Sammy’s Book Review on Swallowing Stones by Joyce Mcdonald

Swallowing Stones is a book that will have you questioning after each chapter, leaving you on the edge of your seat, and making you want to read it more and more.It starts off at Michael’s 18th birthday party.He is given a Winchester rifle from his grandfather and decides to show his best friend, Joe, the gift in the woods behind his house.He fires the Winchester into the air to show off his present not realizing he had killed someone.

Born in 1946, Joyce Mcdonald is a known author for teens book interest.She has also earned her master’s and wrote an award-winning book, Swallowing Stones,  which is one of her best, filled with adventure and thrills.Mrs.Mcdonald is the best young adult author you can currently find sitting on your bookshelf.

When I was reading through the first 5 chapters I found that I felt that I was in the story with Michael and Joe in the car after they found out that Michael had killed Charlie Ward.The feeling of killing someone can make you feel very energetic and put you in place of the story.This is why I believe that the author did a very good job at capturing the reader’s attention, causing the readers to get consumed by the story.

Michael is the main dynamic character in the book because he is changing his personality from being scared at the beginning,  to becoming a man and accepting his fate at the end.Joe, on the other hand, is mostly a flat character getting drunk, throwing fits, and acting tough.

Michael is put in a devastating position after realizing over the radio that he had killed a man, Charlie Ward.His best friend, Joe, has convinced him to not go to the police department and tell them that he had been the one that killed Charlie Ward.This then instantly makes Joe an accessory to the case which means if Michael gets caught, then they both go down together.When Michael keeps the secret for a while, the lies eat him up into a corner where he can’t take it anymore and does what he has to do.

Swallowing Stones is a thrilling book that leaves you wondering what will come on the next page.This is one of the first books that made me feel what Michael was feeling: lost, scared, clueless.I had also really enjoyed how the dialogue went through the book, and the entire atmosphere of the book was overall spectacular.The only let down I would have to say is that the ending left me wondering forever.

2 thoughts on “Sammy’s Book Review on Swallowing Stones by Joyce Mcdonald

  1. Awww. I wanted to know how it ended. Your summary is well written and leaves me wanting to read the book and discover the ending for myself.

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