The Body of Christopher Creed explained

The Body of Christopher Creed is a young adult novel by Carol Plum-Ucci. It tells the story of a high school student whose life is unravelled when he tries to solve the mystery of a classmate's sudden disappearance. The novel won the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award.^[1]

Plot summary

Torey Adams moves to begins his senior year at Rothborne boarding school, while struggling with the recent disappearance of his former classmate Christopher Creed.

At school, Torey deals with friendship struggles and romance while trying to solve Christopher's disappearance.

As Torey learns more about Christopher, he realizes things are not as they seem.

Characters

• Victor "Torey" Adams, a senior at the fictional Rothborne, a boarding school, is the narrator of the novel. What begins as a mild interest in Chris's disappearance turns into a desire to help solve the mystery of Chris's disappearance. Torey is conflicted throughout the book between his friends and those who want to help find Chris. At the beginning of the novel, Torey is described as "your basic guy" and wears his hair in a ponytail.^[2]
• Bo Richardson, a tough rebel from the boondocks of Steepleton has "a good guy streak that [is] just as wide, probably wider, than his bad guy streak."^[3] He has a mean exterior but cares deeply for his girlfriend Ali McDermott, her brother Greg, and his own siblings. Bo eventually takes a liking to Torey despite their differences throughout the story. Bo is infuriated with Mrs. Creed for accusing him of the murder of her son and is determined to prove his innocence.
• Christopher "Chris" Creed, the "weird guy" from Steepleton, vanishes after sending an e-mail to Glen Ames, the principal, hinting at the possibility that he has run away or taken his own life.
• Isabella Karzden, a laid-back waitress, with whom Chris had an imaginary relationship. She admits to helping Chris lose his virginity but makes it clear when introduced in the novel that she did not have a relationship with him.
• Sylvia Creed, Chris Creed’s mother, who accuses Bo Richardson of murdering her son.
  • Alex Arrington, Torey Adam's best friend and Renee Bowen’s boyfriend. He plays football and is in a band with Torey. He is also very smart and tech savvy, having hacked into school files and discovering the email Christopher Creed sent to the principal before his disappearance. During the novel, he begins to believe that Chris is dead and says to Torey that "

Notes and References

1. News: Childhood home was a spooky setting, author says . Naperville Sun . 23 February 2007 . Hank . Beckman .
2. Plum-Ucci p.2
3. Plum-Ucci p. 115