#49--The Rag and Bone Shop

Bibliographic Information

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier. Laurel Leaf. (2003)

Price: $16.45 for hardcover; $6.99 for mass market paperback

Pages: 176 for mass market paperback

Note: This was originally published in 2001.

Plot Summary

Soon –to-be eighth grader, Jason, has difficulty getting along with people his own age. Hard working and quiet, he just doesn’t connect with his classmates, a mutual feeling as they constantly ignore him. Jason does, however, enjoying spending time with younger kids like his eight year old sister Emma and the neighborhood kid, seven year old Alicia.

But when Alicia is found murdered, Jason becomes the primary suspect. After all, he was the last to see her alive and forensics determined that Alicia had not fought her attacker. Jason, however, is ignorant of his status and so eagerly agrees to visit the police station and hopefully help in the investigation. He eventually realizes that the police do not trust him as he must endure an intense interrogation led by an interrogator who always gets his man. Will Jason be able to convince the authorities that he didn’t kill Alicia or will he be sentenced for a crime he didn’t commit?

Critical Evaluation

Cormier’s The Rag and Bone Shop is a truly disturbing novel that explores how people can inflict severe psychological torture in order to get what they want. While there are many fascinating elements within the book perhaps the most intriguing is the characterization. Even though the novel is only 154 pages Cormier manages to not only create a sympathetic character in Jason but a complex portrayal of Trent the interrogator. Naturally, readers are repulsed by Trent as he is tempted to force Jason into a confession that will greatly benefit his career. However, readers cannot simply dismiss Trent as a villain as Cormier expertly inserts whispers of Trent’s troubled past—the sudden death of his wife, the emotional toll of interrogation, the promise and denial of a new beginning. Ultimately, Cormier has created a masterpiece in The Rag and Bone Shop as readers are left to ponder how much a person’s actions are shaped by the suggestions of another.

Reader’s Annotation

When a little girl is killed, twelve year old Jason is the prime suspect in a murder he did not commit. How will he convince the expert interrogator that he didn’t do it?

About the Author

In 1991, the American Library Association awarded a lifetime achievement award (the Margaret A. Edwards) to Robert Cormier and it is easy to see why. Cormier never shied away from difficult topics like bullying, sexuality, and terrorism. Sadly, he died of lung cancer in 2000. The Rag and Bone Shop was published posthumously a year after his death.

To learn more about Robert Cormier visit: Fantastic Fiction and The Guardian

Genre

Realistic fiction, Gritty fiction

Readalikes

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

·         Shares the same author

Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg

·         A boy must figure out how to clear his best friend’s name while his best friend remains silent.

The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci

·         Also about kids who are suspected of murder but are innocent

Tags

Manipulation, abuse of authority, corrupt police, innocence & guilt, 12 year old, child murdered, fitting in, loneliness, identity, murder, grief, jigsaw puzzles, Massachusetts, 8^th grade, bullying, sexual assault, psychological torture, verbal interrogation

Awards Won/Lists On

2002 ALA’s Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults

2002 TAYSHAS (in Texas) High School Reading List

2003 Kentucky Bluegrass Master List

Professional Reviews

Booklist

Kirkus Reviews

 Publishers' Weekly

Booktalk Ideas

A booktalk could focus on the following:

·         How would you respond to an interrogation? Mention specifics.

o   Restlessness? Shifting in seat? (85)

·         How is an interrogation conducted? Mention specifics.

o   Small space (75-76)

o   Hot room (88)

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book could be used to discuss abuse of authority, the power of suggestion, and how a good person can be corrupted. It could be used for teens that have experienced extreme manipulation, particularly verbal manipulation.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 5^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Abuse of authority

·         Corrupt law enforcement

·         Psychological torture

·         Child murder

·         Bullying & sexual assault

Librarians can point out that this book can be used by parents to talk about the responsibility of authority and individuals. It’s also a great book to use to discuss bullying, specifically the kind that often goes undetected where people use body language and words to convince you of your own worthlessness.

Why Was This Included?

I included The Rag and Bone Shop because I’ve always been curious about Cormier’s work. I’ve heard his name many times and had yet to read any of his books. I chose to read The Rag and Bone Shop over The Chocolate War because I heard that The Chocolate War had a dark ending and optimistically hoped that The Rag and Bone Shop would end more positively. I have found that books with dark endings make me feel depressed for days.

#50--The Raven Boys

Bibliographic Information

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. 2012.

Price: $18.99 for hardcover

Pages: 409

Plot Summary

When Blue's mother, relatives, and friends, all of whom are psychic, tell her that her true love will die if she kisses him, Blue creates two rules. First, never kiss boys and second, make sure to stay away from the wild, private school boys dubbed The Raven Boys. While she is able to keep her first rule easily enough she finds that she cannot keep her second when on a chilly St. Mark's eve she sees the spirit of prep student Dick Gansey, a sign that he will die within the year. There are only two reasons why a non-seer would see a spirit, her aunt explains. Either he is your true love or you are going to kill him. Haunted by the sight of Gansey, Blue is determined to seek out the living, breathing version of him and save him from his fate.

Fortunately, she doesn't have to search very long for him as he schedules a reading with her psychic mother. Blue quickly realizes that there is more to Gansey--and his friends--than meets the eye. Gansey is on an all-consuming quest to find an undead king and happily takes his friends, taciturn Noah, rebellious Ronan, and strong Adam along for the ride. But while Gansey focuses on his quest each of his friends embarks on journeys of their own. Silent Noah carries a dark secret that must eventually see the light, Ronan struggles with his father's death, and Adam must decide whether or not he can make his way in the world despite having an abusive, alcoholic father.

As Blue becomes entrenched in each of the boys' lives and journeys she must decide how to best help them while avoiding her own awful fate.

Critical Analysis

The Raven Boys is one of those books that you find yourself thinking about long after you finish it. Its suburb characterization, mysterious plot line, and applicable themes will leave the reader wanting more. While most of the elements of Stiefvater's novel are commendable it is her complicated yet relatable themes that truly stand out. Much of the novel addresses various family situations--the struggle of a single mother raising a gifted daughter, a son who shuns the privilege he was born into, a younger brother who loathes his older brother after the mysterious death of their father, and a son who must decide how to best handle his abusive father. While family relationships are explored in-depth they are certainly not the only relationships present. Stiefvater asks readers to examine their own definitions of both brotherly and sacrificial love by posing difficult questions such as "Is it possible to love someone you murder?" and "How does one recognize true love?"

The book also contains many useful bibliotherapeutic elements including the disparity between the wealthy and the poor, atonement, loss, grief, loneliness and pride. This novel could be highly useful for those looking to remedy low self-esteem as well as those trapped in abusive home lives.

While The Raven Boys contains wonderfully deep characters and intriguing themes it is not a perfect novel. At times the pace can be slow, particularly when one is listening to the audio book, and there are many questions that are left unanswered. While unanswered questions are to be expected in a novel that is only the first in a series, the book almost felt like it was simply laying the groundwork for the novels to come. Stiefvater gives very few answers to readers leaving all to ponder what the secret is that Ronan carries about his father's death, how Noah is able to live at Monmouth Manufacturing, and what it is that Adam eventually turns into. Of course, these questions are only a small sampling of the ones left for readers to ponder.

Overall, however, Stiefvater has created another wonderful masterpiece filled with quiet moments where one is left to reflect on one's own life and beliefs. Stiefvater has a true knack for teasing out thoughts buried deep inside ourselves only to be revealed in a brilliant "Aha!" moment by one of her lines of prose. 

Favorite Quotes

“Adam felt the familiar pang. Not jealousy, just wanting. One day, he'd have enough money to have a place like this. A place that looked on the outside like Adam looked on the inside" (p. 41)

"There was no way of knowing, either, if the trees were good or bad, if they loved or hated humans, if they had principles or compassion...If I were a tree, I would have no reason to love a human" (p. 250).

Reader’s Annotation

Although Blue has sworn off boys due to a curse she finds herself involved with four boys and their quest to find an undead king.

About the Author

Maggie Stiefvater is certainly eclectic both as an author and a person. To date, she has written about undead kings, werewolves, faeries, and a small, non-existent island. When not writing she enjoys drawing with colored pencils and playing the bagpipes. Although she is arguably best known for her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy she won a Printz honor for The Scorpio Races.

Her name is pronounced: Maggie STEEF-vater (rhymes with water)

To learn more about her visit her website at here

Genre

Spiritual fantasy; Romance; School story

Readalikes

The Diviners by Libba Bray

·         Also about a girl with paranormal abilities

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

·         Also about a girl being dragged into the paranormal world; also a paranormal romance

Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater

·         Similar writing style; by same author

Tags

Paranormal romance, ravens, boys’ school, private school, pizza parlor, physics, tarot cards, undead, abusive father, single mother, mother-daughter relationship, aunt, death, life purpose, 16 year old, ghosts, dreams, murder

Awards Won/Lists On

According to the novel’s website it has also been included on various lists including:

TIME Magazine’s Most Anticipated Reads

Junior Library Guild Selections

Autumn 2012 Kids’ Indie Next List Picks

Audiofile’s Best Audiobooks for the Year for 2012

BCCB Blue Ribbons 2012

Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2012

Amazon Books Editors’ Selections: Fall Favorites

Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

Indigo Top 25 of 2012

Retrieved from: http://maggiestiefvater.com/the-raven-boys/the-raven-boys/

Professional Reviews

At its time of publication this book generated a lot of hype partially because Stiefvater won a Printz honor for her novel The Scorpio Races in 2012. As a result, The Raven Boys has been reviewed many times by reputable sources including but not limited to:

The New York Times by Anna Holmes

The Guardian by Sapphirebooklover

Deseret News by Melissa DeMoux

 Publishers Weekly

School Library Journal by Karyn Silverman (note that this was for the Printz blog)

Kirkus Reviews

Booklist by Michael Cart

Booktalk Ideas

Depending on the audience you could focus your booktalk on:

·         The Love Story

o   Who is Blue’s true love?

o   Does she love Adam or Gansey or neither?

o   Focus on pages 2-4 and possibly the scene with the tree (227-29)

·         The Quest

o   Gansey’s backstory (269-271)

o   Relate Gansey’s quest to some that we might have

·         The Family Relationships

o   Adam’s choice to stay or leave

o   Ronan’s choice to get along with his brother

o   How did Ronan’s father die?

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This could be useful to teenagers living in a single parent household, specifically a single mother household as well as teens with few positive male role models in their lives. It could also be used to explore the meaning of life, how to cope with the death of a parent, and how to live in a household with a physically abusive, drunk parent.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 5^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th graders

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Teen smoking

·         Teen drinking

·         Spiritual elements

o   Tarot readings

o   Scrying

o   Lay lines & dousing rods

o   An undead king

o   Ghosts & talking to the soon-to-be dead

o   General fortunetelling

o   Psychics

o   Ghosts

·         Disobeying parents & disrespecting authority

·         Absent/overly permissive parents

·         Single mother household

·         Abusive, drunk father

·         Attempted murder

·         Abuse of authority

Librarians can point out that The Raven Boys is useful for parents wishing to discuss parent-child relationships. It can also be used to start conversations on spiritual practices as well as the privileges and responsibilities of authority. For example, should Ronan respect his older brother simply because of his age? What is Barrington Whelk’s responsibility towards himself and his students? In fact, this book is chock full of difficult and wonderfully deep questions.

Why Was This Included?

I decided to include this title for three reasons. Firstly, because I read The Scorpio Races and was quite impressed with Maggie Stiefvater’s writing. Secondly, because I had heard that this book could potentially win the 2013 Printz or Printz Honor. Thirdly, because I wanted to read books that contained controversial spiritual elements since this is one of the thematic issues that makes me most uncomfortable.