The book Swallowing Stones wasn’t as impressive as some of the other novels we have read.  Based on a teenage boy that changed one girl’s life and his own with a single bullet, Michael Mackenzie had no clue what he had done. While, Jenna Ward, the daughter of the deceased father, was on a hunt to find her father’s killer.

    Although from that brief description, the book isn’t as good as it sounds. In my opinion, it seemed very dull. The suspense in this book was mediocre. It was as if it were just a common teenage problem. There were not many jaw dropping moments, which to me was very disappointing.

     One thing that I did enjoy in the book, was the healing that Jenna and her mother went through. Based on an actual experience of loss in my family, reading about the healing process really opened my eyes. Jenna Ward reminded me of myself. She was very strong after her father’s death and didn’t want to shed the tears she was holding back.

     Another part of the book that I enjoyed is how they made it seem like it was actually happening in real life. You don’t read many books like that now. I think this book could touch many people’s hearts if they enjoyed reading about teenage problems. With that being said, if you like a book with suspense and happy endings, this book isn’t for you.

      Michael Mackenzie has a friend named Joe Sadowski. Joe began to do illegal things to protect Michael from getting caught by the police. Eventually, Michael and Joe began to grow apart. Joe wasn’t wanting to talk to Michael about the police and what they were asking him about. This led to Joe becoming a suspect in the murder. After this happened Joe was very upset about the situation.

      In the book there is heartbreak, acceptance, and healing. For the heartbreak, Michael gets caught by his girlfriend at another girl’s house. This girl is Amy Ruggerio. Amy Ruggerio is know as the school “slut.” That nickname vanishes near the end of the book. In the end, Amy ends up writing to Jenna and tells her how she has lost both of her parent in a car accident. Jenna cried for the first time over her father’s death that day.

     After Jenna’s father died she began having dreams about a tree named The Ghost Tree. Her father always said that it was there for healing. Jenna went to the tree one night and it all ended there. If you want to know how, go read the book!