Obviously, an environmental message is the cornerstone of this novel. The story is told in third person and follows Tony Isidoro, an eighth grader who has been recruited by the Mayor to solve the mystery of a robin's death. The plot includes politics and corporate interests, along with a hint of government conspiracy. Tony has become interested in bird watching in the absence of his brother Izzy who had been working on a graduate thesis about the local robins before he was drafted into the Army. Tony is invested in this mystery because his brother has asked him to continue his observations. From the time it was written, we can infer that Izzy is likely in Vietnam. But it feels more like he is away at college somewhere instead of in a potentially life-threatening situation. Tony seems much more worried about the environmental impact of the local toxins than about his brother.
But, there are many notable scenes. Tony defies the Mayor and exhumes the robin's corpse following a small funeral. At the end of chapter six, the reader is reassured that Tony is actually a kid when he convinces Mary Alice to go fishing. In this scene, George finesses the environmental information into the story subtly.
This classic is a must-read for all budding environmentalists.
2 comments:
I am resding this book right now and the chapters are too long for me theres this book i read i think it was someone was watching and it was a bigger book than this and guess what the chapters were not long and i finished the book happyly but this book i have to skip some pages i am only reading this book because i have too
Short chapters do make books much easier to read.
I haven't read Someone was Watching, but it has a suspenseful title. I will look for it.
Good luck with your book report.
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