The Silent Boy

Curriculum Connections: History, Literature
Character Counts: Respect, Caring, Responsibility, Fairness

Artspower

Precocious and curious Katy Thatcher lives in a rural farming community in Pennsylvania in the early 1900s and dreams of following in the footsteps of her father, the town’s beloved physician. One of Katy’s neighbors is the young boy Jacob, who has autism. Even though he cannot speak or maintain eye contact with her, Katy befriends Jacob. When events take an unexpected and tragic turn and Jacob is suspected to be the cause, it is Katy alone who is determined to unravel the convoluted mystery of what happened and why.  Based upon the critically-acclaimed book by two-time Newbery award-winning writer Lois Lowry, this dramatic adaptation will challenge audiences as it recounts the special relationship between a young girl and a boy with autism.