The Boy from the Basement

by Susan Shaw

For Charlie, the cold, dark basement is home. Father has kept him locked in there as punishment. Charlie doesn’t intend to leave, but when he is accidentally thrust outside, he awakens to the alien surroundings of a world to which he’s never before been exposed. Though haunted by hallucinations, fear of the basement, and his father’s rage, Charlie must find a way to survive in his new world. He has escaped his past, but his journey has just begun.

Genres: Young Adult, Abuse, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Middle Grade, Family

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 7, 2004

About the author

I was born in a log cabin in Illinois - no that wasn't me!

I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, grew up outside of Philadelphia with two parents, along with a wild assortment of brothers and sisters and cats and dogs. I did things like take music lessons and play relievo or baseball in the sideyard with the neighborhood kids. Went to school, which I really hated, but somehow managed to get through anyway. I was smart, but, boy, you couldn't tell it by my grades.

Well, maybe I didn't do my homework, but I read. If it didn't move, I read it. Chances are, I wrote about it, too, in the diary I kept all through my childhood. I've heard that that's called taking notes.

Eventually, despite engaging in various activities called play that periodically involved knocking myself out, I grew up. This much amazed my grandmother who said I lived a charmed life.

After graduating from Radnor High School, I attended Temple University, graduating with a music education degree. During my college years, I met my husband, a young man named John with a cute smile and a wonderful sense of humor. I married him quick before he had a chance to get away. Ah, young love! Since that time, we've had one adventure after another together, raising children, one daughter and two sons, and our love is still young. Despite John's gray hair, he still looks twenty years old to me.

What do I do when I'm not writing? Visit friends, ride my bike, sometimes with John, sometimes not. Hiking. I love to attend plays, too. Some of my recent favorites: Doubt, The Drowsy Chaperone, Eggs.

Reviews

[Jerecho · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one will make you cry no matter how hard your heart is...

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every night
twilight.
Skip a few.
I love you.

I was reading it after my history exam, and I'm at like 20 pages left so I'm thinking, "Either something is about to go really wrong or really right." And then I get to that scene in the backyard and I'm doing the whole put-your-hand-over-your-mouth, look-around-wildly, try-not-to-cry thing while everyone else is finishing answering questions about the Civil War and WOOH it was a party. Like, this book is sad. But it's so wonderfully written and immersive and everything is so well developed that you are there. Like, you are Charlie so you see and understand everything from his point of view. "Why can't I see my parents? Why don't you understand that I should be punished, not them? Why does everyone care so much?" So reading it from the child's point of view, you understand why he does what he does and why he doesn't understand. But reading as an adult that understands, you side with the adults like "You will understand later, but this is for your own good." Charlie's ignorance and innocence is so bittersweet, but then you have the amazing secondary children characters of Ambrose and Aaron. They both recognize the truth in Charlie's situation that Charlie does not. They want to help him since he can't help himself. Aaron is incredibly supportive of Charlie, and the soccer scene at the end was so wholesome. Ambrose can relate to Charlie's struggles and he helps save Charlie from himself. The adults are also amazingly developed as characters. Mrs. H, Dr. Leidy, Jackie, and even Larry all respond to Charlie with love and compassion and help him out of a situation he didn't even know he was in. And, as terrible as this sound, even Father was a well-developed character. Remember that we're seeing everything from Charlie's POV, but reading as an adult, Father is a well-written antagonist. The only person who could've used a little more development was Mother, but even she was pretty okay.
The subject matter is sad and depressing. But it's handled well. The author presents a situation, and besides experiencing everything through Charlie's eyes, the author lets you draw your own conclusions and opinions about what's happening.
Good read.

[Kantorfan96 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boy from the Basement, is a great book for all people seeking to be introduced to the "Child Called It" series". Although it is a book of abuse, it is not graphically detailed. Susan Shaw mastered the art of characterization by adding new characters to the book. Unlike other books, every few pages a new character is introduced, although these characters may not become main, I do like the style. She is also very creative. She doesn't seem to like the same settings and characters, she likes to mix it up. The setting is done beautifully, throughout the book we go through 3 different settings which I found to be very entertaining. Shaw has no down side everything she does is VERY professional. Especially the dialog between Charlie. She describes Charlie's internal and external speech, giving us a taste of Charlie and his conscience.

[Julia (Pages for Thoughts) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is quite short, 198 pages, but full of emotions and intense scenes that will move you to tears! I loved the symbolism of the spider and what it meant to Charlie, as well as his mentality of "punishment." The Boy From the Basement is very sad and inspiring. Unfortunately, it is a true story for many kids in the world. The character development of Charlie is extraordinary. He wants his parents back, and for the longest time he doesn't understand that what he went through is wrong. He is afraid of his father, but loves him, too. He goes from blaming himself to realizing that he can be independent and gains a self-worth and confidence that is incredible and inspiring. Read more of my review at http://pagesforthoughts.blogspot.com/...

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. It was really sad though. The poor boy did not even know what school was. He did not know anything about what normal people do. He thought everyone's parents abused them, he thought it was normal. He also kept imagining a spider coming after him, and he really thought it was real. I like this book a lot.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy From the Basement tells the story of a boy named Charlie who is horrendously abused by his father. He is kept so isolated from the world around him that when he finally has a taste of freedom he is TERRIFIED of it due to the lies he was told about how “unsafe” it is beyond the confines of the concrete basement he has been locked in for years. Not only is Charlie horribly damaged psychologically but he is far behind his peers when it comes to development. Charlie is 12 and he cannot read of write, and his inner voice within the novel is so stunted that he seems more like he’s 5 than 12. He does not know what Christmas is and has never got to experience things that kids his age did like going to school or riding a bike.

It was painful to watch this boy struggle to overcome the abuse he had endured, but it was wonderful to see him grow and learn that he wasn’t “bad”, his parents were for what they had done to him. This child went through hell before he got to have the happy life he had always deserved; he got a wonderful foster mother that loved him deeply, a little brother that adored him, and a best friend that wanted to help him leave the house so he could come to one of his soccer games for the first time ever. Everyone that came into contact with Charlie immediately loved him and that says a lot about what kind of person he was. He managed to retain his kindness and innocence despite being shown nothing but cruelty.

This book was short but it still packed quite a punch. I think this tale resonated with me so much because I have heard so many true stories about parents who lock their own children up with misguided intentions to protect them, or as a way to own them and discipline them, or simply just to get them out of their way. Charlie’s story is one that is all too common and knowing that breaks my heart. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wishes to get a victim’s perspective of abuse, agoraphobia, and mental illness that deals with auditory and visionary hallucinations.

[Velma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book title: The boy from the basement by Susan Shaw

Summery:

The basement- the spider- the basement- the spider- For Charlie the basement is home. He’s being punished and doesn’t mean to leave- Father wouldn’t allow it but when Charlie is accidentally thrust outside, he awakens to the alien surroundings of a world to which he’s never been before or been exposed.
Though haunted by hallucinations and fear of the basement and his fathers rage, Charlie embarks on a journey toward recovery that blossoms when he finally finds unconditionally love.

Wow this book was really good.
There was a sentence that caught my eye

“Married you mean to a lady, I sure don’t mean to frogs”

Omg haha that was a little funny, I felt so many emotions like poor boy was abused by his father, the shoulder was broken more than once. How could a parent do such a thing I mean I’m not married nor do I have kids but still a little boy you shouldn’t hurt children at all.

There life’s joy I mean there adorable and funny and sometimes the sweetest little things I would never hurt a child and yes sometimes there a pain in the Ass (sorry not sorry) but there kids that stupid man should definitely be in jail, I’m just saying the truth.

The boy is now traumatized because of that Bastard 😡 (sorry not sorry) but at least the mom loved him a little. ☺️

Don’t get me started on spiders there scary I know that wait so did the boy get bitten or no I guess because he was scared of spiders I don’t know I’m a little confused.

There were also a lot of characters like Mrs. West she a great character but why put her in the book as Mrs. West and not like this lady came to teach me or something you know what I mean like she another character in the book and she wasn’t there very long so why give her a name 🤔 (no hate btw)

This book was good and I’m excited to read more of them
4,7 - 5 stars ⭐️
Until next time
😁👍🏻

Question:

what would you rate my reviews and how should I make them better?

[Kaitie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve had this book sitting on my shelves for a good 15 years… and I don’t remember if I ever read it as a kid, so I decided to pick it up recently. And I’m so glad I did! This book reminded me a little of Room by Emma Donoghue, except it was written way before lol.

I love that it was written in the POV of a kid because it just made everything so innocent and pure. It was a heartbreaking, devastating, but also uplifting and beautiful story about a boy who gets locked in a basement, escapes, then has to navigate the world and overcome his fear of life and humans and the outside world. I absolutely loved Mrs. H and Ambrose, and I love Charlie’s character development. It was a super quick read too!

[Kat G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent characterization here, this was written really well. Very fucking sad though.
Although this story is fictional, it gives a voice to kids who deal with abuse early on in their lives without glamorizing or making overly graphic statements about it. As hard as these stories are to read, they do happen to real children in the real world. Charlie’s story gives a voice to these kids and a rare but important sense of hope.

[Cait S · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast read, obviously a sad one from the summary alone. I don't know that I came out of it satisfied with the answers given, but as it's told from the point of view of the abused child who really doesn't have the vocabulary for those answers, that's just the way of it. So positive stars for length and speed of reading. Negative for feeling like the plot was never really fleshed out.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about how some parents abuse their kids but then lie to them and say they are protecting them. For Charlie the only way out is accidentally locking himself out of the house because he is delirious with fever.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're gonna pretend this didn't make me tear up

[Sherry Guice · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8th grade boys were completely engaged in this book! Lots of opportunities for inferential thinking and discussion...

[kimberly_rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars
Weirdly incomplete.

It's written from the point of view of 12-year-old Charlie. At first, it's compelling. But the details that I expected to come--about his father, his mother, his life--never came. I was kept in the present moment at all times. Which was immediately hopeful and, for a time, refreshing and touching, because Charlie was such an open, likeable, earnest sort of fellow. But, it quickly became dissatisfying. The overall tension was finished, and the rest of the story was predictable.

At about two thirds in, I was bored, realizing all was well with Charlie (which in itself was odd: superficial and fast) and I was never going to get a deeper look at what was going on for the first twelve years of his life, or a deeper connection with Charlie and his struggles(?) and his adjusting to the new people (who he seemed to bond with awfully quickly and easily).

My search for excellent books with themes of neglect continues.

[Zhao · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very weird but cool book. It talks about this book being trapped in teh basement by his parent. The book soon escape and got to another family that really cared about him. He got this mental problem that he started seeing this red spider. He goes through some hard time. I think that the book really bring up how sad some parent are. Treating thier own child like a wild beast, jsut trapping him in a cage. Unfortunately, these stuff does happen and it happens all the time.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been my purse book, so it's taken me a while to get through, but it was worth it. Although it's happy in that the parents were convicted and Charlie now has a new and loving home-- the story itself of a boy afraid of the outside and living confined in the basement is enough to break anyone's heart. Hello fans of A Child Called It.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never really thought much about abusive parents before this. I knew it was bad, but this took you into their mind set. This book starts out with a boy who's father put him in a basement for years. The kid develops a fever, and accidentally runs away. He is found by some neighbors, and brought to the ER. He meets a friend, and starts on the road of recovery...

[Megan B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very depressing but very good. It's also symbolic and makes you appreciate what you have.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for students who've suffered physical abuse from a parent.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a young adult novel...it's a "how-to manual" on how to pscyhologically and physically abuse your kid(s).

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the book, im not a fan of fiction but when i read this i really fell in love.

[Claude's Bookzone · Rating 2 out of 5]

CW: Child kept prisoner and mistreated.

[Tatyanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie, the protagonist, is getting abused by his father. He was locked in the basement as a punishment after for being a bad kid, he went outside and played in the rain where the danger was and his father didn’t like that and locked him in the basement. Charlie didn't have the essentials to live when he was in the basement so his mother had to unlock the door for him so he could get food and water to stay alive. One night Charlie did the things he had to do at night before going to the basement but he had to go to the bathroom so he went outside on the back porch, but what he didn't know was that the back porch door would slam close and lock. Charlie didn't know what to do because he thought he woke up his father so he ran away from the house. He went into the light and then a person took him, he thought it was his father taking him back to the house and go back in the basement, but it wasn't he was taken to the hospital.
After he was taken to the hospital he woke up and there was food but he didn’t touch it because he thought this was a whole trick and his father would take him back home and put him in the basement, but that didn’t happen yet but what did happen was a nice lady came into his room and started asking him questions. When the nice lady started asking questions Charlie was scared because he was hallucinating a spider, because he was sick after being in the basement for to long and not eating enough food. After a couple of days of eating and drinking water and also the nurses taking his vitals he was getting better. The nice lady asked if Charlie could draw a picture of his parents and he did that so and the nice lady took the drawings and was on the look for his parents, after a couple days Charlie heard talking in the hallway and then his parents walked in the room, he thought none of this was real he was only hallucinating them. But they were real, real people, it was his parents.
But he wasn’t allowed to go with them, he went with a lady he called Mrs.H he ate there and had a brother, but Charlie was scared to play outside with his new brother because he thought his father would snatch him and take him back into the basement, but after a couple weeks he built up his courage and went and played outside with his brother, Mrs.H said she would be gone for 15 minutes top, but what Charlie didn’t know is that his father was watching him and minutes later his father was holding him by the neck and just because Charlie was refusing to go with him he dropped him on his bad shoulder and broke it, Mrs.H came and save the day and made Charlie's father go away, they went to court and Charlie's father was not allowed near him, and Charlie got surgery on his shoulder and he had a new family, a good family.
I would recommend this book to people who like the new creation of a family and people getting through the tough times, but I wouldn’t recommend this book to people who hate when children get abused and have to go through all the suffering and pain. This was a fiction book that could be based on a true story so the genera is a realistic fiction

[Cat Noe · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an afternoon lull following a library visit, I went to find a quiet spot to read for a quarter hour or so. They have a spot offering free books, so I glanced over the shelves before settling down to a few minutes of other reading. I picked this up for a glance-over. Interesting. Tried a page to see how the writing was.

Must have been about thirty pages in when I remembered myself and moved to take advantage of the proffered seating rather than standing like a book-holding tree or an unseasonable coat-rack in the lobby.

Yeah, it's one of those books. Remember 1984? How the government proposed to control society by controlling language? This book entire was written subtly, discretely, in child's terms, even when the events were clearly harsher than the wording. I suspect the spider analogy must be quite common; I had the same comparison growing up, though in nightmares, not hallucinations.

Altogether I found it a rather beautiful story, a broken child entering into real life...

So why four stars instead of five? Because it's a fantasy. This book is the dream of many a damaged kid. Dreams can change the world. They help push it in the right direction. Honestly, I'd like it less if Charlie had sought help on his own. The accident helped the realism.

Is insight enough? It's a good start, but kids like this get forgotten every day, and are expected to cope with life despite it. I'd like to see a move to empower such developing people, not by the placebo that seem to be the current trend, but by actual recognition and opportunity.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stumbling upon a bunch of books my older sister was getting rid of, I had snagged this one up among many others. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. I think it's a good read for those who are interested in and can handle psychology and abuse kind of stories.

Charlie's been stuck in a basement for who knows how long of his childhood. He's barely been outside. He hasn't been to school. One night, he manages to escape into the outside world. This is the story about his recovery.

I thought it was interesting to read how Charlie thought about the world, and how he knew very little. What kept me reading was my hope for Charlie and hope that his abuser got what they deserved.

The beginning and ending was the best parts of this novel, it really maintained flow. During the middle I was a little bored, the story seemed to drag a little (yet the pacing does make sense).

I kind of wanted an epilogue, although it's fine without one. I wanted to know more about the spider and how Charlie makes it in the real-world. Although the story ended happily enough, I felt like we left the characters too soon.

I feel like this does show accurate portrayals, though I can't speak from any experience. The story felt very real; the voice especially. I'm glad that it showed how anxieties aren't going to fix themselves quickly, as it takes time for Charlie to get used to the outside world, and sometimes has setbacks.

[Jessica Bucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy from the Basement is an emotional journey packed into 200 pages. This story will put at the readers’ heartstrings, as they travel with Charlie, as he begins a new life. Told from Charlie’s perspective, the reader delves into the mind of a twelve year old, who seems much younger due to the unfortunate circumstances of his childhood. He has no social skills or knowledge of the outside world, yet the other children he encounters don’t seem to mind. They show Charlie how kind the world can be, and accept him for who he is, despite his frantic outbursts and claims of a large red spider that is going to attack. This book concentrates more on the aftermath of an abusive situation, versus the actual abusive behavior itself. This allows the audience to be expanded to a middle school level.

The Boy from the Basement is a powerful story that can be finished in one setting. However, its impact will remain much longer. I would have loved a longer novel, one that explores the full recovery of Charlie and how he adapts to the outside world. However, for the intended audience, the length is perfect. It captures their attention and gives just enough of a story to prompt questions and discussions. Susan Shaw does a fantastic job of creating a loveable character, one audiences won’t forget.

[Judy Jacobsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to know why this book is one of the most checked out books in the high school library. Besides being a rather small book in comparison with other books in the library, this book has a reading level of 3 with an interest level of 6-8. This would appeal to the lower level readers.
Also, everything is wrapped up nicely at the end without any loose ends. Sure, you may want to know how Charlie does in the future, but it isn't necessary. You can see him succeeding in his recover, and you know it will continue.
Without going into graphic detail about Charlie's abuse, the reader can see how it has affected his perception of the world. All of social customs as well as normal routines are introduced to Charlie who doesn't understand them. Seeing him struggle and acclimate to his new world is captivating.
I now have a better understanding of why a lot of high school students are interested in this book.

[Bryce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story. In this book which takes place in present day, Charlie Is forced to stay in the cold, desolate and dark basement with no outside interaction, while his parents are upstairs and act normal as if they are not keeping their child in the basement. One day Charlie finds himself in a place his father never told him to be, outside. Charlie blacks out and awakes in the hospital right next to his new friend, Aaron. What will happen to Charlie? Are his psychotic parents coming to take him back to the basement? Or will he escape from darkness and start a new life. This Graphic Novel will have you on the edge of your seat as the twists and turns of Charlie’s young life cause one to wonder, what happened to the boy in the basement? If you are looking for a book with many cliff hangers and suspense moments, The Boy In The Basement by Susan Shaw is the book for you.

[Bridget Thomas (Cruisingthroughpages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick but very impactful read. Just makes you feel so many emotions. I felt so bad for the main character. Such a great kid and to be put through the things he was just broke my heart. I took a star off just for a couple of minor things that I wasn’t crazy about and because I listened to this one on Audible and the sound of one particular word that is said over and over kinda drove me crazy lol. But honestly there’s not much to criticize about this one. It’s a really tough but wonderful story.

[Christopher Roxby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't read this book unless you are prepared to be punched right in the feels. Several times.

Others have summarized the plot of this book so well that I won't here.
What I will say is how it tore at my heart. I devoured this book in one sitting in around two and a half hours, it was that gripping. And I spent the entire time on the edge of tears.

Charlie's simple narrative will bring that out. So be warned.
Don't approach this story lightly. It WILL tear your emotions a new one.