Module 9 - The Body of Christopher Creed

Summary:

The Body of Christopher Creed is the story of a missing boy Christopher Creed and is narrated by Tory Adams a fellow student at the same school.  Christopher Creed was the total opposite of Tory Adams.  Tory is popular, cute, smart, well-to-do family, athlete and cheerleader girlfriend.  Tory's parents talk to him and they have a good relationship. 

Christopher Creed is picked on by Tory and other kids like him and when Christoper comes up missing and a note is found that leaves everyone wondering if he committed suicide or is a runaway, Tory begins to think about how he treated him and wants to try and find him.

With the help from his friend Ali and her boyfriend Bo Richardson, they try to piece together what happened to Christopher Creed and in the process they all discover things about themselves.


Bibliography:
Plum-Ucci, The Body of Christopher Creed. Volo Books: New York, 2000. ISBN 0786816411

My Impressions:

I found this book to be interesting because Tory Adams is narrating the story and he begins to look into himself for answers as to why he has treated Tory with insignificance.  His friends make jokes about Christopher Creed missing and make light of the fact he made of committed suicide.  Tory is trying to fit in with his friends, but doesn't feel the same the way they do.  This book is very interesting, but I had to follow it closely.

The ending was a little disappointing for me since I didn't get all the answers that I wanted.

Review:

Publishers Weekly


First-novelist Plum-Ucci wraps a well-crafted mystery around a topical issue: the effect teenage intolerance can have on misfits. When class freak Chris Creed suddenly disappears, his fellow students are not so much worried but abuzz with speculation: Is he a runaway, a suicide, a crime victim? Through a complicated but believable turn of events, narrator Torey Adams, a popular 16-year-old, starts to feel some concern and resolves to find the truth. His unlikely allies are two kids of dubious social status: Ali, who is Chris's neighbor, and Ali's boyfriend, Bo, a "boon" (shorthand for boondocks) with a juvenile record. Convinced Chris's mother is to blame for Chris's disappearance, they plan to break into his house to steal his hidden diary in hopes of finding evidence. The plan backfires: Bo is caught, Torey is implicated and all three are the subject of malicious gossip that proves to have dangerous consequences. Told as a flashback, the novel drags slightly at the beginning. Plum-Ucci, however, picks up the pace and builds to a fever pitch near the conclusion, vividly describing Torey's late-night hunt for Chris's body in a nearby Indian burial ground. Readers will likely be enthralled by the mystery, and, even more, they will be moved by Torey's hard-won realization that everyone deserves compassion. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Suggested Use:

This book would be good to use during a social studies class and in studying how others who are different can be hurt or left with feelings of inadequacy.  This would be a good choice for "anti-bullying" awareness conversation.