“The Body of Christopher Creed” by Carol Plum Ucci

“The Body of Christopher Creed” is the story of a guy who doesn’t fit in with any group. After a note is emailed to the school principal—it might be a run-away note, it might be a suicide note—and it might not be—various members of the community start accusing one another for causing Christopher’s disappearance. He was so strange and so irritating that everyone made fun of him or hurt him—and now no one wants to be blamed.

Torey, a popular and smart athlete, is mentioned in the note. Some people in the community start to believe that he is responsible for Christopher’s disappearance. In an effort to find out what really did happen to Christopher, Torey starts to connect with kids he’s thought of as outsiders. Ali has a reputation for sleeping around, but is it justified? Bo is a juvenile delinquent; how can he be so concerned and kind? Christopher’s mother is very strange; maybe she just wanted to rid herself of Chris. Torey becomes convinced that Christopher is dead and buried in the Indian burial ground behind his house.

This novel has a lot to entertain you and keep your interest: a mystery, a ghost, community members that seem to be good and are secretly immoral. It also has something that matters a good deal: a hard look at how important it is to treat others with respect and how serious the consequences can be when we don’t.