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7th out of 10 books
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The Rag and Bone Shop (Readers Circle)
Terse and terrifying, this final book from Cormier will leave a lasting impression. Jason, almost 13, is a shy, ineffectual child, who takes being bullied as a matter of course--but if he sees someone else being pushed around, he may strike back. When the seven-year-old girl who lives next door is murdered, Jason is horrified. He was the last one to see her alive. He wants...more
Mass Market Paperback, 176 pages
Published
December 4th 2001
by Laurel Leaf
(first published October 9th 2001)
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The Rag and Bone Shop is an exciting, suspense-filled read that sucks you in and keeps you reading page after page in anticipation of finding out what happens.
The premise for the story is that a 12-year-old boy named Jason is the last person to see his 7-year-old friend alive. Her brutally murdered body is recovered and the police suspect him. They bring in an "expert" interrogator to get him to confess and much of the book focuses on the interaction of the interrogator ...more
The premise for the story is that a 12-year-old boy named Jason is the last person to see his 7-year-old friend alive. Her brutally murdered body is recovered and the police suspect him. They bring in an "expert" interrogator to get him to confess and much of the book focuses on the interaction of the interrogator ...more
Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925–November 2, 2000) was an American author known for his deeply pessimistic, downbeat literature. His most popular books include I Am the Cheese, After the First Death. The Chocolate War was challenged in multiple libraries. His books often are concerned with themes such as abuse, mental illness, violence, revenge, betrayal and conspiracy. In most of his novels, the protagonists do not win. He is a bloody and not that good of a writer.
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Robert Cormier is my favorite author.
Jason Dorrant was the last person to see his 7-year-old friend before she was brutally murdered one afternoon. The police chief, who suspects that Jason might have killed her, calls in Trent, a highly successful interrogator, to question Jason about what happened. What will Trent's probing reveal? Could this 12-year-old boy really have committed an act of murder?
Cormier's last novel, published after his death in 2000, is short, but excelle...more
Jason Dorrant was the last person to see his 7-year-old friend before she was brutally murdered one afternoon. The police chief, who suspects that Jason might have killed her, calls in Trent, a highly successful interrogator, to question Jason about what happened. What will Trent's probing reveal? Could this 12-year-old boy really have committed an act of murder?
Cormier's last novel, published after his death in 2000, is short, but excelle...more
The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier Bleak/Murder/Interrogation
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
I gave this a low rating not because of the writing, but because of personal preference. This novel is typically bleak, with a general lack of optimism throughout. At the beginning of the novel, a young girl is murdered and the only suspect is a young boy who is her neighbor, and the last per...more
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
I gave this a low rating not because of the writing, but because of personal preference. This novel is typically bleak, with a general lack of optimism throughout. At the beginning of the novel, a young girl is murdered and the only suspect is a young boy who is her neighbor, and the last per...more
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The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier Bleak, interrogation, friendship,
guilt, identity
Cormier uses William Butler Yeats' last lines of "The Circus Animal's Desertion" to title his bleak, young-adult novel about a boy who is examined down to the deepest part of his heart by a professional interrogator only to find innocence. This innocence turns to guilt when Mr. Trent...more
guilt, identity
Cormier uses William Butler Yeats' last lines of "The Circus Animal's Desertion" to title his bleak, young-adult novel about a boy who is examined down to the deepest part of his heart by a professional interrogator only to find innocence. This innocence turns to guilt when Mr. Trent...more
This book is hard for me to rate. It was certainly a very compelling book, and the content was deep--but it was also dark.
In this book, a seven-year-old girl is murdered, and desperate to give the public a suspect, the police accuse Jason, the twelve-year-old boy who was the last person to see Alicia, despite a lack of evidence.
However, the police do not tell Jason that they think he is the murderer. Instead, they ask him to come and answer questions, telling him that h...more
In this book, a seven-year-old girl is murdered, and desperate to give the public a suspect, the police accuse Jason, the twelve-year-old boy who was the last person to see Alicia, despite a lack of evidence.
However, the police do not tell Jason that they think he is the murderer. Instead, they ask him to come and answer questions, telling him that h...more
A seven year old girl named Alicia has gone missing in Jason’s neighborhood. On a second search throughout the town, the police find her murdered body in between two large trees. Jason is immediately considered the prime suspect because he was the last person to see Alicia before she was murdered. The police, the senator and the citizens of the town want answers. The police call in an expert interrogator named Trent who is known for getting confessions from suspects. Jason is called into the pol...more
Genre: Bleak/Adolescence/Murder/Psychological
In this short and gritty novel, Robert Cormier effectively delves into the politics of police interrogation and offers a rather startling conclusion. Twelve-year old Jason Dorrant becomes the police department's number one suspect in the murder of seven year old Alicia Bartlett. Jason, unaware of suspicion and obviously innocent, is taken in for questioning by a master interrogator named Trent. After manipulating Jason through a series of ...more
In this short and gritty novel, Robert Cormier effectively delves into the politics of police interrogation and offers a rather startling conclusion. Twelve-year old Jason Dorrant becomes the police department's number one suspect in the murder of seven year old Alicia Bartlett. Jason, unaware of suspicion and obviously innocent, is taken in for questioning by a master interrogator named Trent. After manipulating Jason through a series of ...more
Oh my, oh my, oh my. I don't feel that I am exaggerating one bit when I say that this book stands apart from anything else that has ever seen publication. I know that's an outrageous claim, but it is absolutely true.
Hours after reading it, the panicky, weighty feeling of this book courses through my veins and shadows my every thought. From the earliest stages of the plot, dark, frightening storm clouds loom close by and it becomes increasingly obvious that we are headed for a devas...more
Hours after reading it, the panicky, weighty feeling of this book courses through my veins and shadows my every thought. From the earliest stages of the plot, dark, frightening storm clouds loom close by and it becomes increasingly obvious that we are headed for a devas...more
For a book geared to teen readers, this would not be appropriate for those in a lower-learning district. For example, a demographically poor community, where students have a hard time understanding basic concepts. For students who are capable of reading at the level the book was written for, the story is extremely prolonged and predictable. Some may argue that the end is surprising, but if following the context appropriately, it is nothing but a bore or a read.
I’m trying very hard not to like this book. I know that sounds prejudiced, but at least I’m honest. In fact, I decided after being introduced to Robert Cormier’s style that I would not like this book. I have always been a fan of happy endings.
(Let me clarify: by happy endings, I don’t mean “And they lived happily ever after.” I mean emotional resolution and satisfaction. The world may be crumbling around the characters’ heads—sometimes literally, since I read too much fantasy—but the cha...more
(Let me clarify: by happy endings, I don’t mean “And they lived happily ever after.” I mean emotional resolution and satisfaction. The world may be crumbling around the characters’ heads—sometimes literally, since I read too much fantasy—but the cha...more
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The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier. The main characters are Jason Durant, a 12 year old boy and a man named Trent who is an interrogator for the police. The story takes place in Monument, Mass. He was looking forward to the summer vacation when suddenly the town was hit with the murder of Alicia Bartlett, a seven year old girl. She was Jason's friend. There was no weapon, clues, or fingerprints. The only thing the police knew was that Jason was the last person to see her alive. Lt. B...more
I read this in an hour & a half, not only because it's a small book but because I couldn't put it down. I'd never read any Cormier books before though I'd heard of his work. I will be reading more now though. It was a fast paced book, an easy read, yet he put so much into such few pages. The main character seems a bit younger than 13 but that's probably because he's a bit different than other kids. Even though I knew who the killer in this story is from the beginning, the suspense of what would ...more
Interest level: 7th +
Reading level: medium
Genre: murder, mystery, trial by fire
Author Robert Cormier has written some really good books ("The Chocolate War", "I am the Cheese", "After the First Death"), but this is one of my favorites. Once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down, so don't start reading it late on a school night! It's also a bit disturbing and you may not be able to fall asleep right after you finish reading it, so be war...more
Reading level: medium
Genre: murder, mystery, trial by fire
Author Robert Cormier has written some really good books ("The Chocolate War", "I am the Cheese", "After the First Death"), but this is one of my favorites. Once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down, so don't start reading it late on a school night! It's also a bit disturbing and you may not be able to fall asleep right after you finish reading it, so be war...more
The Rag and Bone Shop
Robert Cormier
Laurel-Leaf
2001
I wasn't sure what to expect by the description on the back of the book. Was it going to be a mystery? A look into the mind of a murderer? All I knew was that I was bound to find it interesting, like I have all of Cormier's novels that I have read.
I wasn't disappointed. Instead of a "Who-done it", this is an intense look at the interrogation process when procuring a confession is the only acceptable ou...more
Robert Cormier
Laurel-Leaf
2001
I wasn't sure what to expect by the description on the back of the book. Was it going to be a mystery? A look into the mind of a murderer? All I knew was that I was bound to find it interesting, like I have all of Cormier's novels that I have read.
I wasn't disappointed. Instead of a "Who-done it", this is an intense look at the interrogation process when procuring a confession is the only acceptable ou...more
Middle schoolers are at the center of this novel, but once again Cormier has written a story with a very mature shock value.
There’s a gruesome murder at the start, and that’s probably a good thing. If you can get through Part I without feeling too disturbed, you should be able to make it through the rest.
Murder #1 sets the scene for Murder #2, and the investigation that follows. The bulk of the plot focuses on psychodrama – 12-year-old Jason Dorrant is a likely suspect....more
There’s a gruesome murder at the start, and that’s probably a good thing. If you can get through Part I without feeling too disturbed, you should be able to make it through the rest.
Murder #1 sets the scene for Murder #2, and the investigation that follows. The bulk of the plot focuses on psychodrama – 12-year-old Jason Dorrant is a likely suspect....more
I found this to be one of the most unique mystery novels I’ve read yet. Cormier did an excellent job with this young adult detective story. The whole plot is based around the interrogation of a murder suspect: 12 year old Jason (who is the last person to see the 7 year old girl who was murdered). What makes this book so powerful is we know that Jason is innocent the entire time. So where’s the mystery you’re wondering? Well it revolves around the twists and turns that go on between the interrog...more
I think this book is a great display of what my creative writing teaching called a ""lust for closure."" I think the book would have been oodles better if, literally, the last sentence had simply been deleted. That being said, Robert Cormier was one of my favorite writers in high school, and despite now being 29 years old, he didn't fail me with this one, my most recent read. It was bleak, as many Cormier books are, but also I imagined, sadly realistic. The dialogue betwe...more
This was read in an hour, and as someone mentioned, the ending is a surprise, a shock. I had forgotten how sinister Cormier is, disturbing. The omniscient voice of the young protagonist Jason is as innocent as any 12-year-old can be, even when his favorite playmate is 7. She is a murder victim, Jason saw her last, and the police focus on him. The interrogation is gripping, the outcome from left field. Pow. My commentary is a mix. Cormier develops plot quickly and directly. Young readers will app...more
This is a creepy mystery that kept me at the edge of my seat while reading. The plot is very simple. A young boy named Jason is the last person to see young Alicia Bartlett alive, therefore, he is accused of murdering her. The detectives bring in an expert interrogator who is known for getting confessions to do just that with Jason. Nearly 75 percent of the book is the interrogation. The result of the interrogation is very surprising and the end of the novel is more so. I think this book is suit...more
I have decided that Cormier is a fascinating author, he is not afraid of asking the "hard questions" of our society, and certainly does not back down when it came to this book. The book is primarily between the "interrogator" and the suspected murderer. I was intrigued at first by the subject of the book. Everyone believes that the main character killed the girl, but it is interesting reading the character's different perspectives as the little boy slowly becomes to think he ...more
Rag and Bone shop is the epitome of a bleak genre book. While the majority of the novel takes place in an interrogation room the novel is fast paced and doesn’t let the reader come up for breathe until the last page. Throughout the plot of Trent trying to coerce a confession from twelve-year-old Jason the reader is both rooting for and against each character. The novel is incredibly dramatic and intense; with a surprise twist ending that is completely unexpected. Rag and Bone Shop is not a typic...more
A super quick read, Cormier's The Rag and Bone Shop follows the interrogation of young Jason, the primary suspect in the brutal murder of his seven year old neighbor. This is a fascinating and definitely disturbing look into the interrogation process, and what psychological tools and environments are used to gather, or often force a confession. Jason is only twelve, but very observant and thoughtful. His characterization throughout the novella is fantastically fluent, making the reader question ...more
I loved Cormier's other books (Chocolate War, I Am the Cheese), but this one left me annoyed. I hate it when authors use children as characters, but make them into adults. Orson Scott Card does this too, & it just annoys me! Eight year olds are learning the basic structure of a paragraph--NOT writing 10 page essays for contests. They don't understand twists on words like "Rites & Wrongs." When I read the first page I seriously thought the characters were 15-16 years old. Certainl...more
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The book, “The Rag and Bone Shop” by Robert Cormier, is a book I would recommend to a friend because it’s very interesting, has good details and its fun to read. In the story it quotes, “A senator who’s driving me up the wall. Press and television asking me questions, I can’t answer.”(40) This quote is interesting because it shows that in the story there is a mystery. Also, because it makes you wonder, did something bad happen, did someone het hurt? Another, quotes is, “The last person to see Al...more
Dear old Yeats...the rag and bone shop of the heart...
I loved teaching The Chocolate War and I Am The Cheese years ago. Always found Cormier's work both dark and disturbing - and enlightening. In his last book, he explores perception, reality, consciousness, power, the banality of evil and the acceptance of adult "takes" on truth in contrast to those of children. The last few pages are utterly shocking as Jason becomes convinced he is a murderer by the relentless and egomaniaca...more
I loved teaching The Chocolate War and I Am The Cheese years ago. Always found Cormier's work both dark and disturbing - and enlightening. In his last book, he explores perception, reality, consciousness, power, the banality of evil and the acceptance of adult "takes" on truth in contrast to those of children. The last few pages are utterly shocking as Jason becomes convinced he is a murderer by the relentless and egomaniaca...more
In this short but intense YA psychological thriller, police interrogator extraordinaire Trent pits himself against 12 year-old Jason Dorrant, suspect in the murder of a 7 year-old neighbor girl. Ethically haunted by his success but driven by ambition, Trent must elicit a confession or Jason walks in the absence of any physical leads in the case. Jason, on the other hand, is trusting, naive, and completely innocent. Who will triumph in the stifling confines of the interrogation room? I thoroughly...more
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Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925–November 2, 2000) was an American author, columnist and reporter, known for his deeply pessimistic, downbeat literature. His most popular works include I Am the Cheese, After the First Death, We All Fall Down and The Chocolate War, all of which have won awards. The Chocolate War was challenged in multiple libraries. His books often are concerned with themes ...more
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