The Silent Boy - by Lois Lowry (Paperback)

About the Book

Katy, the precocious ten-year-old daughter of the town doctor, befriends a boy with mental disabilities.

Book Synopsis

Katy Thatcher was the bright and curious daughter of the town doctor. She was fascinated by her father's work, and even as a child she knew that she too wanted to be a doctor. She wanted to know about people. Perhaps it was this, her insatiable curiosity, or simply the charm of Jacob's gentle intimacy with animals large and small, that fueled their friendship. Although Jacob never spoke to her or even looked at her directly, Katy grew to understand him from the moments they spent together quietly singing to the horses. She knew there was meaning in the sounds he made and purpose behind his movements. So when events took an unexpected and tragic turn, it was Katy alone who could unravel the mystery of what had occurred and why.

Review Quotes

"The author balances humor and generosity with the obstacles and injustice of Katy's world to depict a complete picture of the turn of the century." Publishers Weekly, Starred

"Lowry's latest achievement delivers complexity disguised as simplicity--providing depth through her child-narrator's eyes." VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

"Emotionally devastating and infinitely haunting." Horn Book

"Not since Autumn Street has Lowry written a novel that injects childhood experience so deeply with adult tone." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Lowry excels in developing strong and unique characters." School Library Journal

"Well-crafted and narrated by a perceptive, large-hearted child." Kirkus Reviews --

About the Author

Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After several years at Brown University, she turned to her family and to writing. She is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader's Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Association's Children's Book Award. Ms. Lowry now divides her time between Cambridge and an 1840s farmhouse in Maine. To learn more about Lois Lowry, see her website at www.loislowry.com