The Rag and Bone Shop

Title: The Rag and Bone Shop
Author: Robert Cormier
Published: Oct. 9th, 2001
ISBN: 0-385-72962-6
Page Number: 154
Price: $15.95
Genre: realistic fiction, suspense
Reading Level: 5th grade
Reading Interest: 7th grade and up
Awards: ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2002)
Plot Summary: Trent is one of the best interrogators and never fails to get a confession out of his suspects. But when Trent is called in to get a confession out of 12 year old Jason for the murder of a 7 year old girl, things don't go as planned. The city, including a high profile senator, want answers but a confession out of Jason may not be the one they are looking for. Jason on the other hand has no idea why he is being questioned but wants to help the police in any way he can.  The victim is his friend Alicia and Jason was one of the last people to see her before she was murdered. Soon Jason starts to realize that questioning isn't going well as Trent tries to manipulate a confession out of Jason. Trent is only focused on one thing, a confession and he doesn't seem to care that Jason might not be guilty.
Review: Robert Cormier has written a dark, fast past mystery that has the reader on the edge of their seat. The story shows just how manipulative police investigations can be. Jason is young and only wants to help but he is no match for Trent's relentless questioning. Trent is able to break Jason and have him confess to a crime he didn't commit. The story is shocking in that it seems all but too easy for an innocent child to confess to such a heinous crime that he is innocent of doing. And Cormier doesn't stop there, he then shows how this false confession completely changes Jason who can't make sense of why he confessed. It's a page turning thriller that is full of surprises.
Reader's Annotation: Jason loves to spend time with Alicia, despite the fact that she's only 7 years old but he'd rather be doing puzzles with her than spending time with kids his own age. When Jason learns that someone has murdered Alicia and left her in the woods he is shocked. So when the police call him in for questioning he is eager to help find the killer. What Jason doesn't know is that his interrogator believes Jason killed Alicia and he won't stop till he gets Jason to confess. But who would confess to a murder they didn't commit?
Book Talk Ideas: In the story Jason confesses to a crime he didn't commit. I think the book talk should come from Jason's point of view and talk about he only wanted to help and then start to show how the manipulation of Trent has him questioning is own innocence.
Issues: The story discusses a very gruesome murder scene within the first few pages and then talks about the murder of a young girl. It also depicts the police, who normally are seen as good guys, as manipulative and coercive.
Main Themes: murder, manipulation
Bibliotheraputic Usefulness: Readers will find themselves questioning the legal system and the idea of right and wrong. Is a person who confesses to a crime really guilty or like in the case of Jason can a person be manipulated into a confession. Is Jason truly evil because he confessed to a horrible crime or is he just the victim of an overzealous police officer who was bent on maintaining his reputation and not seeking justice. These are the kind of questions that teens will be asking and it's a great way for them to see that they should question things, that sometimes good people can do terrible things.
Main Themes: murder, manipulation
Read-alikes: Kill Switch by Chris Lynch
Author Website: N/A
Professional Reviews: 
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Why this book? Robert Cormier is known for his dark novels that don't always end happily. This story is no different and as his last novel before he died he ended on a powerful and suspenseful book that calls into question how our justice system works.