45 pages 1 hour read

E. L. Konigsburg

Silent To The Bone

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2000

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Parts 7-8Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 7: “Day Twenty” - Part 8: “Day One”

Part 7, Chapter 21 Summary

Margaret finds out that Nikki opened her eyes and smiled at her mother but warns Connor that she still has a long way to go. Connor hurries to tell Branwell, who smiles at the news but says nothing. Connor hoped that the good news would spark Branwell to speak, but it doesn’t, so Connor leaves feeling frustrated. He goes to Margaret’s to wait for her to return from work, and Morris shows up unannounced. Connor lets him in, and when Margaret arrives soon after, Morris has questions about Vivian’s legal status. Margaret warns him that Vivian is considered a fugitive, knowing that she is likely staying with Morris. Morris decides to reveal the rest of what he knows about Vivian and the baby, beginning with the fact that Vivian was often rough with Nikki when she was fussy. On the day that Nikki was injured, Morris heard Vivian changing her and Nikki making a strange yelping sound before falling totally silent. Morris noticed some blood on the side of the bathtub and wiped it up without thinking, implying that Vivian either shook or dropped Nikki. Margaret decides that this is information that Branwell definitely needs to hear.