Bone's Gift

by Angie Smibert

Overview

Twelve-year-old Bone possesses a Gift that allows her to see the stories in everyday objects in this supernatural historical mystery. The first title in the Ghosts of Everyday Objects series — now in paperback!

In southern Virginia coal-mining town in 1942, Bone Phillips has just reached the age when most members of her family discover their Gift. Bone has a Gift that disturbs her; she can sense stories when she touches an object that was important to someone. She sees both sad and happy—the death of a deer in an arrowhead, the pain of a beating in a baseball cap, and the sense of joy in a fiddle. There are also stories woven into her dead mama's butter—yellow sweater—stories Bone yearns for and fears. When Bone receives a note that says her mama's Gift is what killed her, Bone tries to uncover the truth. Could Bone's Gift do the same? Here is a beautifully resonant coming-of-age tale about learning to trust the power of your own story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684373734
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	03/12/2019
Series:	Ghosts of Ordinary Objects
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Angie Smibert is the author of the Memento Nora series, which Booklist called "a gift for both reluctant and regular readers," as well as numerous nonfiction books for children, and many short stories for both adults and teens. She grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, where her mother's family once worked in the long-closed coal mines along the New River, and currently lives in Roanoke, Virginia. Visit angiesmibert.com.

Editorial Reviews

This mystical mystery…effectively evokes the Appalachian culture with written dialect and a cultural emphasis on storytelling that’ll snag even history-resistant readers. Readers will definitely invest in Bone’s journey. Bone’s Gift is just the opening installment of the Ghosts of Ordinary Objects trilogy.” – The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

“In a genuine voice that sucks readers into Appalachia during World War II, Smibert tells an absorbing coming-of-age story. The narrative has the feel of the Appalachian folktales that the protagonist loves so much, with a mix of realism and magic. Smibert weaves the folktales intricately into the story. Middle graders won’t want Bone’s story to end.” – School Library Journal

“Part fantasy, part mystery, and part history, Smibert’s Bone’s Gift will have broad appeal. The descriptive writing makes it easy to imagine living in a coal-mining town in WWII-era Virginia. It is clear that Smibert conducted thorough research to create a realistic setting. Fans of cozy mysteries and time travel will enjoy this book.”-VOYA

“This historical fiction story with supernatural elements is the first book in the Ghosts of Ordinary Objects trilogy. The accurate use of Southern Appalachian dialect…gives the book a charming authenticity. The author’s note at the end provides sources regarding the historical accuracy of the novel and the Appalachian folklore.” - School Library Connection

“Smibert surrounds Bone with a loving, complicated extended family….(with) language, which feels real and down-to-earth, like her characters. An intriguing blend of history and magic.” – Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2017-12-11
A 12-year-old Appalachian girl tries to come to terms with her supernatural gift at the start of World War II.Sometimes, when Laurel Grace—usually known as Bone—touches an object, she can get a glimpse of its past. When she picked up her friend Will's father's dinner bucket, she was flooded with memories of his death in a mining accident a decade before. When she wears her mother's yellow sweater she feels Mama's loving touch, smells her lavender scent. Mama died of influenza six years ago, and now, with Daddy drafted into the Army, she's being made to live with Mama's sister, Aunt Mattie, who sees the family gifts as curses and wants to pray Bone's out of her. But why? Smibert surrounds Bone with a loving, complicated extended family and gives her plot just enough heft for both realism and reader engagement. The coal-field setting is particularly well-drawn, with details such as children at play sliding down a slag heap instead of a snowdrift. Feed-sack dresses aren't a cliché here, and neither is Smibert's language, which feels real and down-to-earth, like her characters. "The morning wore on like a sermon on a hot day." Only the ending, which sets up a three-volume series, lacks punch, but that won't keep readers from wanting to revisit. An intriguing blend of history and magic. (Historical/paranormal fiction. 8-14)

Kirkus Review