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Gr 6-9 In Silent to the Bone (Atheneum, 2000), a grown-up Margaret Rose Kane helps her half brother, Connor, solve the mystery of why his best friend can't speak. Outcasts is her remembrance of her 12th summer. Pitched into camp by her parents while they travel in Peru, she is tormented by cliquish cabin mates and adopts a passive-aggressive stance that infuriates the overly rigid and money-grasping camp director. Rescued by her beloved elderly uncles and taken to their home, Margaret is appalled to discover that the city has ordered the soaring, artistic towers they...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

When we first met Margaret Rose Kane in Silent to the Bone (rev. 11/00), she was a highly intelligent, self-possessed twentysomething with a gift for solving other people's problems. This novel takes us back to the summer when Margaret Rose was a highly intelligent, self-possessed twelve-year-old with some problems of her own. Shipped off to camp while her parents work (and work on their marriage) in Peru, Margaret Rose is harassed and humiliated by her cabinmates and takes to responding to nearly all requests with a Bartlebyesque "I prefer not to." Sprung from Camp Talequa to spend the rest of the summer with a pair of great-uncles, she soon faces another challenge. Uncles Alex and Morris have spent forty-five years building three towers in their backyard...Log In or Sign Up to Read More