Bone Talk

Product Information

Apart from your own book, is there another book or author you would recommend to children that you’ve enjoyed recently? I thought this book was ok, and to be fair, when I finished this book it didn't leave me with any feelings. I was more relieved instead of wowed because it meant I didn't have to read it anymore! Jill Murphy, The Bookbag. A gripping adventure story and a fascinating piece of historical fiction but you never, ever forget that it's the story of Samkad, a boy you believe could be your friend.Highly recommended. Read the whole review

Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment. I adored the relationship Samkad had with his father, his best friend and the elders of the community. While they didn't always get along, the belief the community had didn't allow for lies or treachery, even stubbornness seemed to melt away if the village's safety was called into question. This novel creates intrigue to a forgotten war, one that is pushed aside by the big boys - WWI and WWII. The beautiful if not demanding nature of the villages that would live on their own self efficiency is a wonder. They fight, they win or lose, but beyond everything - they survive. The dreary prospect of spending a lifetime making caskets instead of wonderful inventions prompts a young orphan to snatch up his little sister and flee. Where? To the circus, of course.And then, there is Luki. Irrepressible and persistent, she is Samkad's best friend. It is through her that social class and the roles of Bontoc women are presented. How she defies and disobeys them not because she is a bad girl. Luki is smart and perceptive, protective of her family and friends. She knows who she is and where she belongs. These are all evident in the dialogues she has with Samkad implying that, even girls or women, can fight for the people and the place they love. So, go and read the book. Find a copy. Buy or borrow! Do not miss out the wonderful discoveries and insights you can take away from the novel. Despite the fact that this was about a boy waiting to get circumcised, I quite enjoyed the story and the characters. It was nice reading an own voices historical fiction set outside the US. Gourlay shows the contrast between the two boys--one who grew up in the village with his father, and the other who was sent to another region and "Americanized".

And that's why the author wrote this story, so that maybe she could put a solution to the problem. And the book is her version of a solution.

With the audience knowing exactly how the colonists will treat Samkad and his village, it feels very much like watching a terrible unseen through the gaps between your fingers. It is certainly a novel with a message which makes you question colonialism and the spread of ideologies around the world.