Jasper Jones
Craig Silvey
Cornerstone Digital
<p>NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING TONI COLLETTE AND HUGO WEAVING</p>
<p>Summer, 1965.</p>
<p>Late one night, thirteen-year-old Charlie Bucktin is startled by a knock on his window. </p>
<p>His visitor is Jasper Jones. Rebellious, mixed-race and solitary, Jasper is intriguing. And he needs Charlie’s help. In the dead of night, the boys steal through town, and Charlie learns of Jasper’s horrible discovery. </p>
<p>Burdened by a terrible secret and the weight of a town’s suspicion, Charlie feels his world closing in. </p>
<p>After this summer nothing will ever be the same again.</p>
<p>**</p>From School Library Journal
<p>Gr 10 Up-A rap on the window awakens 13-year-old Charlie Bucktin. He's startled to find Jasper Jones, the bad boy of his small Australian town, frantic and in need of his help. Charlie follows Jasper into the night and is led to the battered body of Laura Wishart, hanging from the noose of a eucalyptus tree. Jasper is desperate to cut Laura down as the rope around her neck belongs to him. Convinced of Jasper's innocence, Charlie helps submerge Laura's body in a river and the boys vow to find Laura's killer. Set in the 1960s during the Vietnam War, Craig Silvey's novel (Knopf, 2011) perfectly captures the time period. Charlie's small town reacts with fear at Laura's disappearance and the bigotry simmering just below the surface of the town erupts into violence. Matt Cowlrick gives each character a unique voice and his pacing is impeccable. Strong language and mature content make this appropriate for older teens.-Tricia Melgaard, formerly Broken Arrow Public Schools, Tulsa, OKα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. </p>
Review
<p>Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2011 <br />
"The author s keen ear for dialogue is evident in the humorous verbal sparring between Charlie and Jeffrey, typical of smart 13-year-old boys...A richly rewarding exploration of truth and lies by a masterful storyteller." <br /></p></br>