Close
Jasper Jones
"Larger Image
Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones

by Craig Silvey

Random House Children's Books | March 27, 2012 | Trade Paperback

Be the first to rate this! | Rate this
A 2012 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Charlie Bucktin, a bookish thirteen year old, is startled one summer night by an urgent knock on his bedroom window. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in their small mining town, and he has come to ask for Charlie''s help. Terribly afraid but desperate to impress, Charlie follows him into the night.

Jasper takes him to his secret glade, where Charlie witnesses Jasper''s horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion. He locks horns with his tempestuous mother, falls nervously in love, and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart.


From the Hardcover edition.
In Stock
This item is eligible for FREE SHIPPING.
See details
save 9%

$10.00

was $10.99

$9.50

Member Price

or, Used from $8.19

add to cart
add to wish list add to gift list
Appropriate for ages: 12

Find it in Store

See if this item is available in a store near you.

* Prices may vary in store
find it now

Reviews of Jasper Jones

0 reviews from our community
Be the first to write a review
Write a review using your social networks

– More About This Product –

Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones

by Craig Silvey

add to cart

Appropriate for ages: 12

From the Publisher

A 2012 Michael L. Printz Honor Book

Charlie Bucktin, a bookish thirteen year old, is startled one summer night by an urgent knock on his bedroom window. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in their small mining town, and he has come to ask for Charlie''s help. Terribly afraid but desperate to impress, Charlie follows him into the night.

Jasper takes him to his secret glade, where Charlie witnesses Jasper''s horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion. He locks horns with his tempestuous mother, falls nervously in love, and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart.


From the Hardcover edition.

About the Book

Charlie Bucktin, a bookish thirteen year old, is startled one summer night by an urgent knock on his bedroom window. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in their small mining town, and he has come to ask for Charlie's help. Terribly afraid but desperate to impress, Charlie follows him into the night.
Jasper takes him to his secret glade, where Charlie witnesses Jasper's horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion. He locks horns with his tempestuous mother, falls nervously in love, and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart.

"From the Hardcover edition."

Format: Trade Paperback

Dimensions: 320 Pages, 5.12 × 8.27 × 0.39 in

Published: March 27, 2012

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Language: English

The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

ISBN - 10: 0375866272

ISBN - 13: 9780375866272

Read from the Book

1 Jasper Jones has come to my window. I don''t know why, but he has. Maybe he''s in trouble. Maybe he doesn''t have anywhere else to go. Either way, he''s just frightened the living shit out of me. This is the hottest summer I can remember, and the thick heat seems to seep in and keep in my sleepout. It''s like the earth''s core in here. The only relief comes from the cooler air that creeps in between the slim slats of my single window. It''s near impossible to sleep, so I''ve spent most of my nights reading by the light of my kerosene lamp. Tonight was no different. And when Jasper Jones rapped my louvres abruptly with his knuckle and hissed my name, I leapt from my bed, spilling my copy of Pudd''nhead Wilson. "Charlie! Charlie!" I knelt like a sprinter, anxious and alert. "Who is it?" "Charlie! Come out here!" "Who is it?" "It''s Jasper!" "What? Who?" "Jasper. Jasper!"--and he pressed his face right up into the light. His eyes green and wild. I squinted. "What? Really? What is it?" "I need your help. Just come out here and I''ll explain," he whispered. "What? Why?" "Jesus Christ, Charlie! Just hurry up! Get out here." And so, he''s here. Jasper Jones is at my window. Shaken, I clamber onto the bed and remove the dusty slats of glass, piling them on my pillow. I quickly kick into a pair of jeans and blow out my lamp. As I squeeze headfirst out of the sleepout, something invisible tugs at my legs. This is the first time I''ve ever dared to sneak away from home. The thrill of
read more read less

From the Critics

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2011:
"The author's keen ear for dialogue is evident in the humorous verbal sparring between Charlie and Jeffrey, typical of smart 13-year-old boys...A richly rewarding exploration of truth and lies by a masterful storyteller."

Starred Review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children''s Books, April 2011:
"Silvey's sure-footed, evocative prose, intelligent humor, and careful plot structuring may well ensure this Aussie import lasting status."

Starred Review, The Horn Book Magazine, May/June 2011:
"The mood and atmosphere of the 1960s small-town Australian setting is perfectly realized-suspenseful, menacing, and claustrophobic-with issues of race and class boiling just below the surface."

Starred Review, School Library Journal, June 2011:
"Silvey is a master of wit and words, spinning a coming-of-age tale told through the mind of a young Holden Caulfield."



From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

CRAIG SILVEY wrote his first novel, Rhubarb, at the age of 19. It became a bestseller and was chosen as the "One Book" for the Perth International Writers Festival. Craig is the singer/songwriter for the band The Nancy Sikes! and lives in Fremantle, Australia.
  • My Gift List
  • My Wish List
  • Shopping Cart