Teenagers’ lives are hard enough, but 17-year-old Michael has more problems than he can handle. In Joyce McDonald’s Swallowing Stones, we follow the life of Michael as he faces the biggest obstacle of his life. On Michael’s 17th birthday, he had a tragic event. He received a present from his grandfather which was his old shotgun. Michael wanted to show it off to his friends, especially his best friend Joe. Joe told him that they should try it out, so they went into the woods and Michael shot a bullet into the air. They went back to the party and had a great time. The next morning, Michael heard on the radio that a man was killed due to a random gunfire while he was fixing his roof. That man was Charlie Ward, father of Jenna Ward. Michael becomes friends with Jenna and wants to tell her the truth about who killed her father. Every morning he waits on the church steps in front of her house just wanting to tell her the truth. All of this is mixed in with the normal anxiety of a teenager.
Honestly, I don’t read many books, but this one caught my full attention. My favorite part of the book was literally the whole book it just swept me off my feet. I didn’t dislike any part of the book. If I could change any part of the book I would change the ending for sure. I recommend this book to everyone who loves to read, even if you don’t like to read, you have to read this book!