Bone Talk - Hardcover

Gourlay, Candy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1788450175 ISBN 13: 9781788450171

Publisher: David Fickling Books, 2018

Synopsis

The Story

Samkad dreams of becoming a mighty headhunter like his father, carrying his own weapons and etching tattoos across his chest to proclaim his greatness as a warrior. His best friend is a girl his age, Little Luki and Little Luki wants to become a mighty warrior too ... except in their culture, girls don't grow up to become warriors. The two friends have no idea about the world outside their isolated mountain village until a boy from the Lowlands turns up ... a boy who can speak many tongues and who tells stories about the world outside that seem ridiculous and unbelievable especially the part about invaders called 'Americans' who are coming to take over the village.

Candy Gourlay on why she wrote the book

As a young bookworm reading my way through my school library, I read many books with historical settings: poor Oliver Twist, orphaned in Victorian London, Tom Sawyer sneaking onto steam ships on the Mississippi River, kings and swords and knights. But why was not a single book set in the Philippines where I grew up? Why couldn't adventures spring from my history too? Bone Talk is my attempt to fill this story gap. It's an adventure set right in the middle of a cultural collision, when turn-of-the-century American soldiers encountered a headhunting Filipino warrior people. What was it like to encounter the outside world for the first time? What was it like to meet your invader and to realise that everything you knew was about to change? Samkad's people did not write their stories down, so most narratives from the era were written by their enemy, the Americans. I hope Bone Talk's readers will enjoy seeing the world through Samkad's eyes.

About this title

Review

'A soulful coming-of-age story rich in Filipino myth and tradition, combined with a thrilling adventure of headhunters and invaders, asking powerful questions about community, colonialism and what it means to be a man' Fiona Noble, The Bookseller

'Utterly engrossing. This sumptuously realised, age-old story of colonisation transports in time, culture, landscape and history. It will lodge deep in the bone long after these pages have been turned' Sita Brahmachari, author of Artichoke Hearts, winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize

'A wonderful novel ... will stay with me for a long time' Elizabeth Laird, author of The Garbage King

'I loved Bone Talk. A really thoughtful and wonderful piece of storytelling' Catherine Johnson, author of Sawbones

'I was enthralled by Bone Talk' Teen Librarian

'A gripping adventure story and a fascinating piece of historical fiction but you never, ever forget that it's the story of Samkad, a boy you believe could be your friend. Highly recommended' Jill Murphy, The Bookbag

'Totally transported to another time, another world. Utterly amazing book' Emily Drabble, Booktrust

'I loved this book in so many ways. It's diverse, very challenging and really made me think. I feel as if I have lived every moment of the story ... This is a great young-adult read that strikes away from the norm. It certainly shook me from my reading perch as it was enjoyable on so many levels' --Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books

About the Author

Candy Gourlay is of Philippino heritage, and was a journalist before becoming an author. Her previous book SHINE was nominated for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2014. It won the Crystal Kite Prize for Europe 2014 - Candy's debut novel TALL STORY also won the Crystal Kite in 2011. TALL STORY was also nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for 13 awards including the Blue Peter Prize, the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Branford Boase.

About this edition

• Publisher: David Fickling Books
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1788450175
• ISBN 13: 9781788450171
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256