Silent to the Bone

by E.L. Konigsburg
Silent to the Bone  
published 2004 by Aladdin
binding Paperback
isbn 0689871236   (isbn13: 9780689871238)
pages 272
description What happened on Wednesday, November 25, 2:43 P.M., Eastern Standard Time, to cause Branwell Zamborska to become mute? All anyone knows is that he c...more
date added
03-02-07



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This book is really intense 2 04/27/2008 03:33PM

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Corine
Corine rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/13/08

Read in March, 2008
Silent to the Bone Alddin paperbacks, 2002, 261pp,. $5.99

e.l. Konigsburg ISBN 0-689-83602-3

Imagine you cradling your half baby sister in your arms, looking into her new born baby eyes, enjoying the moment, then all of a sudden you drop her. You run to call 911, you open your mouth…but nothing comes out. This is what happened to Branwell Zamborska. Since that tragic day, Branwe...more
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Junisha
Junisha added it
03/05/08

Read in March, 2008
recommended to Junisha by: no one, just pick it up
recommends it for: anyone with problems in life
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Amy
Amy rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
02/06/08

Read in January, 2008
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Carrie
Carrie rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/18/07

bookshelves: youngadult
Read in November, 2006
In Silent to the Bone, E. L. Konigsburg (author of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler) examines communication in relationships, and what gets lost when we do not speak. The book opens with a mysterious 911 call. This call reveals that 13-year-old Branwell Zamborska is struck dumb during the same incident that puts Nikki, his baby half-sister, in a coma. The British au pair is the only other known person who witnessed the incident and can vocalize what happened, and her finge...more
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West Region,
West Region, added it
03/12/08

bookshelves: middle_school_08, realisticfiction, yt
Read in September, 2007
Silent to the Bone
by E.L. Konigsburg

In the middle of making a 911 call, Branwell is struck mute. He can't tell the operator what's wrong -- and worse, he can't tell anyone what has happened. An ambulance comes in time to save his baby half-sister, Nikki, who has stopped breathing and turned blue.

Nikki survives, at least for the time being, and remains in a coma. Branwell, still unable to communicate, is being blamed by the police, by the community, and even by his parents for Nikki's...more
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Eric
Eric rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/28/07

Read in October, 2007
Silent to the Bone is a book that reveals the cruelty of the humanity as well as the bond that shares with friends.

the book starts off by explaninnin the plot of a boy that is accused of "dropping" a baby. he was dumbfounded and uses "no talking" to defend for himself.

Connor went through numerous attempts to revive the "no talk" technique and was able to find out that the nanny was the true criminal.

this book helped me see more clearly about individuals....more
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Pauline
Pauline rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/09/08

bookshelves: mystery, teens-fiction
Read in June, 2008
"Silent to the Bone" deals with a number of issues; it confronts divorce, friendship, sexual attraction, parent and child relationships, second marriages and child abuse.

The book starts with a 911 call and the caller cannot speak, Branwell Zamborska is struck dumb from the moment he makes the call. Something traumatic has happened and now Branwell is silent to the bone.

Branwell's baby sister suffers from encephalitis and Branwell is blamed for causing the harm. Connor who is Br...more
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Becky
Becky rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/22/08

Read in March, 2008
recommends it for: 5th grade and up
In this haunting, layered mystery, Branwell Zamborska is struck mute after his baby sister is injured while he and the au pair are in the house. Only his best friend Connor is able to communicate with Branwell to try to unravel what really happened -- both on that fateful day, and in the weeks leading up to it. Connor feels Branwell is innocent, but until Branwell decides to speak, nothing can be proven.

I read this on a plane and it kept me turning pages. Great cover, great dialogue, and ex...more
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Carter
Carter rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/11/08

bookshelves: guy-reads, young-adult
Read in June, 2008
So close to getting 4 stars. I think I wanted more punishment for the eventual guilty party at the of the book. Full of difficult topics, especially when dealing with adolescents. But that's part of why I like Konisburg - she doesn't seem to shy away from the unspeakable.

One thing that I particularly liked was that it wasn't just about Branwell breaking out of his silence, but it was about other characters learning to find their voice as well: Margaret and her father, Connor and Branwell, T...more
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Heather
Heather rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
02/21/08

Read in February, 2008
Since elementary school, I've been a huge fan of E.L. Konigsburg, in particular the book "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler." I found this latest treasure at the bookfair at one of my schools. It's quite good young adult fiction. In a nutshell, it's the story of a young teen (Connor) whose friend (Branwell) is in juvy lock-up for the alledged mistreatment of his (Branwell's) baby sister. Connor spends the entire book trying to help Branwell crack the case and bring c...more
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Fluxbrarian
Fluxbrarian rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/30/08

bookshelves: middle-school
Branwell has a 6 month old baby half sister named Nikki. When she has a terrible accident, that puts her in a coma, Branwell calls 9-1-1. But when the operator asks him questions, he can’t speak. In fact, from that moment he stops speaking altogether. The babysitter accuses Branwell of dropping the baby, and since Branwell says nothing, he is taken to the Clarion County Juvenile Behavioral Center. No one can make him speak, and he is starting to look guilty. But his best friend Connor believes...more
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Abigail
Abigail rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
01/26/08

bookshelves: already-read
Read in December, 2007
The twisty story of an odd teenager named,Branwell Zamborska, who is accused of harming his new baby sister. His friend,Connor, doesn't believe that he could've done it, but,, isn't sayinga word...literally to anybody. His silence becomes a sort of advantage for Connor considering that he is the only one who can really get any information out of him. I really liked this book except for the fact that the ending was a little weak, it doesn't tie up all the loose ends in an interesting fashion whic...more
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Casey
Casey rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/29/07

bookshelves: children-or-young-adult
E.L. Konigsburg really comes through with this one. Beware, this isn't a book for younger readers. Branwell- a slightly odd, very precocious child- stops talking the day he calls 911. His sister Nikki is in a coma, and the au pair (the icky Vivian) explains that Bran shook and then dropped her. Bran is put in a juvenile detention center, and it's up to his best friend, Connor, to develop a code and find out what really happened that day.

This book is really, really good.
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Heather
Heather rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
01/05/08

bookshelves: ya-fiction
Read in January, 2008
Branwell stops speaking after something happens to his baby sister that makes her go into a coma. His best friend, Connor, devises a method through flashcards and blinking in which Branwell can communicate with him. The mystery of what happened between Branwell, the baby, and the au pair is revealed little by little as Connor works to free his best friend from silence.

Totally great. This book approaches a few subjects that are really hard for teenage and preteen boys to talk about.
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Alice
Alice rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/18/07

Read in January, 2005
My mom and I read this book together about 3 years ago, and ever since, I have re-read it about every month. Brandon goes silent after he witnesses cause for the coma of his baby sister and is charged for the cause. His best friend, Conner beleives that it wasn't Brandon, it was the young babysitter, who dropped the baby. The story is how Conner can prove that Brandon is innocent and to get him to speak again.
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Angela
Angela added it
06/14/08

The young boy Branwell goes through an accident that completely alters his life. Because no one was there to witness what really happened he was though of to hurt his baby sister Nikki who than lands in a coma. Traumatized Barnell is unable to speak and tell his side of the story. He gets sent to a juvenile detention center and only his friend Connor, who really admires him can help get the truth out.
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Book Review Team
Book Review Team rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
02/04/08

bookshelves: realistic
Silent to the Bone, by E. L. Konigsburg. 4 stars.
Silent to the bone is an amazing book about a friend who tries to uncover the reason why his friend, Branwell stopped speaking. When you start the book it jumps right into a scary mystery about about Branwell and his sister. Why is she now in a coma and what did he do to her? Read this book and uncover the secrets. -ARO, ACD
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Margie
Margie rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
02/14/08

While this is an intriguing mystery, there was some adult content in the book that I personally would not recommend that students read (at least not my 11 year olds). E.L. Konigsburg is one of my favorite authors, but this was not my favorite book.

I do like how Konigsburg emphasizes the importance of relationships and the power of friendship in the book.
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Piper
Piper rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/21/08

I liked this book, I would have rated it a three and a half but they don't have halves. I barely remember what happens it this book but I think it book with being to scared to speak. Its kinda strange in a way since I know it doesn't have to do with what normal people go through in their life but it can help if you've been in a similar situation.
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Emily
Emily added it
09/12/07

Read in September, 2007
Another teenage/children's book- what can I say, they are like comfort food. Comfort reading? I'd only picked this up because I remember liking From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweller, about kids living in a museum in New York City; I never realized the author had written other books. This one was really good.
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.89 (377 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.92 (318 ratings)
number of reviews: 63






other editions

Silent to the Bone (Paperback)
Silent To The Bone (Jean Karl Books)
Silent to the Bone (Mass Market Paperback)