Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.
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RES for a BookObsessed member
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After reading this book I can understand why many teens have chosen this as a favourite and why it has won honours.

There are some moments which I was disappointed in but that may be because I read it as an adult. I think that if I was reading this in junior high I would be running to the library for the next one in the series.

(finished)

Happy Birthday!

Cheers and hugs!

Thanks Lemmy! Looking forward to seeing what I think of this :)

While obviously written for a younger audience, I still enjoyed this book. I wanted Todd to be more mature however his portrayal was probably right for a 14 year old boy. I loved the characterization of Manchee! One thing I did not like was the non-ending - even if it's part of a series I feel like every story should have a real ending and this one did not. What drew me most to this book though was the (IMO) creative idea of the plot - noise and silence.

In a box to bookpatch

This one looks good! Thanks!

I really love the unique voice the author gives main character Todd Hewitt. The deliberate misspellings and brusque asides (shut up!) really drew me in and helped me grasp who this boy-becoming-a-man is supposed to be.

The "noise" is an interesting concept. How hard it would be to live in a society where all your inward thoughts and struggles are expressed outwardly, beyond your control! It was intriguing to see how the different settlements tried to cope with this in their own ways.

I agree with dancing-dog, the ending was not what I had hoped for, but yes, there's always book 2 (and 3!) to find out what else happens.

Last word--congratulations to the cover designer for the embossed "noise"--clever!

On a bench outside. If you've found this book, welcome to bookcrossing! We're a bunch of people who leave books for others to find and enjoy. You can keep the book or pass it on, leave a note here if you like, or not --it's up to you. (You can remain anonymous). Happy Reading!