"Evocative, universally resonant adventure set among a remote Filipino tribe"
Shortlisted for the Costa Children's Book Award 2018
This immersive coming-of-age epic is set in the late nineteenth century, when an age-old Filipino culture first encounters the brutal warmongering of white men.
Samkad cannot wait to become a man through undergoing the ‘Cut’ rites of passage observed by his Bontok tribe (later ignorantly mispronounced by American occupiers as “Bone Talk”), though he fears losing his best friend Luki as a result, for Luki is a girl and their relationship will be forbidden, even though they share the same ambitions - to become a warrior, to fight the Mangili. Samkad’s absorbing journey to manhood is intensified when a white stranger arrives in his village claiming to be his brother, a stranger who tells tales of a people called Americans. Then, when the Americans arrive, bringing war and destruction to the Bontok’s remote mountains, nothing will be the same again. Not for Samkad, nor for his family and culture.
By turns universal and unique, historically enlightening and emotionally powerful, this relatable, resonant coming-of-age adventure boasts an abundance of heart, atmosphere and action.
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Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal (UK)Shortlisted for the Costa Prize (UK)Sunday Times Children's Book of the WeekThe Guardian Book of the MonthThe Times Books of the Year"Hotly Anticipated Historical Fiction for Young Adults" Amazon.co.uk
It is 1899. Ten year old Samkad thinks he knows everything about the world. He knows that home is in the mountains. He knows who his friends and his enemies are. And he knows that he will grow up to become a warrior like his dad, with his own shield, spear and axe.His best friend is Little Luki and she too wants to become a warrior - though there's little chance of that because she is just a girl.Then strangers arrive: a boy with many languages in his throat ... and weird-looking men called Americans who bring war and death.Set during the U.S. invasion of the Philippines.Endorsed by Amnesty International: "Amnesty International endorses Bone Talk because it upholds many human rights, including our rights to life, to equality, to have a religion, to enjoy our own culture. It also shows us what can happen when these are taken away from us."The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Bone Talk and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Bone Talk features in the following genres: Featured Books for Young Adults, Recommendations, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Gritty Reads, Historical Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Bone Talk is available in Hardback, Paperback, Ebook
Bone Talk was written by Candy Gourlay and published by David Fickling Books an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Bone Talk has 272 pages
