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Summary
Summary
Owen and his best friend, Sean, are both eleven years old. They've lived on Cape Cod all their lives, and now that they're a little older, they'll finally be free to spend some time on their own. But Sean's mother has a different idea--she hires a babysitter to look after Sean. Paul is in his twenties, and a well-liked guy from church. Paul starts doing things that just feel wrong. Because they've always been as close as brothers, Sean tells Owen, and no one else. What's not certain to Owen is what he should do. Sean warns him not to tell anyone what is happening. But if Owen doesn't tell, could something even worse happen to Sean?This harrowing and sensitively told tale of child abuse is a must-read for anyone who might ever be called upon to help a friend in need.
Author Notes
Tony Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio on January 7, 1952. He attended the University of Connecticut, majoring first in music, then psychology, and finally English. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in English literature. After that, he traveled to Europe before returning home and finding work in a variety of bookstores, a library and at an Internet book and magazine publisher.
His first published book, Danger Guys, was written while taking a writing class with children's author, Patricia Reilly Giff. Since then, he's written over 75 books for children ages 6 to 12, including The Secrets of Droon series, The Haunting of Derek Stone series, and The Time Surfers series. Firegirl won the Golden Kite Award for Fiction in 2007 and The Postcard won the Edgar Award for the Best Juvenile Mystery novel in 2009.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Fifth grade has just ended, and 11-year-old Owen is ready for go-kart racing, baseball, and trips to Cape Cod's beaches with his best friend Sean. But the summer takes a horrifying turn after Owen learns that Sean is being sexually abused by Paul, a 20-something man from church who Sean's working mother hired to babysit him, because of her son's diabetes. As the abuse escalates and video cameras get involved, Owen is desperate but afraid to help his friend; Sean has sworn him to secrecy, not wanting the abuse to become public, and has threatened to kill himself if Owen tells anyone. Abbott (the Copernicus Legacy series) nails the casually jokey relationship between Owen and Sean, the way that it is slowly poisoned by what's happening ("Every time I get dressed or undressed I think of what Sean told me"), and how trapped and powerless both boys feel. It's a difficult, important, and possibly lifesaving story of children forced into terrible situations, as well as what real loyalty and friendship look like. Wishing books like this weren't necessary doesn't make them less so. Ages 10-14. Agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary Studio. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Eleven-year-old Owen struggles to decide whether breaking his promise of silence to his best friend is worse than allowing Sean to endure sexual abuse. Owen is driven to act when he realizes Sean is contemplating suicide. The aftermath--legal, societal, and emotional--of the revelation is described with sensitivity and heart. Information about organizations supporting sexual abuse victims and young people considering suicide is appended. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
It's summer on Cape Cod, and 11-year-old Owen's best friend, Sean, has a babysitter, a twenty-something man from his church. Why a sitter for a rising sixth-grader? Because Sean's single-parent mother has a new job an hour's drive away and, because Sean's a diabetic, she's concerned about his being left alone. All seems well and good until Sean tells Owen that the sitter is molesting him and that if Owen tells anyone, he will kill himself. But how long can Owen remain silent and, if he tells, what will happen? Abbott's treatment of a terribly thorny topic is not perfect. Sean's original motivation for not telling the truth that he doesn't want his mother to quit her job feels a bit slender, and Owen's Hamlet-like indecisiveness is sometimes inconsistent. But overall, Abbott has done a fine job of dramatizing the book's central problem. Books about abuse, especially of boys, are rare for this age group, so happily, this is a good example, and one hopes that it will spark much-needed discussion.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2017 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-It's the summer after fifth grade, and lifelong best friends Owen and Sean are looking forward to a vacation full of baseball, go-karts, beach trips, and, now that they are getting older, a bit more independence in their Cape Cod hometown. Things don't go as planned, however, when Sean's single mom hires Paul to help look after Sean, who depends on insulin injections to manage his diabetes, while she goes to work at a new job in a neighboring town. Paul, a friendly older guy from church, seems nice enough, if a little strange, but before long, Sean tells Owen about some uncomfortable incidents between them. As Paul's behavior escalates into child abuse and sexual assault, Sean continues to confide in Owen, but threatens suicide if Owen tells anyone else what is happening. The story is told from Owen's point of view as he struggles with how to handle the situation and what might happen if he breaks his promise to keep Sean's secret. Ultimately, witnessing Sean's abuse firsthand spurs Owen to action, and he records the assault on his father's cell phone before telling his parents everything. While doing so costs Owen his friendship with Sean, Paul is eventually arrested and Sean is able to get help. An author's note at the close of the book further encourages readers to speak out if they or someone they know is being abused, and includes contact information for RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network). The setting is particularly well drawn, and woven into the story are threads about family, friendship, trust, courage, and growing up. VERDICT Unsettling and at times painful, this book offers an empathetic portrayal of a difficult and important subject.-Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
During the summer between fifth and sixth grades, Owen's best friend is exploited by an adult male babysitter. Narrator Owen Todd is 11, white, living with his parents and 5-year-old sister in a small town on Cape Cod. His father is co-owner with Owen's uncle of a go-kart business, and his mother makes crafts and volunteers "a couple of places." Sean Huff, Owen's best friend from kindergarten, is also white, but he's diabetic, shorter than Owen, and frequently sits out their baseball games on the bench, and his parents are separated. Sean's mother has engaged a young white man from their church to "babysit" Sean while she works at a new job in Provincetown. Paul behaves oddly with Sean, failing to close the bathroom door while urinating and, later, "accidently" showing Sean a picture of a naked boy on his cellphone. Sean later reveals to Owen that Paul's behavior has become aggressiveand includes other men. Abbott handles this escalation with care, demonstrating the ways that a predator can isolate and intimidate a victim. Sean is so wounded and terrified that he convinces Owen he will kill himself if Owen breaks his confidence. Owen acts at last, with a bit of rash courage, but the end of the story is only partly happy. A horror story based on reality, believably and sensitively constructed in the voice of the young protagonist. (author's note) (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.