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Tween Tuesday: Bone by Jeff Smith

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun and add your link for Tween Tuesday below!

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Graphic Novel/Comic/Fantasy

Release Date: Originally published in 1996, full color copy from Scholastic published 2005

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About the Book: The three Bone cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone have been run out of Boneville. Shortly after the start of their journey the cousins are seperated. Each cousin travels into a strange forest with new creatures and the hope of finding a way back.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I feel like such a terrible librarian for admitting this, but I hadn't read Bone until this year! The comics are always checked out from my library and I always have tweens and teens asking for them, but I had never sat down and read them. When I was at a Scholastic warehouse sale earlier this year, I saw the full color versions of Bone and decided to pick up a copy of volume one for myself and I'm so glad I did!

After reading Out from Boneville I know why tweens keep asking for this series and why it's never on my shelf! The Bone cousins are hilarious and their adventures are so much fun. Fone Bone is the Bone cousin we get to know the most in this volume and I have to say he's my favorite. He's the nicest of the cousins and I love his sense of humor. The other two Bone cousins are scheming at times, but I still think they're fun to read about. I just have a soft spot for Fone Bone (and his poor crush on Thorn!)

The illustrations are beautiful and I love the way the character's emotions are portrayed in the artwork. Poor Fone Bone has a crush on the lovely human girl Thorn and you see his feelings for her through his eyes and facial expressions in the art.

The humor is spot on for tween readers. Bone is a fantasy that I think will appeal to readers even if they typically shy away from graphic novels. There's a lot of adventure and humor and that's what will draw readers in-no matter the style the book is written in. There are nine books in the Bone series plus two prequels as well as a new novel out in 2011 set in the Bone world. With so many books to choose from, readers will be happily enjoying Boneville for a long time!

Book Pairings: For other adventure/fantasy comics and graphic novels, give readers of Bone Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi, Flight: Explorer edited by Kazu Kibuishi, or Knights of the Lunch Table by Frank Cammuso

Comments

  1. Sounds interesting. I love how you post so many comic/graphic novels, especially ones good for boys. BTW, whatt exact ages do you see "tweens" to be? Middle school or late elementary? It seems like a wide range.

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  2. Bone books are sure popular in my middle school library. I haven't read any myself because every time I try I just can't get into them! I did check out the first one for my son though, because they sound right up his alley!

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  3. I somehow didn't "get" Bone--but my son definitely liked it at the tween age!

    Today I review the new Dear America entry from Scholastic--The Fences Between Us by Newbery winner Kirby Larson. Check out my review!

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  4. Alison-I think of tweens as being between 8-12 or 9-13-that seems to be the most common age range of tweens. But I've heard of some "tween" programs or books consider up to 8th grade tween, so I guess it depends. I view it more as the Middle Grade section of the bookstore, which is typicall ages 8-12, but I might include a book that's a bit higher (like a middle school book) because it has tween appeal.

    Jana-I'm glad I'm not the only one! The books are hard to get ahold of at the library! I'm glad your son liked it!

    Fourth Muketeer-Yes, Bone has a certain humor to it-it took me a bit to understand it, but it's a huge hit with boys!

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  5. Yes I can never have enough copies of the Bones books! It is also awesome that they have Accelerated Reader tests so that my reluctant readers can test on them :) Definitely a certain type of humor but enjoyable none the less. Here is my Tween Tuesday!
    http://www.libraryloungelizard.com/2010/11/tween-tuesdays-18.html

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  6. I love the Bone books and I got to read them early cause my friend owns them all. I'm super excited because the author is actually putting out new ones starting with Quest from the Spark which will be out Feb, 1st. I can't wait.

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