The Body of Christopher Creed, a Review
Body of Christopher Creed, The
Carol Plum-Ucci
GENRE: Mystery
THEME: Peer Pressure, Popularity, Suicide, and Fitting In.
RL/IL: Young Adult: Grades 7-10.
AWARDS: Michael Printz Honor Book
PAGES: 158
Warnings: Language, sexual comments, and suicide.
Another great October read…
Chris Creed has been teased and beaten up his whole life, so it is almost no surprise to his classmates when the principal announces that he received an ambiguous note from Creed indicating that he was leaving. Did he commit suicide, skip town, or was he murdered?
Feeling guilt ridden because Creed indicated him as a bully, Torey Adams sets out to discover what really happened to Creed. The town simmers with ugly rumors and people start pointing fingers at the stereotypical suspect, tough Bo Richardson, an outcast who lives on the bad side of town.
On the surface, the book is a mystery, but beneath the plot the book is less about the disappearance of Chris Creed and more about Torey’s rite of passage and moral development. Torey begins to discover decency beneath tough exteriors, cruelty in people he once thought of as best friends, and a multitude of reasons for leaving a town like Steepleton.
The Body of Christopher Creed challenges young adults to think about how they treat one another and the effect cruelty and bullying have on people.
CONNECTIONS:
What Happened to Lani Garver
A Certain Slant of Light
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
Thirteen Reasons Why
