Bone: Ghost Circles by Jeff Smith

Book Jacket

The Bones, Gran'ma Ben, Thorn, and their loyal rat creature cub venture on a journey through the mysterious ghost circles to Atheia, the old city of the royal family.  One wrong step could change the valley's fate forever...

Review

This installment was mostly set up, positioning all the characters where they need to be as the series nears its end.  Despite the lack of big plot developments, a lot happened!  Bartleby returned, and he can talk now!  We also find out why the rat creatures don't have tails, which has always bothered me.  So glad for an explanation.  A bit more of the Bones past is revealed, and Phoney seems less conniving, while Smiley is still my favorite.

Thorn is a wild card now.  Every once in a while she seems secretly evil, but then things change and she seems healed, but then something else happens, and I don't know!  I honestly don't know how this is all going to end.  I hope she's not evil.  I did like, however, that Gran'ma Ben pointed out that she is more susceptible to evil because she's so powerful....I'm a big fan of stories that hearken to "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Or "With great power comes great responsibility."  Take your pick, I love the sentiment.

I adore this series, even when it gets genuinely creepy.  Those voices in the ghost circles!  Eaaaugh.  So good!

Four out of five peg legs.

Release Date:  February 2008

Reading Level: Grade 5+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: GRAPHIC SMI