Fantasy

Bone: Out From Boneville

Jeff Smith

Graphix/Scholastic, 2005,

138 pp.

$9.99 Fantasy/Graphic Novel/Comic Books

ISBN: 0439706408

A stranger in an even stranger land, following a cigar butt laden, Hansel and Gretel-like trail. So begins Fone Bone’s amazing journey filled with thoughtful consideration for others down to boneheaded decisions with variations in-between.

The story opens up with the Bone cousins being kicked out of Boneville after Phoney’s failed mayoral bid and inadvertent destruction of Boneville’s founding father’s statue. These characters serve as typical archetypes. Fone is trustworthy, loyal, and caring, a goody two-shoes type. Phoney is aptly named and is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a sly, self-serving, underhanded, con artist. Smiley is the whipping boy vis-à-vis a sad sap. “Sure! Doesn’t make any difference to me! But then… not much does!” is his standard response to Phoney’s outrageous schemes and plans.

The cousins get separated out in the desert after being overtaken by a swarm of locusts. In a concerned attempt to find the other two, Fone follows a trail of Smiley’s discarded cigar butts, which lead him, unbeknownst to him, right into the clutches of the dreaded and much feared Rat People. But alas, he is saved by the Great Red Dragon and remains ignorant to the whole event, having chalked it up to dreaming on an empty stomach. Fone befriends a small leaf insect named Ted, who upon hearing of his woes, search for his cousins, and wanting directions back to Boneville replies that he must take him “to see Thorn” who knows “jes’ about ever’thin’ in th’ whole world!” Fone is as excited to hear about Thorn as Dorothy was to hear about The Wizard of Oz and the great prospects he offered.

Thorn is a kind, compassionate, tender-hearted soul who lives with her feisty; Annie Oakley like grandmother, Gran’ma Ben on the outskirts of Barrelhaven and Fone Bone is immediately smitten. With Thorn’s help Fone is eventually reunited with Phoney and Smiley. And just in a nick of time as Phoney is in the middle of deeply offending Gran’ma Ben and Smiley with his compliant, simple minded attitude, has gotten himself into a situation of perpetual servitude with Lucius, the owner of the local tavern. Combined with Thorn, the Bones embark on a journey of epic proportions to battle the Lord of the Locusts and his evil minions. They do so as Fone mindfully guides, Phoney playfully connives and happy-go-lucky Smiley goes along to get along. Just when we believe that they have no hope (as indicated while seemingly separated and lost in the wilderness), we see how they are able to overcome their apparent downfalls by reuniting. Thankfully, Fone’s good-guy mindset helps him become a change maker and more viable hero in their ongoing saga as they try to readjust to a new life in a new land.

Tension builds suspense, which in turn, enhances the reader’s curiosity in this epic high fantasy story. With fantastic color graphics and witty slap-stick humor Bone is recommended for 10-14 year olds who would enjoy absent-mindedness, arrogance, backbiting, courtesy, cruelty, irony, one-upmanship, power, and lastly to be triumphant. For more information on the Bone series visit boneville.com.