The Body of Christopher Creed

Review 6

Plum-Ucci, Carol. The Body of Christopher Creed. San Diego: Hartcourt, INC., 2000. Print.

Annotation: The townspeople of Steepleton are convinced that Christopher Creed either ran away from home, or is dead. Feeling the guilt of having contributed to the ridicule Creed suffered, Torey Adams and "friends" set out to solve the mystery of where the body of Christopher Creed is.

Justification for Nomination: The Body of Christopher Creed is an excellent example of the young adult mystery genre done well. It contains several elements, from effective story-telling techniques- to effective, relevant depictions of nuanced, complex young adult developmental issues.

Plum-Ucci creates multi-dimensional characters that grow through the course of the story. The reader becomes invested in their growth and interested in the next-step in solving the mystery of the death or disappearance of Christopher Creed. The teen vernacular is used effectively, creating authentic characters in both male and female characters. What is a bonus to the authentically portrayed teenage protagonists is the role of adults in the story. It is typical, in young adult mystery or thriller novels for adults to be presented as either aloof, neglecting or somehow unable to help the teen mystery solvers. Although characters like Chief Bowen and Mrs. Creed, for example are depicted more along these lines, this is not entirely the case for other adults like Torey's District Attorney mother. She acts as bridge between the teens and the adult world they slip in and out of throughout the novel.

As the 16-year old protagonist, Torey Adams courses through the journey of figuring out what happened to the high-school outcast, Christopher Creed, Adams' character grows tremendously from the mature situation he choses to be a part of. From figuring out what true friendship and loyalty are, to learning how to deal with mature situation in an adult manner, and understanding the world from an adult perspective, Torey is a multi-dimensional character who examines many strongly relevant developmental issues.

Overall, this novel is a captivating read and an excellent example of YA mystery for older middle school and younger high school students.

Genre: Mystery, Printz Honor 2002