The Lovely Bones
By: Alice Sebold
Summary:
Susie salmon a 14 year old student's pov. of her life starting on a normal school day. Susie decides to take a short cut home walking through the cornfield. Where she sees her neighbor Mr. Harvey, who tricks her into a fort he has built underground. In the fort Mr. Harvey rapes and kills Susie. While her case is under investigation a dog is found carrying around one of Susie's bones. Susie watches over her family and friends from her personally heaven. She watches her family fall apart without her. she sees her friends and family almost solve her case but once the police at told about Mr. Harvey they don't have any evidence. Mr. Harvey moves away and tries to continue the attacks but is later killed by a falling icicle. The story closes out with Susie looking down on her sister and her new born niece.
This book was challenged because...
The school believed that the book was too mature for most of the middle school aged students. The sexual conflict and theme of religious belief was not age appropriate; therefore, the book was removed from shelves. More reasons the book was challenged was some believed it was morally wrong because the man who committed the crime got away free.
Date banned:
march 2007; By Coleytown Middle School Westport, CT
My opinion:
The book does have strong mature subjects that maybe too much for some younger middle school aged kids. They should put in the mature section only allowing the older class to read it at their own choosing. The conflict with the authors religious beliefs are out of place. It is a book not her life, If every book had to meet everyone's standards there would be no books.
"Dangerous Books." Dangerous Books. Wordpress.com, 01 May 2008. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Lovely Bones Summary" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.