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merissareadsstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is a good book for kids, but the way Skeleton Man came to be is pretty disturbing, so read it first before you read it to very young children. The most disturbing part is in the first chapter.
I really enjoyed learning about Native American mythology and culture. The legend of Skeleton Man comes from Native American mythos.
The main character was a female was constantly putting herself down using traditionally sexist rhetoric. It is clear her parents had been pretty sexist to her when they frequently said she is melodramatic. Boys are rarely called that, and girls are usually called that to silence them. So there was a bit of sexism in the book as both books had her saying that a lot.
It was creepy. It did a good job creeping me out at times, and I'm an adult. The girl's parents are kidnapped and then she forced to go live with this creep she doesn't know, so it might scare your kids, especially the younger kids.
At the beginning of my copy, the author says that even though he knows the story of skeleton man is disturbing, the moral is not to be lazy or greedy and he is glad to have grown up with such tales, despite how disturbing it is. I do see the point is obviously what he says. And I think it is good to have such stories, too as long as the kids will not be too frightened.
The main character is pretty fleshed out, but the skeleton man is not so much. I don't think that really matters, though, since he just supposed to be a scary monster, and he plays that role well.
I really enjoyed learning about Native American mythology and culture. The legend of Skeleton Man comes from Native American mythos.
The main character was a female was constantly putting herself down using traditionally sexist rhetoric. It is clear her parents had been pretty sexist to her when they frequently said she is melodramatic. Boys are rarely called that, and girls are usually called that to silence them. So there was a bit of sexism in the book as both books had her saying that a lot.
It was creepy. It did a good job creeping me out at times, and I'm an adult. The girl's parents are kidnapped and then she forced to go live with this creep she doesn't know, so it might scare your kids, especially the younger kids.
At the beginning of my copy, the author says that even though he knows the story of skeleton man is disturbing, the moral is not to be lazy or greedy and he is glad to have grown up with such tales, despite how disturbing it is. I do see the point is obviously what he says. And I think it is good to have such stories, too as long as the kids will not be too frightened.
The main character is pretty fleshed out, but the skeleton man is not so much. I don't think that really matters, though, since he just supposed to be a scary monster, and he plays that role well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and Cannibalism
amandaquotidianbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was really chilling, especially the first book. I loved the atmosphere and nature-focused setting in the sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, and Cannibalism
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I wouldn't have made it through this as a middle schooler because I did not do well with scary stories! I enjoyed this story and thought it was sufficiently unsettling to thrill middle schoolers chasing thrills via scary stories. I liked the representation of Native American culture and legends throughout, and enjoyed the inclusion of Latinx and Hispanic traditions and legends in the second book (except when Dia de los Muertos was described as Mexico's Halloween).
๐The Gist ๐: In the first of these two stories, a girl's parents go missing and she's handed over to a man claiming to be her uncle. Nobody notices anything off about this man, except for the girl who sees him for the monster he is. In the second book, the girl's family takes a trip to a mountain Lodge, and the monster returns for revenge!
๐Representation๐: Native American mc, Aztec culture, Aztec sc, Latinx and Hispanic culture
๐ For readers looking for ๐: a scary middlegrade read, strong female characters, myths and legends
๐The Gist ๐: In the first of these two stories, a girl's parents go missing and she's handed over to a man claiming to be her uncle. Nobody notices anything off about this man, except for the girl who sees him for the monster he is. In the second book, the girl's family takes a trip to a mountain Lodge, and the monster returns for revenge!
๐Representation๐: Native American mc, Aztec culture, Aztec sc, Latinx and Hispanic culture
๐ For readers looking for ๐: a scary middlegrade read, strong female characters, myths and legends
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cannibalism