Jasper Jones

Craig Silvey

Apr 2011 · Sold by Knopf Books for Young Readers

About this ebook

A Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Charlie Bucktin, a bookish thirteen year old, is startled one summer night by an urgent knock on his bedroom window. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in their small mining town, and he has come to ask for Charlie's help. Terribly afraid but desperate to impress, Charlie follows him into the night.

Jasper takes him to his secret glade, where Charlie witnesses Jasper's horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion. He locks horns with his tempestuous mother, falls nervously in love, and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart.

Ratings and reviews

This book was pretty interesting and kept me intrigued as to what was going to happen next. I had to read this for a school assignment as a contemporary novel and I have to analyze the literary conventions used etc. so I was probably deeper involved in reading this book than the average person. The ending seems to be a suspenseful ending because you could only assume what was to take place next or how the fire started. I do wish there was more involved with the ending but overall it is an excellent read. I am of the older generation and I recall life back in the 60s during the Vietnam era and it brought back some memories. I also remember how many of us read books to pass the time away and the characters in Jasper Jones were young readers themselves. I hear there is a movie made for this book and look forward to seeing that as well. Thank you for a great read!

It became a little bit predictable, but it was, in all, a good read.

so interseting and mysterious couldnt stop reading it

About the author

CRAIG SILVEY wrote his first novel, Rhubarb, at the age of 19. It became a bestseller and was chosen as the "One Book" for the Perth International Writers Festival. Craig is the singer/songwriter for the band The Nancy Sikes! and lives in Fremantle, Australia.