Swallowing Stones [Hardcover]

Joyce McDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1997

Michael fires his new rifle into the air on July Fourth, never imagining that his bullet will end up killing a man named Charlie Ward. So begins this taut drama of Michael MacKenzie and of Charlie Ward's daughter, Jenna, as the two teenagers react to the tragedy. Mournful Jenna tries to understand why she no longer feels comfortable with her boyfriend and why a near stranger named Michael keeps appearing in her dreams. Michael digs a grave for the rifle but finds that he can't bury his guilt. And the longer he hides the truth, the more people in his life he seems to hurt. Meanwhile, the police are narrowing in.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The lives of four teenagers are drastically changed by a freak Fourth of July accident. "Readers will quickly become absorbed in this electrifying portrayal of fear and deception," said PW. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) r
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-Up?Michael MacKenzie, 17, spends a tormented summer of guilt squeezing through the interstices of lies that he and his unsavory friend, Joe, concoct to hide the fact that a shot Michael fired from a rifle killed a man working on his roof over a mile away. In alternating chapters, Michael and the dead man's 15-year-old daughter, Jenna, creep inexorably toward their inevitable confrontation. This mesmerizing story largely derives its power from the respect McDonald demonstrates for these teens and their emotions, and her unwavering focus on their changing relationships in response to the tragedy. While on the surface the summer revolves around parties and the pool, readers are insinuated into the underlying culture that structures and controls their lives. Amy, who is scorned as a slut according to high school gossip, is revealed to be a Mary Magdalene-like character whose compassion and gentle caring contribute mightily to Michael's resolve to confess his culpability first to Jenna, then the police. Reminiscent of Michael Cadnum's work in the violent underpinnings of the plot and intensity of the characters' emotional lives, Swallowing Stones may also remind readers of Eve Bunting's Such Nice Kids (Houghton, 1990) and Robert Cormier's We All Fall Down (Delacorte, 1991). The almost magically surreal ending will leave many readers turning the page to find out what happens next.?Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; 1St Edition edition (September 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385323093
• ISBN-13: 978-0385323093
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,978,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joyce McDonald is the author of several critically acclaimed middle grade and young adult novels, most notably Swallowing Stones, an American Library Association Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults and Booklist's 100 Best of the Best 1966 - 2003, and Shades of Simon Gray, an ALA Best Book and Edgar Allen Poe Award Nominee. She is also the author of The Stuff of Our Forebears: Willa Cather's Southern Heritage (University of Alabama Press). Her most recent novel is Devil on My Heels. She teaches in Spalding University's Brief-residency MFA in Writing Program.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swallowing Stones, a must read, April 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Swallowing Stones (Mass Market Paperback)

"Swallowing Stones" is one of the best books I have ever read. It was very well written. It allows the reader to experience what it is like to have your father killed right before your eyes, as in the case of Jenna Ward. On the other end of the spectrum it shows what it is like to have been the person who fired the gun that killed him, as in Michael. One of the strongest points in this book is its ability to convia the emotions that the situations bring with them and how the characters deal with them. For Jenna it is dealing with the loss of her father to a stray bullet; feeling very strangly around her boyfriend now; trying to figure out the dream that has haunted her every hight; and why Amy, the girl with the worst reputation in school, is being nice and helping her out. Michael on the other hand is having to deal with having fired the shot that murdered a man; finding himself at Amy's home almost every night trying to escape the world; having his best friend, Joe, being blamed for the murder he comitted, losing his girlfriend and having her turn Amy against him; and finding a good way to deal with what he has has done. This book doesn't contain much action but it is one of thoughs books that just pulls you in and doesn't let you go until you are done.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It opened my eyes to the consequences of one mistake, June 14, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Swallowing Stones (Mass Market Paperback)

Meet 17 year old Michael. He has everything, a good girlfriend, nice friends, and a grandfather who just gave him a really cool birthday gift: a riffle. But when Michael and his friend decide to shoot off the gun in his backyard, Michael's life will change forever. Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald is a realistic-fiction book that follows this young boy throughout his problems and the decisions he has to make because of this one shot.
I loved the way the author switches the narrative of the book from Michael to the dead man's daughter. It is a great book for a teenage girl or boy. Swallowing Stones made me realize that even one shot can kill and once you have pulled the trigger, there is no going back.
If you liked Martyn Pig or Whirligig you will definitely love Swallowing Stones!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a good book with a terrible ending!!!, April 24, 2008

By 

Jane E. Nelson "Bobby" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Swallowing Stones (Mass Market Paperback)

Swallowing stones was an excellent read of a probably situation with plot twist and turns and doesn't get boring until the last few pages. The book starts with Michael an innocent enough teenage boy that got a new gun for his birthday. He fires the gun in the air and the bullet ends up hitting the father of Jenna Ward which throws her life into turmoil. This but has many redeeming qualities but it falls short in its terrible cliff hanger ending that does not satisfy any questions about the plot while raising more at the same time. But I recommend this book just don't be disappointed with the ending.