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A review by merissareadsstuff
Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac
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