Booktalking Colorado - Full Booktalk Record

Booktalking Colorado Full Record:

	Title:	The River King
	Author:	Hoffman, Alice
	Date Published:	2000
	Genre:	Mystery
	Grade Level:	6 - 12
	Booktalker:	Sam Marsh

Booktalk:
The students and faculty at the Haddan School stayed on one side of the town of Haddan. The townspeople stayed on the other, resenting those who could afford to attend the prestigious school while their own children could not. Gus’s death seemed an obvious suicide. Gus, August Pierce, was a perennial loser. He always knew it. Drafted into the top-level Chalk House due to his grades and intellect, his brothers soon found out the truth about him. Gus didn’t like to follow the rules. He didn’t like to be told what to do. Gus flaunted authority and companionship. He was a loner and liked it that way, and would go out of his way to avoid association with others. His hygiene was horrid. He stunk, cut classes, performed tricks that embarrassed his housemates, and refused to become part of the “gang mentality” that Chalk House was famous for. No one at Chalk House was sorry to see him gone, nor were his teachers or most of the other students at Haddan. Even his best friend at school, Carlin, had deserted him in favor of her boyfriend Harry, one of Gus’ antagonists at Chalk house. No, Gus’ death was only an embarrassment, one the school would be more than happy to put behind…with the help of a little payoff if the town sheriff’s department would close up the case quickly and avoid embarrassing questions. Policeman Abel Grey, however, kept finding clues that led him to believe that IT just didn’t add up to suicide, and continued to pursue the truth like a hungry T-rex pursuing a tasty baby herbivore. When beautiful Haddan teacher Betsy Chase turned up with a picture of a supposedly empty room which clearly showed a shadowy Gus sitting on the bed, Abe was hooked...both by the case, and by Betsy.