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Readers' Comments

Here's what people are saying about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. What did you think of the book?  Please send your comments to: mnr@mvlc.org. Note: the first five comments are by North Reading High School students who painted a scene inspired by the book.

In this scene, the main character, Christopher, has found his pet rat Toby in the subway tracks.  Not knowing the danger he climbs down to save his pet. The emotion you feel from this passage is urgency, danger and excitement.
                                      Elise Trowel, North Reading High School
To see her painting, visit the library gallery.

I chose to make an oil painting on the scene when the main character discovers the murdered dog in the garden.  The scene is very important to the plot and has a lot of imagery. For example, it describe the angle of the pitch fork coming up from the ground.  I thought this was a very emotional part of the novel.
                                      Jacqueline King, North Reading High School
To see her painting, visit the library gallery.
 

Quite enjoyable. A well-written tale of a young man with mental/emotional problems that negatively affect his family and how his trip to locate his mother turns things in a positive direction. Will tend to make you more tolerant of people that are different.  
                                      Dick Roberts

Mark Haddon possesses amazing insight into the mind of Christopher, a 15-year-old autistic boy growing up in a small town in England. Completely absorbed in his own reality, Christopher is blissfully unaware of the stress and dysfunction in his own family until the death of a neighbor's dog forces him to confront the world. The ending, like life itself, is ambiguous and no one can tell what the future has in store for Christopher. Haddon doesn't tie things up neatly with a bow. But somehow we are given reason to hope that Christopher's innate bravery will allow him to overcome his obstacles in life. Christopher will do more than survive; he will succeed.
                                     Bob Turosz

I first read the book in 2003 and totally enjoyed the unique characters, Christopher Boone.  I recently listened to it on CD and enjoyed it even more. Jeff Woodman is a wonderful narrator.  There is so much to admire about Christopher--he's a very courageous young man.  This book can make you view your world in a new way.
                                      Judi Segur

I just read this book for the second time and appreciated it even more.  Haddon's characters are profoundly human...a must-read for anyone who loves a child with special needs or his/her parents.
                                      KSO

Curious Incident...is one of the best books I've read. It's intriguing and insightful; it had me thinking for quite some time. Actually, I still think about Christopher and wonder how he's doing. He left a permanent impression on me.
                                     Christi Showman
                                     Youth Services Librarian


 

The part of the story I chose to illustrate was when the boy was let out of the jail cell to see his father and instead of hugging, they put their hands together.  I thought it was a really touching point in the story because it was a dark and confusing time in the boy's life and the appearance of the father shed light on it.
                                           Amanda Pulver, North Reading High School
To see her painting, visit the library gallery.

In this piece, Mrs. Shears has just discovered Christopher cradling her beloved dog, the late Wellington Shears...Moonlight dapples the figures and shapes to communicate an eerie shine that pulls the viewer into this frantic and chaotic scene.
                                           Annie Willis, North Reading High School
To see her painting, visit the library gallery.

For my painting I did not choose just one passage, I chose two.  I combined the passages where Christopher was looking at the Milky Way and the one where he went to Mrs. Shears' garden...The sky is what sets the mood...To get  the view of a child, I made the flower garden and shack larger and bolder than it really should be.  The larger than life background also aids in the mystery of the scene, because who knows what is hidden in them.
                                               Laurie Marino, North Reading High School
To see her painting, visit the library gallery.

 

I think the world would be a better place if more people had some of Christopher's qualities.  I loved his honesty. I liked the way he thought.
                                              Mary Ann O'Neil

One of the classic themes of literature is the heroic journey. In "The Curious Incident..." our protagonist makes a journey that can be called "heroic" from many viewpoints, not the least, of course, being the struggle with his physical challenge. I would like to recommend a recently published book, available at the Flint Memorial Library, that also is narrated internally by an equally physically challenged adult, "The Ha-Ha" by Dave King. Although the narrator in "The Ha-Ha" is an adult, and of "normal intelligence", he faces difficulties of communication that are certainly as overwhelming as those of our young detective in "the Curious Incident..." As companion novels, "The Curious Incident..." and "The Ha-Ha" offer two strikingly similar journeys through modern life from two strikingly dissimilar people.
                                             Dave DeInnocentis

I think the world would be a better place if more people had some of Christopher's qualities.  I loved his honesty. I liked the way he thought.
                                              Mary Ann O'Neil

  Mark Haddon as written a wonderful book that really enables the reader to get inside the mind of Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old with autism.  The Curious Incident...is funny and moving, but never condescending.
                                               Vicki Yablonsky

 I enjoyed the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. I feel I have a better understanding of the working mind of a person with autism.
The mystery of the mother made the story hard to put down. It was funny and bittersweet.
                                                 Karen

When I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time I couldn't help but wonder how the author, Mark Haddon, had so successfully portrayed the mind of  Christopher, the autistic teenaged storyteller. Christopher is fascinating in his frankness, his perseverance, in his skills,
and in his quirks making this story one of the most memorable reads of 2004.
                                               Laura Harrington
                                               Library/Media Specialist
                                               North Rdg Middle School
 

I've never read a book quite like this.  Christopher Boone is an inspiring character, motivated and determined.  He perseveres, despite the challenges he encounters at home and in the world.  This book is moving, serious, but also funny and full of surprises.
                                               Helena Minton