Name: The Silent Boy
ISBN: 9780440419808

Lois Lowry

Determined to become a doctor like her father when she grows up, Katy has a good sense for people and their sicknesses, so when she befriends Jacob, she sees that there is something in him that needs to be revealed.

The Silent Boy

Sarah Sammis

I've read four books by Lois Lowry. All of her books have been very different and all of them have made me think. With the exception of The Willoughbys the books I've read have tended towards the depressing end of the emotional spectrum.

In The Silent Boy, Katy Thatcher, daughter of a doctor, befriends the local "touched boy" who by modern standards would probably be diagnosed as autistic. But this is a small town in 1911.

Katy whose own mother is expecting a second baby ends up spending a lot of time with her father as he makes house calls. She stays quiet with her ears open. She is privy to events that will unfold to tragedy and end up brining the blame on Jacob.

Some reviews complain about just how many "life lessons" are squished into this book. Yes, there are lots of lessons about life and death in The Silent Boy but Lowry manages to balance the lessons with the plot. I found it an engaging historical fiction, one I was able to read in a single afternoon.

As an interesting side note, the book contains photographs from Lois Lowry's family taken in 1911. The photos provide a backdrop for the story even though the book isn't about the people in the photos.

Callie Anna

I really liked this book. Of course, I just wrote a novel about a girl who doesn't speak, so I was curious. Lois Lowry is a great author, and this book didn't miss the mark. I loved the way it was written and how it depicted childhood.