branwell and the family. Vivian blackmails Branwell with her advances, and leads the investigation array when she mentions Branwell’s obsession with baby Nikki’s diaper changes.An important character Margaret is brought into the mix. Margaret is Conner’s intelligent, adult half-sister who assists Connor in his investigation, and helps to unravel the details of the truth of that dreaded day. Silent to the Bone does not feel like a mystery or a “whodunit” story, it is so much more complex. The author uses careful language and symbolism that captures the reader’s attention. The themes of communication, relationships, the power of our voices and how we use our “voice” runs throughout the entire novel.
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This book is about a13 year old guy named Branwell, he has a dad, step-mom and step-sister. When his sister was 3 months old, she was sleeping and he was standing beside her and somehow she fell out of her bed and he got blamed for it. And then when he called 911, the police man said Hello like 5 times and then anyone there and the mother said tell him what happened, hurry, we need the ambulance fast. But Branwell couldn't speak. He was disable. The doctor and his parents thought he was taking a moment of silence, but he wouldn't speak for 2 days. ANd then the police decided since he had dropped his little sister, he should be responsible because he's old enough, but he wasn't old enough to go to jail. So he went to a behavioural centre. Branwell is a suspect of a horrible crime and unable to utter the words to tell what really happened. Connor, his best friend is the only one who can break through his wall of silence. But how can Connor prove Branwell didn't commit the unspeakable act which he's accused-When Branwell can't speak for himself?:):)"Connor's voice shines throughout the novel. It is cleverly written. and full of wit, plot twists and engaging characters":D
—Leena Ali
Quite a page turner! I read this book because it is one of the few by E.L. Konigsburg that I have never read. I found it in a book store years ago and started to read it, but never picked it up again until yesterday.I love how the author interweaves her stories. This book is connected to several of her other works, such as "The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place" and "The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World," in a very subtle, realistic way. I enjoy making those connections and see the pieces fit together.The story is very well-written and intriguing. You definitely want to find out what happens to make Branwell stop talking. The characters are engaging, amusing, and intelligent. I would like to know why it was left up to a 13 year old kid to do all the investigating, were no officials involved at all? Overall it was a good book. It might be a little mature with themes of child abuse/neglect, I would suggest age 15 and up.WARNINGS:Sex: mentioned between adults, some adult female nudityDrugs: adults drinking wineViolence: accidental abuse of a childLanguage: none
—Summer Turner
This book really drew me in. I think the author has a great many insightful comments about life and relationships. The description of shame seemed off base to me and might be confusing to a younger reader as well. In general, the book discusses feelings in a way that makes us really think about them. In my opinion this book would be good for the middle school age group since it is a great mystery story. It is mostly about relationships both between friends and between siblings and the importance of trust. I loved Conner's older half-sister Margaret. There is a sense of innocence about the story even though there are a few sexual references. I felt that the references pointed out some things that happen in real life and maybe serve as a warning to the reader--an older person seduces a younger person for her own manipulative purposes. Why do kids keep quiet about these things? The book would have been more sinister if the older person was a man and the younger person was a girl. It isn't like the real-life incidents of child abuse or neglect that are splashed all over the media when they happen:the Louise Woodward case for example. When parents leave their children in care they should pay attention to what is going on. I can see why Branwell feels hurt that his father doesn't pay attention to anyone but his step mother after he falls in love with her. Branwell is the central relationship in his father's life...and then he is not. Conner is able to understand the situation better by listening to his sister Margaret's feelings about their own blended family and how things changed when their father married Connor's mother. We don't see the parents' side in any of this because the narrator is a 14 year old boy. It seemed to me that Branwell should have been in a psych ward not juvie. The father obviously loved his son according to Conner's account so it didn't make sense that he didn't find a way to get him out of that place. If the book was for an older teen, we would definitely have a glimpse of how awful Juvenile Detention can be especially for a kid that is as naiive as Branwell. Why did Conner use cards to communicate when Branwell was capable of writing something down? That was never totally explained. On the other hand, using the cards with an eye blink signal system did make the story more intriguing and gave a step by step flow to the story so nothing is reveled suddenly. It kept me guessing what was the next clue Branwell was going to give Conner as the mystery unfolded layer by layer.Overall a very satisfying read. Almost a happy ending.
—Wisteriouswoman
