Bone : Out From Boneville

Title - Bone : Out From Boneville
Author - Jeff Smith
ISBN - 9780439706230
Publication Date - 2005

Plot - The Bone Cousins, Fone, Phoney and Smiley, set off on their adventure, being kicked out of their hometown for some scheming plot that Phoney had developed.  While out in the desert they are trying to find their way back to Boneville.  They find themselves beyond the end of their maps, when Smiley produces another, less professionally produced map.  After locusts split them up, the reader follows Fone Bone, the most normal and kindness of the Bone people.  His adventures lead him past dragons, away from Rat People, finding a bug named Ted, and eventually to Thorn and Granny.  By the time all of them are finally reunited, Fone is staying with Granny and Thorn, hoping to make his way back to where they came from.  We find that Phoney Bone has got himself in some dark plot that we cannot fully understand as of yet.  And Smiley Bone is the comic relief for the two.  Also, Thorn has come connection to the map that Smiley found in the desert, that we do not know yet, but will figure significantly to the rest of the series.

Critical Review - As these were actually comics published and then put together in graphic Novel form, one may wonder how the comics were split up from week to week.  What Jeff Smith has created in these comics are really engaging and fun drawings and fully realized characters as complex and interesting as any novel.  Being that this is the first in a series of Graphic Novelizations, the biggest job of the author is to introduce the characters, and to develop the conflicts that will occur for the rest of the series, while maintaining an air of mystery throughout the rest of the series.  Jeff Smith has figured excellently in this as you realize Fone is the kind Bone, who falls for Thorn.  Grandma is quite a character, with a past that somehow has a connection to everything going on.  As phony a character as Phoney Bone may be, he still has feelings about his cousins and what happens to them.  And this dragon who has hung out behind the scenes is out to stop whatever evil maybe in the world, which is represented by these rat people and some Grim Reaper type of individual.  This is well worth the read.

Readers Annotation -   Follow the Bone cousins and their amazing adventures, through the desert, past the rat people, evading fire breathing dragon's and those who are mad at Phoney Bone.  Laugh a little along the way as the story is certainly able to tickle your funny bone.

--Information about the Author--
As early as the age of ten, Jeff Smith was developing his characters for the Bone's in what would be his greatest graphic novel works.  He says that early development of his love for comics was developed by Charles Shultz and his famous Peanut comics, but other comics that inspired him include the Pogo series of comics.

The Bone series was originally published as a set of comics from 1991 to 2004.  Aside from Bone, Smith has worked with many different comic Characters including Captain Marvel, put out by DC Comics.  Overall Smith finds himself well connected and well-suited for the comic/graphic novel genre he has chosen.

Curriculum Ties - Explore the nature of Graphic Novels as a literary format/genre. - Literature
Talk about Comics as graphic Art. - Art
How  has the Comic transformed itself into a Novel. - Literature

Reading Level - Grade 9+

Book Talking Ideas - Talk about the use of the Serial in literature.  How effective is the use of serialization in literature?

Challenge Issues - N/A

Why Included - I included this because I was interested in these characters and had seen this set of Graphic Novels at my work.