The Body of Christopher Creed

This is a superbly written teen novel containing an array of excrutiatingly real characters. Being a teacher of teenagers, I see these kids at school on a daily basis. I've read a large number of Young Adult novels that create cartoony representations of what a teenager "looks like." THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED looks, sounds and feels much more realistic. That is the pillar of this highly engaging story. Multi-layered (theme, plot, character, conflict, tension, and dialogue(!) all excel here), this book does have one HUGE drawback from being one of my all-time favorite YA novels -- the key story is book-ended by a truly disappointing "flashback" convention that does not work in the end because it psychoanalyzes the story to death(characters, motivations, plot resolution), and thereby detracts from the passionate story it frames. Chapter One works only "okay," and would better serve the whole by being dropped (although the first-person narrative is absolutely the right choice). The last two chapters are a mess with the last ten pages or so being an enormous real hindrance to the novel ending graciously. The way Plum-Ucci brings in "babble" (as I call it) ruins the sense of reader satisfaction with a well-told tale. That said, this book rocks (though the language and sexual nature of some of the sections of this book prevent it from having a wider school-age audience -- I would have loved to use this in class, but social morays prevent that)! I understand that the film rights have been optioned (if Hollywood does NOT end up making a film of this, I swear I will go to film school and then option it myself -- I'm not kidding), but the way to make this film is without celebrities; make a truly small budget film that will focus on the quality of the storytelling and not the production values. With the right director and actors (with Torey's narration underscoring many scenes) in place, this will become a favorite film of teenagers across the country. Excellent, excellent book with an extremely high recommendation from me (with the exceptions mentioned above)!

This book is going down in my personal hall of fame - "The Body of Christopher Creed" gives us all a look into the minds of people we scorn and point fingers at. One day, those people won't be around for you to apologize to. And one day, they'll get you back - in ways you'd never imagined. Realization, guilt, and most of all, horror at the way you've treated another living being.Chris Creed is easily classed at the outcast - there's one in every school. But it's totally unexpected when one day he just dissapears, leaving only a cryptic e-mail behind. Tory, a classmate, is popular, good looking, and slightly niave. He doesn't know what's going on behind the scenes until he shifts backstage himself. Torey's tossed into a world that's not as perfect as his own. Torey slowly drifts apart from his friends as he feels increasing admiration for his new ones - ones that don't have it as great. There's Ali, a childhood friend going down with a bad reputation; Boe, a burly kid from the boondocks with a criminial record, and even, in an odd way, Chris Creed. Suddenly, Torey sees different sides to people he thought he knew - Ali's mom's abusive boyfriend, Boe's caring, gentler side. And the dark, hidden secret of his own home, Steepleton.

This book is going down in my personal hall of fame - "The Body of Christopher Creed" gives us all a look into the minds of people we scorn and point fingers at. One day, those people won't be around for you to apologize to. And one day, they'll get you back - in ways you'd never imagined. Realization, guilt, and most of all, horror at the way you've treated another living being.Chris Creed is easily classed at the outcast - there's one in every school. But it's totally unexpected when one day he just dissapears, leaving only a cryptic e-mail behind. Tory, a classmate, is popular, good looking, and slightly niave. He doesn't know what's going on behind the scenes until he shifts backstage himself. Torey's tossed into a world that's not as perfect as his own. Torey slowly drifts apart from his friends as he feels increasing admiration for his new ones - ones that don't have it as great. There's Ali, a childhood friend going down with a bad reputation; Boe, a burly kid from the boondocks with a criminial record, and even, in an odd way, Chris Creed. Suddenly, Torey sees different sides to people he thought he knew - Ali's mom's abusive boyfriend, Boe's caring, gentler side. And the dark, hidden secret of his own home, Steepleton.

What happened to Christopher Creed, the class outcast? Was he kidnapped? Murdered? A suicide? Did his parents have anything to do with it? How about Bo, who's been acting suspicious? And why does cool, popular Torey Adams have the uncomfortable feeling that Chris wouldn't be gone if Torey and his friends had been nicer to him? The great thing about this book is that it is an exciting mystery while still being totally realistic. When Torey and his friends talk in the cafeteria, it is just the type of stuff normal teens talk about -- or would talk about if one of their classmates mysteriously disappeared. A must read.

This book brings back memories of my own high school days. We all knew a Chris Creed and we all dealt with him in our own way. I really think this book will make everyone that reads it think about how they should treat others. It was suspenceful, moving and Torey's journey is one that readers of all ages can relate to. I hope they make a movie out of this one.