The Snake-Stone

by Berlie Doherty

Book Overview

James is adopted. He knows that to work out his future he has to make sense of his past. He embarks on a journey to find his birth-mother who tells her own story in this moving and powerful novel.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140383921
• ISBN13: 9780140383928
• Release Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.4" x 7.1"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

Self-discovery for the adopted

Here is a brilliant piece of juvenile fiction for middle school readers on an adopted boy's process of searching for his birth mother. The title comes from the sole object the birth mother left with the boy upon abandoning him, along with a note, "Please take care of Sammy," neither of which his parents have ever hidden from him. Still, something happens when James is 15 that drives him into the search process, one in which he discovers some of the reasons for his love for diving, along with the reasons that his parents are his real parents, even if not his biological parents. This is a fabulous, very quick read for good readers, or an excellent read-aloud for adopted children who have not quite reached the middle school reading level as yet. A great find, which I recommend highly.

Good Piece of Writing

This story is about a boy and his quest to find his mother. It takes place in England during the early to mid 1990's. James is a competitive diver and is very good. He starts his quest when he looks through a box in his parent's closet. Which inside he found clues about his mother and where she is. He tricks his parents to sending him there and his journey begins. One thing I liked about this how this might be something someone might do in real life, wonder if their real mother wanted them. And in life someone might try to find this out. In this book he wonders this same question and tries to find her. The methods he uses to find the place his mother was were very realistic. I like how she portrait him as a regular boy in a not so regular situation. He was a regular boy who did unique things but still had regular, not farfetched way of life. He was a regular boy who did regular things, but had something about him that made the story. I didn't like how at some points the story didn't seem to go anywhere. Like during the story before the started his journey a few parts of the story lost my interest in the story. This didn't make me want to hurry back and read the book, but this happens very little and doesn't last long. This is a good young teenage book for boys or girls. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes general reading. This is a good mellow but interesting book that grabs your attention. I enjoyed this book and I think you might too.

An excellent read!!!

I first read this book when i was about 10 years old then i re-read a year ago (without realising it was the same book) and even though half way through the second read i remembered the story, i still loved it!!! The story is very moving and i found myself thinking of the characters even during my normal life. The story is about a boy who loves swimming but then a fatal accident happens to his friend and his life turns upside down. not only is he worried for his friend but he has discovered a very dark secret that his mother had kept from him... That is when he leaves home and adventures into the wild....!!! ...this book is excellent!!! I hope you all read it!!!

An excellent read!!!!

I first read this book when i was about 10 years old then i re-read a year ago (without realising it was the same book) and even though half way through the second read i remembered the story, i still loved it!!! The story is very moving and i found myself thinking of the characters even during my normal life. The story is about a boy who loves swimming but then a fatal accident happens to his friend and his life turns upside down. not only is he worried for his friend but he has discovered a very dark secret that his mother had kept from him... That is when he leaves home and adventures into the wild....!!!! Okay, that last sentenc was not neccesary, but please believe me, this book is excellent!!! I hope you all read it!!!