Customer Reviews

The Body of Christopher Creed

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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 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.

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 takes place in a small town called Steepleton where everyone knows everybody. There's a boy that lives in Steepleton named Chris who was constantly mocked since he was young and has suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but a
mysterious letter. No one in Steepleton knows what happened to him, not even his own mother. They don't know whether he was kidnapped, if he committed suicide or if he just left town. Now everyone in Steepleton is blaming each other for Chris'
disappearance and Torey and his friends are trying to get to the bottom of this mystery.
I enjoyed reading this book because it's suspenseful to the very end. There are so many surprises in this book, I enjoyed reading every page. The characters in this story are
complex and they have there own opinions about Chris' disappearance.
The lesson to learn is you shouldn't be cruel to people because it might not seem to affect them, but it hurts inside. Chris wasn't a bad person, he just wanted friends. Nobody cared about him until he disappeared. In this story nobody wanted to admit thatthey treated Chris badly.
I would recommend this book to people that love to read books that keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end. It was honestly one of the best books I have ever read because once you pick up this book up, you wont want to put it down until you read it to the end.

When i picked up this book I was not sure if it was going to be good or not. I had not heard much about it and had never heard of this author before. As soon as I read the first chapter of the book I was hooked. I started reading the book in the late afternoon and didnt put it down till dinner. It is a great book, and was so mysterious and suspensful. I loved it! I finished in within 2 days. I would recommend this book to anyone ages 13 and up. "The Body of Christopher Creed" is about a rich kid named Victor "Torey" Adams, who according to most people has a perfect life. When the school nerd Christopher disappears, at first nobody thinks much of it. But as the book goes on Torey becomes more and more obsessed about what happened to Christopher. Was it a suicide, a murder, or a runaway? Nobody knows. Suspicions rise and Torey finds him self loosing touch with his friends and becoming more friends with a girl named Ali who is considered a slut, but is really very nice and not one, and Bo the school "boon" aka. bully. Torey realizes Bo and Ali's true nature. This book is so great! Trust me you will not be able to put it down. I dont want ot give away the ending, so go out and get it!!

I can't believe this book. It had me up until all hours of the night, at some points reading, and at others, looking over my shoulder. I loved watching Torey's character develop throughout the story. I think I grew with him! Sometimes it's hard to remember what it was like to be a teenager, even for someone as young as I am. But Plum-Ucci obviously hasn't. She manages to capture all of the gut wrenching humiliation and heartache that go along with those years. And I have to admit that I was one of those kids watching from the sidelines. I never stuck up for anyone and now I am forced to look at the way I treat people as an adult. Kids aren't the only ones who can be cruel. Thanks, Carol. Not only did I enjoy it, but I learned the lesson as well.

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 has displayed a lot of talent on the authors part. It gives a sense of teenage class systems today in a way that everyone can relate too. I think it is an excellent read for people of that age level. The writing is very descriptive and gives the reader a good picture of what's going on. I liked this book because it's not about the average high schoolers day to day occurences. It has to do with a more serious issue, but is not overly pessimistic. Overall I think it is a must-read.

Everyone knows someone like Christopher Creed. He is, after all, the kid you love to hate. He'll treat you like his best friend, hanging onto your every word, following you everywhere you go, even as you tell him to go away. He'll get up, smiling, after you've punched him in the mouth after saying something totally inappropriate. He's the kid we see at every high school--the one with no friends, who thinks he knows everything, loathed by all and yet oblivious to our hatred.

Except Christopher Creed wasn't totally oblivious, as shown by the email he sends to the school principal the day he ends up missing. No one seems to be sure whether Creed was contemplating running away or comitting suicide--all they know is that he's gone, disappeared as if he'd never lived in the town of Steepleton at all.

For Victor "Torey" Adams, the day Chris Creed drops off the face of the Earth is a defining, and life-altering, day for him. Suddenly confused by the way he's treated Creed in the past, ashamed by the pure glee that his fellow students seem to get out of speculating what happened to the missing teen, Torey is disillusioned with his life--and so sets out to discover what truly happened to Christopher Creed the day he went missing.

Along with two unlikely allies, a once popular girl now considered to be a [...] and a "boon" boy from the wrong side of the tracks, Torey has become obsessed with unearthing clues to Creed's mysterious disappearance. As he learns more about the strange happenings in the Creed home, as he becomes convinced that his mother is hiding something, as he wanders the woods looking for a body, Torey learns something about the way the world works--and it isn't pretty.

THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED is an engaging mystery, but it's also a look into the life and times of every high school in the world. The cliques, the drama, the need to belong. The bullying, the hatred, the intense pressure to fit in. Ms. Plum-Ucci has penned a book that goes straight to the heart of the matter--when things are unbearable in your life, when fiction is preferable to fact, how far are you willing to go to change your destiny?

A real winner, this is definitely a recommended read!