Innocent...

By Eric Walters

Summary of Innocent

Betty is an 18 year old girl who does not know much about her past. She has never worried about it, and never will. Until the orphanage she grew up in, her only home, was burnt to shreds in a fire. She was about to leave into the work force anyway, but her plan had to begin early. She was scheduled to work as a maid in the Remmington household. Little did she know that her mother worked there. Betty was excited yet scared to learn about her past. She found out that her mother was killed-by her father, and she witnessed it! Betty cannot remember who killed her mother and this bothers her as she gains flashes of memories.

Continuation

Since she was a witness of a huge murder, her name was changed for safety, her real name is Elizabeth. Mrs. Remmington, the owner of the houshold, has two sons. Edward- the town mayor and Richie- the strange yet gentle one. She works with Mrs. Meyers, the head of staff, Nigel the chef, James the driver and Ralph the gardener. As the book progresses, she learns that everyone is a suspect. Elizabeth meets her Dad in prison, and he claims to be Innocent. She is being told too many things from too many people; "your father is guilty" "I'm INNOCENT!" "Stay away from the Remmingtons." It's all happening very fast, and as she says, "You have to look back in order to move forward."

Who is Betty?

Betty is a girl who is known by many names. Elizabeth, Lizzy, Elizabeth Anne, the daughter of a victim and a killer, an orphan, a maid and many more. She is being told many different opinions and ways to think. In situations like these she can't trust anyone. She trusts most people, is caring, gentile, smart and loyal. She is eager to know more, but is scared to find out how she will find out.

Connection to Betty

I can connect to Betty or Lizzy in someways more than others. I am not exactly like her, but we share the same qualities. She does not have a family to care for, but being as she is a maid, she can care for her bosses. I care for my family and my grandma just like Betty. We find it easy to be caring and kind, but others are thankful for our simple actions. This helps me understand how naturally her caring talents come from. Its these simple character traits that really help me understand a novel. There are also some children with the same experiences as Betty. They are orphans who don't know about there past just like Betty. Who knows what those similar kids will discover.....

Main Theme

Do Not Judge at First Glance

The theme that the author was trying to convey is to not judge at first glance. There are many characters in the book that appear nice, sweet and trustworthy, but in reality, those people are horrible, bitter and vain. There are also people like Betty's father (or the so called murderer.) At first appears ruthless and vicious, at least that's what Betty is told. When Betty eventually meets her father, she starts to question those rumors. Its hard to explain the authors message without giving away the plot, but he really conveys this all throughout this interesting story.

Setting of the NOVEL

(location)

The story of Innocent takes place in many different areas. At the beginning of the book, it takes place in Betty's orphanage, where she grew up, and where the fire started. Later on, she moves to the Remmington mansion to work. This is in Kingston Ontario, which is only about three hours from Oakville. So if the event of her mother being killed really did happen, we would have definitely gotten the news about it. Some other minor locations include, Lizzies childhood home, the cemetery, Kingston jail and the streets of Kingston. All of these are in Kingston, where most of the book takes place.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ERIC WALTERS

Eric Walters is a detailed, passionate, descriptive and interesting writer. It all began in 1993 when Eric was teaching a Grade 5 class. His students were engaged readers and writers and Eric began to write to encourage them to become more involved in literature. Since his first novel Eric has exploded on the children’s and young adult scene. Over the following years, he has published over 94 more novels, and here are some of them:

Regenesis Stand Your Ground Walking Home Tiger Town Three on Three

Novel Review

INNOCENT BY ERIC WALTERS

Overall this novel was interesting- I was on the edge of my seat with the climax. It was also detailed- I could visualize the characters and settings just based off of the description the author provided. Lastly, the author was realistic- the events could happen in real life, this makes it easier to relate to. This book is now up there with my favorites. For these reasons, I give this detailed, interesting and realistic book a full set of five stars out of five stars!