| Skeleton -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Imaginary companions -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Terminally ill children -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Children -- Death -- Psychological aspects -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Brothers and sisters -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Paranormal fiction. |
Available:*
Library | Collection | Material Type | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Cobourg Branch | Searching... Unknown | Junior Fiction | JF Ven | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
A staggering debut that will forever change the way you think about life, hope, death . . . and the power of friendship to transcend them all.Twelve-year-old Stanly knows the bone growing in his yard is a little weird, but that's okay, because now he'll have the perfect photo to submit to the Young Discoverer's Competition. With such a unique find, he's sure to win the grand prize.But, oddly, the bone doesn't appear in any photos. Even stranger, it seems to be growing into a full skeleton . . . one that only children can see. There's just one person who doesn't find any of this weird--Stanly's little sister. Mischievous Miren adopts the skeleton as a friend, and soon, the two become inseparable playmates. When Miren starts to grow sick, Stanly suspects that the skeleton is responsible and does everything in his power to drive the creature away. However, Miren is desperate not to lose her friend, forcing Stanly to question everything he's ever believed about life, love, and the mysterious forces that connect us.
Author Notes
Kim Ventrella spends her days searching for whimsy and wonder, even in the darkest of times. She is the author of Bone Hollow and Skeleton Tree , which Kirkus Reviews called an "emotional roller coaster tempered by a touch of magic." She lives in Oklahoma City, where her favorite activities include writing stories, working at a haunted house, and racing her dog in the rain.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Stanly Stanwright is living an ordinary day in his ordinary home when out of the blue he sees a skeleton bone emerge in his backyard. Perplexed and excited, Stanly soon discovers an entire skeleton growing up from the ground. Stanly is determined to take a picture of the skeleton and submit it to the Young Discoverers' Competition. He is certain he will win and then his dad will have to come home. Unfortunately, as fascinated as he is by the skeleton, Stanly has a bigger problem: his younger sister, Marin, is sick. She's spending more time in the hospital and has to rely on an oxygen tank. The presence of the skeleton becomes increasingly foreboding in Stanly's mind. Touches of the extraordinary lift the mood of this somber story. Stanly's narration is honest and authentic as he deals with his father's abandonment of the family, his mother's long work hours, and his sister's declining health. When the physical embodiment of death enters their world, an actual skeleton, Stanly's frayed life feels like it is coming apart. There are no easy answers offered, but Ventrella's comforting storytelling reveals a magical world where a skeleton can grow and where a family's love for each other can provide healing. VERDICT Swinging between anger at his situation and palpable grief that his sister is dying, Stanly and the mysterious skeleton will resonate with young readers. Purchase where stories dealing with illness and grief are needed.-Sarah Wethern, Douglas County Library, Alexandria, MN © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Stanlys seven-year-old sister Miren is very sick. His father is gone. His mother spends so much money on doctor bills that luxuries such as an updated computer and the new Skatepark Zombie Death Bash video game are out of the question. Then Stanly spots a finger bone poking up from his familys garden. He takes a picture of the bone and enters it in the Young Discoverers contest, with a $10,000 prize that could help take the pressure off his mom. But the finger bone moves, then grows, and turns into a skeleton. Miren, Stanly, and his friend Jaxon can see it, many adults cannot, and Princy (so named by Miren) doesnt want pictures! Stanlys contest photo is somehow corrupted; Jaxons iPad mysteriously disappears; Miren becomes much sicker, and Stanly is convinced that Princy is to blame. Ventrellas three-dimensional characters with their complicated emotions are what make this story work so well. The exploration of family tragedy and death is likely to evoke discussion and debate; it will appeal to children yearning for a story that speaks the truth about difficult topics in ways that make sense to them. ed spicer (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
When white, zombie-obsessed, 12-year-old Stanly discovers a human skeleton growing up from his backyardbeginning as a single fingertiphe sees opportunity.Photographing and writing about this, he reasons, may lead to winning the Young Discoverer's Prize, which will bring Dad back from 1,500 miles away, and then his little sister, Miren, might stop getting sicker. This ambitious debut story of magical thinking keeps a mostly light tone despite the worsening gravity of Miren's health throughout. It is peppered with whimsical asides and anatomical jokes in addition to homespun tales from Ms. Francine, part-time cook and child care helper from Kyrgyzstan. Stanly tries to keep his (literally) growing secret confined to his OCD-diagnosed best friend, Jaxon (who has a "cloud of black hair" but is otherwise racially unidentified). Miren quickly finds out, but although she can't keep a secret, overworked, underpaid, and worried Mom is literally unable to see the skeleton, dubbed Princy by Miren. Conversely, the wise, folkloric Ms. Francine reacts, from the first phalangeal breakthrough, "like she was remembering something sad and happy all at once." The close-third-person narrative doggedly expresses Stanly's struggles with conflicting thoughts and emotionsbut also keeps action rolling. Stanly copes well with problems ranging from the mundane (ineffectual cameras) to the extraordinary (photographing an evasive skeleton) to the heart-wrenching (a gravely ill sister; burdened parents). The emotional roller coaster of a contemporary white family in crisis, tempered by a touch of magic and a resilient, likable protagonist. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
What do you do when you find a bone growing in your backyard? Ten months after his dad walked out, 12-year-old Stanly Stanwright is convinced that winning the Young Discoverer's Contest will bring him back. But, despite his dogged perseverance and the assistance of his OCD-diagnosed best friend Jaxon, getting a picture of the bone (which is quickly growing into a full-body skeleton) proves harder than he originally thought. Not only that, but it's getting harder and harder to keep the skeleton a secret from his overworked, stressed-out mom and his ever-present, elderly babysitter, Ms. Francine (who prefers to spend her days stuffing Stanly and his sister, Miren, with borscht and cookies). When Miren's health begins to deteriorate, Stanly is forced to confront the real reason for the skeleton's appearance. Is it the cause of Miren's sickness? Or does its presence in their lives hold a much deeper meaning? Quietly powerful, this dark yet whimsical debut novel will offer young readers a sensitive, relatable approach to the issues of terminal illness and death.--Kuss, Rebecca Copyright 2017 Booklist