A Sudden Silence
by Eve Bunting
by Eve Bunting
A SUDDEN SILENCE by Eve Bunting
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 4/1/07
Publisher: Harcourt
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Rating: 4 Stars
“What If” Bry and Jesse had taken the proper way home after the party? “What If” they’d only have stayed on the correct
side of the road until they reached the underpass? Instead, Bry sees a clearing in the traffic near their development and
runs across the road. Shortly after that, a speeding car comes from behind, catching them unawares. Jesse yells out to Bry
to get out the way. But Bry is deaf and never heard the warning, nor probably ever knew the car hit him. Until it was too
late.
Jesse is full of regrets from the moment he darted out of the way without grabbing his brother and pulling him to safety. But
no one has blamed Jesse that it was his fault. Instead, Jesse is determined to do everything he can to find the driver who so
carelessly hit Bry and then drove off into the night without helping.
A SUDDEN SILENCE has been reissued after twenty years. The story is still as relevant today as it was in 1988 when it
was first published. Ms. Bunting writes a sad story of one brother’s quest to find justice for his younger brother who was
killed too soon. Jesse is a normal teenager who has to deal with survivor’s guilt, as well as the not-knowing of who killed
his brother. With the help of Bry’s friend, Chloe, Jesse puts the pieces together to help the police solve the crime. In the
end, though, Ms. Bunting makes the reader realize that the conclusions we come to may not make it any easier for
everyone involved.
This story is a must-read for teens thinking about drinking and driving. Many fail to realize that the dangers may not always
be to the drunk driver, but instead to the innocent people who had nothing to do with the alcohol.
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 4/1/07
Publisher: Harcourt
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
Rating: 4 Stars
“What If” Bry and Jesse had taken the proper way home after the party? “What If” they’d only have stayed on the correct
side of the road until they reached the underpass? Instead, Bry sees a clearing in the traffic near their development and
runs across the road. Shortly after that, a speeding car comes from behind, catching them unawares. Jesse yells out to Bry
to get out the way. But Bry is deaf and never heard the warning, nor probably ever knew the car hit him. Until it was too
late.
Jesse is full of regrets from the moment he darted out of the way without grabbing his brother and pulling him to safety. But
no one has blamed Jesse that it was his fault. Instead, Jesse is determined to do everything he can to find the driver who so
carelessly hit Bry and then drove off into the night without helping.
A SUDDEN SILENCE has been reissued after twenty years. The story is still as relevant today as it was in 1988 when it
was first published. Ms. Bunting writes a sad story of one brother’s quest to find justice for his younger brother who was
killed too soon. Jesse is a normal teenager who has to deal with survivor’s guilt, as well as the not-knowing of who killed
his brother. With the help of Bry’s friend, Chloe, Jesse puts the pieces together to help the police solve the crime. In the
end, though, Ms. Bunting makes the reader realize that the conclusions we come to may not make it any easier for
everyone involved.
This story is a must-read for teens thinking about drinking and driving. Many fail to realize that the dangers may not always
be to the drunk driver, but instead to the innocent people who had nothing to do with the alcohol.