Skip to main content

The Kneebone Boy

By

The Kneebone Boy
by Ellen Potter
Feiwel & Friends, 2010. 288 pages. Fiction.

This book has a great title, a great cover, and is a very engaging read. It tells the story of Otto, Lucia and Max Hardscrabble through the eyes of one of them, though we never find out which. They live in Little Tunks, England with their somewhat odd father, Casper. Their mother disappeared under suspicious circumstances five years earlier, and ever since then the people of Little Tunks have avoided the children. The narrator does admit that the children are an odd bunch. Otto, the oldest at 13, doesn't speak, but communicates in a type of sign language that only Lucia and Max can understand. In addition, Otto has worn the same scarf around his neck since his mother's disappearance which he refuses to ever take off, even to sleep.

When the three children find a letter that indicates their mother might be alive, they head off to London, and then to Kneebone Castle in Snoring by the Sea. There they have to use their wits and courage to solve the mystery of their mother. Even though it doesn't end the way one would hope, there is closure. The narrator is honest and funny, and deals with the issue of family secrets and difficulties in a sympathetic and readable way.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Display: Golden

By
The Bakery Dragon By Devin Elle Kurtz New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Picture book. Ember, a small dragon with an unimpressive roar, fears he will never be as good at stealing gold as other dragons, but discovers a different path to joy after a chance encounter with a baker.--Editor Sona and the Golden Beasts By Raani LaRocca New York: Quill Tree Books, 2024. Fiction. 385 pgs. Discovering an orphaned wolf pup she believes is related to the five sacred beasts of Devia, which a Hunter has been killing one by one, Sona embarks on an epic adventure during which she realizes that the fate of the sacred beasts, and the future of Devia, is in her hands. --Publisher Gold and Silver, Silver and Gold By Alvin Schwartz New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009. Informational. 128 pgs. Presents legends, true stories, and tall tales about the hunting, finding, and losing of treasure, including pirate treasure and treasure not yet uncovered.--Editor Golden Girl By Reem Faruqi New York: Harper, 202...
Post a Comment
Read more

From Story Time: The Letter "F"

By
Preschool Time Frank and Bert By Chris Naylor-Ballesteros Lincoln, MA: Nosy Crow, 2023. Picture Book. This laugh-out-loud picture book follows best friends Frank and Bert as they play hide-and-seek, but when Bert isn't so good at hiding (despite thinking he is), Frank must decide between winning or making Bert happy. --Editor Preschool Time All at Once Upon a Time Written by Mara Rockliff Illustrated by Gladys Jose New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture Book. Fairy Tale land experiences a topsy-turvy transformation where classic stories become mixed up and makes Prince Charming climb a beanstalk, Cinderella kiss a frog, and Rapunzel's nose grow every time she tells a lie. --Editor Toddler Time Sometimes I Am Furious Written by Timothy Knapman Illustrated by Joe Berger New York: Penguin Workshop, 2023. Picture Book In rhyming text, a small girl admits she sometimes gets angry when she is frustrated, and her grandmother shows her how to cope. --Editor Book Babie...
Post a Comment
Read more