The Knife of Letting Go

Ness, P. (2008). The knife of never letting go. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.  Todd Hewitt is the only boy left in a town of men infected with a noise germ which consists of hearing the mens' thoughts. He learns the town is hiding a secret from him and his forced to leave town with his faithful dog with the men in pursuit of him.  Along the way he meets a girl, Viola, who is the soul survivor of a crash landing on the new world. Throughout the book Todd and Violet face many obstacles running from the men of Prentisstown, who are destroying each town as they pursue the teenagers.  Viola is attacked and wounded by a vicious man named Aaron just before they reach their destination Haven, the town that was their last chance for help or hope.  Unfortunately when they arrive, the enemy is waiting and Todd is forced to surrender in order to help a dying Viola.  The cliffhanger ending is due to the fact that it is the first book of a series. Students who enjoy suspenseful books set in a dystopian society would be fascinated with this book. Not only was I entertained with the physical conflicts Todd and Violet faced, but I was also stimulated by the attempt to put the clues together to solve the mystery or secret of Prentisstown.  Although this novel is written on the level of a fifth or sixth grade level, the content requires a mature mental reader. Due to the noise germ in the book, there were various narrations often switching from thoughts and actual dialogue of various characters.  There were even times when the dog's thoughts were being read.  Students who are not concrete thinkers would likely be confused reading this book.