Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald | Teen Ink

Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald

March 8, 2008
By Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
Bapalapa2 ELITE, Brooklyn, New York
1044 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Swallowing Stones by Joyce McDonald is a suspenseful book about a tragic accident that set off a chain of events that would change the small town of Briarwood forever. Michael Mackenzie fired off his Winchester Rifle on July 4th, showing it off to his best friends. Little did he know that he had taken the life of a man, and this act would create horrible repercussions.

There are 2 main characters within this book; Michael Mackenzie, the accidental killer and Jenna Ward, the daughter of the deceased father. After Michael finds out about the event, his best friend Joe, tells him to keep it covert because he could be imprisoned for it. But throughout the book Michael is plagued by guilt from his conscience as more and more people are becoming involved and getting hurt. During the course of the book Michael is going through a lot of emotional struggle, and is thinking on deeper and entirely new levels.

Meanwhile Jenna is just beleaguered with thoughts of “what if” she had done something different he wouldn't have been killed, and dealing with the “innocent's guilt”. At first she had wanted revenge for whoever did this, so she could fill the emptiness inside her, but later realized that she just wanted it to end. Jenna realized she had to come to terms with herself before she could truly accept her father's death.

The death of her father mixes with her personal life when she begins to have panic attacks around her boyfriend. Michael's personal life becomes complicated as he can not see a definite right or wrong answer, for the word is not black and white, it is gray. Both Jenna and Michael's private lives turn in to turmoil with misunderstanding, break ups, new friends and broken trust. All of this mixed in with the normal anxiety of a teenager.

A truly great book filled with power, and an emotional thriller .This is a must read for all genres of readers, for it is filled with suspense, fast paced , and an intricate plot terrifyingly truthful of how one event can change a life, or the lives of many in one foul stroke.


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This article has 98 comments.


on May. 4 2016 at 2:17 pm
Would this book be considered a memoir?

Ben Holt said...
on Feb. 4 2015 at 10:26 am
Ben Holt, Arkadelphia, Arkansas
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
it was a good book

jordan360 said...
on Jan. 27 2015 at 8:43 pm
I read this book after getting in trouble at school and being put in inschool suspension and our teacher required us to read this book. I learned something from this book. That for every action you do it could change someones life and the consequences of our actions can be ruthful. Definitely made me think about what I do before I do it. It a must read for all people.

t-quin said...
on Nov. 14 2014 at 12:29 pm
you spelled alot of words wrong... besides that your summary is okay

cookie1145 said...
on Nov. 15 2013 at 12:52 pm
this book is my favorite and i like when the cops knows that the gun bullet they found is micheal

on Nov. 1 2012 at 10:54 am
Swallowing stones is a great book. It’s mainly about a boy name Michael who was just turning 16 who were giving a gun. On his birthday his grandfather gave him a gun and Michael shot it in the backyard. Later that day a man was found dead on top of a roof. That lead up to the gun that Michael shot. Long story short is that Michael killed a man and was scared to live up to it. I love this book because it was more like a mystery story. It is the kind of story that that I enjoy reading. This book is awesome.  

ford#54 said...
on Sep. 19 2012 at 8:29 am
because he felt guilty lo  

S.Aj said...
on Jun. 19 2012 at 6:55 pm
I actually liked the ending... keeps u guessing...suspense, kind of (U can rewrite ur own ending). Although, I think Jenna'll 4give Mike though it'll be hard at first (she'll probably yell n scream). I also think it was Joe who fired the shot that killed Charlie since there was a part in the book that indicated that Joe once took the rifle without Michael's knowledge.

on Dec. 9 2011 at 7:27 pm
girl yu should get an a for this cuz i copy and pasted you and won a oscar thatnks namesha thsi is joyce

lindsey said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:33 pm
 This  story was about  a boy named Michael   who  got a winchester  for his birthday . He shot it in the air  . The bullet came  down  and  hit a   Mr. ward    . So he died

diamond5 said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:32 pm
swallowing stones was about a boy who received a rifle for his birthday. killed a boy named charlie ward. he never told anybody about it except Joe. it also was about how jenna kept blaming herself for her dad's death. i thought that the book was ok. i also thught that the ending was so bogus.   

on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:30 pm
There are 2 main characters within this book; Michael Mackenzie, the accidental killer and Jenna Ward, the daughter of the deceased father. After Michael finds out about the event, his best friend Joe, tells him to keep it covert because he could be imprisoned for it. But throughout the book Michael is plagued by guilt from his conscience as more and more people are becoming involved and getting hurt.

lexisJ said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:27 pm
lexisJ, Dolton, Illinois
0 articles 0 photos 7 comments
aw! yawn lolz

diamond5 said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:25 pm
swallowing stones was about a boy named michael who received a rifle for his 16th birthday. it also was about how he killed a boy named charlie ward. then he told his friend Joe that he killed him. i think that the book was ok but the ending was the most lamest  ending.

jazz said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:23 pm
no dey need 2 finish it off

jazz said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:21 pm
kno need 4 all dat but that did make me mad doe

alex222 said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:20 pm
it was until the end

Brandeny said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:19 pm
Good state ment

on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:18 pm
I agree that the book is up and down! Some parts are better than others. Nice review Alexis!

Brandeny said...
on Nov. 22 2011 at 12:18 pm
good statement