Set against the backdrop of a child murder in 1930s-era Chicago, three teenagers' lives are about to change dramatically. From different sides of the tracks, Zane and Fred forge a bond through their shared love of cartooning. But Fred quickly realizes that Zane has a dark undercurrent, especially when he violates Maizy, the sturdy but naive working class neighborhood girl whose lack of self-esteem and lifelong love for Zane overwhelm her judgment. Meanwhile, Zane's father harbors a shocking secret that only Maizy and Fred discover, and the events that follow lead all three teens to make difficult, life-changing decisions. Told with compassion and honesty from each teen's perspective, Something Terrible Happened on Kenmore unflinchingly examines love and loss, friendship and sexuality, all significant factors on the path to becoming an adult.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—Told from alternating perspectives, this novel captures a snapshot of life in Depression-era Chicago. The story opens with the police looking for the hand of a five-year-old girl who has been raped and murdered. Each successive narrator sheds a little more light on the circumstances, allowing readers to guess the identity of the perpetrator before it is revealed at the end. Zane, the minister's son, spends his days "slumming," hanging with his friends from school, predominately immigrants, who live on Kenmore Street. Maizy, a heavy girl with low self-esteem, is wholly in love with him, even though she's not sure that their one sexual encounter wasn't a rape, and she becomes pregnant. Fred is a friend to everyone, the moral center of the story. This tight narrative is evocative of Sharon Draper's or Angela Johnson's work, but the historical setting will draw reluctant readers into a whole new era.—Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"In this taut, compelling coming of age novel, Marci Stillerman presents three young people who must find strength and wisdom beyond their years. Stillerman perfectly captures their naivete and deftly explores the dark corners of their relationships in this unpretentious story of love and loyalty." --Marjorie Reynolds, author of The Starlite Drive-in, A YALSA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
"Marci Stillerman has woven a tightly threaded plot. The story moves swiftly, the characters ring true. They have universal appeal, especially Maizy, with her longings and lack of self-esteem." --Anita Kornfeld, author of In a Bluebird s Eye & Vintage
"Marci Stillerman has woven a tightly threaded plot. The story moves swiftly, the characters ring true. They have universal appeal, especially Maizy, with her longings and lack of self-esteem." --Anita Kornfeld, author of In a Bluebird s Eye & Vintage
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I found the book riveting! Author Marci Stillerman definitely has a way with words; words that at times can carry the reader on with a thudding heart. I definitely felt empathy for the three main characters, all different, yet together in their sense of loneliness that unites children in their situation, and bonds them in the terrible secret they must keep. The book is a page-turner and I would highly recommend it for any reader who enjoys good writing, and wants "showing," not "telling."
Dodie Cross, author of "A Broad Abroad in Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles"
Dodie Cross, author of "A Broad Abroad in Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles"
Originally posted on [...]
When the desperation of the Great Depression reaches its darkest, it's not only the adults that suffer its dire consequences. Children of all ages are drawn into the darkness along with their parents, friends and relatives. Fred, Zane, and Maizy are only three of them, but their story rings true across the decades. You'll be touched by their stories, angered at their inability to save themselves, and rejoice as they find their way through one of the most difficult times in American history.
While told from alternating perspectives, from the very beginning I felt like Fred was the main character of sorts. He's the new kid on Kenmore and is learning his way around the area and the people. He seems to be the most average of the three narrators and I liked him a lot. He battles the constant tide of wants vs. what is right and he handles things well usually. While he makes his mistakes, I do believe that they're all made for the right reasons. For me, Fred was the most relatable of the narrators and I could identify with his situation at home.
Zane is the minister's son and the only kid from the right side of the tracks. Despite being rich, he feels like he doesn't fit in with the kids from his own street so he hangs out on Kenmore where the kids are more honest and real. He starts out as an arrogant, self-absorbed rich kid but, as the story progresses he's forced to change a lot. Of the three, he probably grows the most over the course of the novel. His faith is broken and he's forced to rebuild, not something that comes easily to a sixteen-year-old. I wouldn't have wanted to be in his shoes for anything.
Maizy was probably my favorite narrator. Her unrequited love for Zane and her honest, if simple, outlook on life was different from any of the others in the novel. Forced to stay home and care for her brother, Maizy's life revolves around her front porch. She's profoundly affected by the murder that starts the story off and it haunts her thoughts. I appreciated her complete and total devotion to her brother and the honest way she interacted with everyone who passed her way. She still had hopes and dreams, even knowing that most would never come to fruition. But it didn't stop her from hoping for a better life for them all.
Despite the rather bleak circumstances that set the stage for this coming of age novel, the trueness of the narrators' voices shine through the darkness. I loved the way that the narrator changed, each revealing just a piece of the mystery surrounding the murder haunting Kenmore, giving you the briefest of glimpses into the answer to it all. Very well written in an easy to read style, Something Terrible Happened on Kenmore is a stark and yet hopeful portrait of a teenager's life in Depression-Era Chicago. Things were by no means easy, but there was still hope on the horizon.
When the desperation of the Great Depression reaches its darkest, it's not only the adults that suffer its dire consequences. Children of all ages are drawn into the darkness along with their parents, friends and relatives. Fred, Zane, and Maizy are only three of them, but their story rings true across the decades. You'll be touched by their stories, angered at their inability to save themselves, and rejoice as they find their way through one of the most difficult times in American history.
While told from alternating perspectives, from the very beginning I felt like Fred was the main character of sorts. He's the new kid on Kenmore and is learning his way around the area and the people. He seems to be the most average of the three narrators and I liked him a lot. He battles the constant tide of wants vs. what is right and he handles things well usually. While he makes his mistakes, I do believe that they're all made for the right reasons. For me, Fred was the most relatable of the narrators and I could identify with his situation at home.
Zane is the minister's son and the only kid from the right side of the tracks. Despite being rich, he feels like he doesn't fit in with the kids from his own street so he hangs out on Kenmore where the kids are more honest and real. He starts out as an arrogant, self-absorbed rich kid but, as the story progresses he's forced to change a lot. Of the three, he probably grows the most over the course of the novel. His faith is broken and he's forced to rebuild, not something that comes easily to a sixteen-year-old. I wouldn't have wanted to be in his shoes for anything.
Maizy was probably my favorite narrator. Her unrequited love for Zane and her honest, if simple, outlook on life was different from any of the others in the novel. Forced to stay home and care for her brother, Maizy's life revolves around her front porch. She's profoundly affected by the murder that starts the story off and it haunts her thoughts. I appreciated her complete and total devotion to her brother and the honest way she interacted with everyone who passed her way. She still had hopes and dreams, even knowing that most would never come to fruition. But it didn't stop her from hoping for a better life for them all.
Despite the rather bleak circumstances that set the stage for this coming of age novel, the trueness of the narrators' voices shine through the darkness. I loved the way that the narrator changed, each revealing just a piece of the mystery surrounding the murder haunting Kenmore, giving you the briefest of glimpses into the answer to it all. Very well written in an easy to read style, Something Terrible Happened on Kenmore is a stark and yet hopeful portrait of a teenager's life in Depression-Era Chicago. Things were by no means easy, but there was still hope on the horizon.
In a small town called Kenmore, everything is pleasant and
casual until...there was a murder. A small girl name Marta
was murdered by an unknown man, but there was one clue, a
hand. Fortunately, the murderer cut off the girl's hand,
and in her hand is the hair of the killer. Soon, a boy
name Fred Fink moves into Kenmore and finds some new
friends. A new friend, Zane, invites him to his clubhouse,
which he likes to call Z's. Its an old rusty hideout that
the gang comes to often. But in this old nasty warehouse,
is hidden a clue to the murder. Read the book to find out
the hidden clue within the old warehouse that could solve
the
murder!
I liked this book. It was interesting, and there were always
mysteries to come. It is a pretty long book and has some
bad words in it but that didn't bother me. It was a really
good book and very descriptive, too!
NOTE to parents: This book has a lot
of curse words and many inappropriate parts. I would
reccomend this for more mature readers.
Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer
Flamingnet Book Reviews
Teen books reviewed by teen reviewers
casual until...there was a murder. A small girl name Marta
was murdered by an unknown man, but there was one clue, a
hand. Fortunately, the murderer cut off the girl's hand,
and in her hand is the hair of the killer. Soon, a boy
name Fred Fink moves into Kenmore and finds some new
friends. A new friend, Zane, invites him to his clubhouse,
which he likes to call Z's. Its an old rusty hideout that
the gang comes to often. But in this old nasty warehouse,
is hidden a clue to the murder. Read the book to find out
the hidden clue within the old warehouse that could solve
the
murder!
I liked this book. It was interesting, and there were always
mysteries to come. It is a pretty long book and has some
bad words in it but that didn't bother me. It was a really
good book and very descriptive, too!
NOTE to parents: This book has a lot
of curse words and many inappropriate parts. I would
reccomend this for more mature readers.
Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer
Flamingnet Book Reviews
Teen books reviewed by teen reviewers
Most Recent Customer Reviews
wow (and not in a good way)
Something Terrible Happened on Kenmore is set in the 1930s, however Marci Stillerman never explicitly states that so the reader must infer the period from mentions of what's... Read more
Published on January 4, 2010 by N. Rogers
Worth more than one reading
This is a valuable book because the three friends--Fred, Maizy, and Zale--face difficult real life problems, but even when some of their decisions seem wrong, the author doesn't... Read more
Published on December 15, 2009 by Jenny Gumpertz
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