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A review by bookishrealm
The Legend of Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac
4.0
Ya'll why didn't anyone tell me this book was going to be so damn creepy??
So this is the first book that I completed for Indigathon! It was CREEPY AF! I don't think I expected that level of creepiness for a middle grade story. It's actually two books in one and each book is based off of Mohawk folklore and legends. Both stories follow a girl by the name of Molly who's parents go missing after an outing during the weekend. Molly is then "claimed" by an uncle that she believes is an imposter. However, when he is able to produce pictures of her family Molly has no choice but to live with him. His behavior is incredibly strange and reminds Molly of a legend that she heard about a cannibal skeleton man who started off as a man that eventually ate himself down to his bones. In both of the books, Molly must fight to save her family.
First let's talk about the writing in these books. It created such a spooky atmosphere. I was listening to this on audio while I was at work and something in the building made noise and I swear my heart dropped to my feet. I haven't had that happen to me in a long time. I also enjoyed the fact that Bruchac spent a lot of time educating the reader of cultural traditions especially those that are significant to the Mohawk people and even the origins of The Day of the Dead. It is a great talking point for middle grade readers that being exposed to works outside of their own race, ethnicity, and culture. In regard to characters, Burchac also did an excellent job illustrating the connections that Molly had to her parents. I wish we would have gotten a little more of that in the first book, but it definitely shines through in the second book. Some parts of the text were a little info-dumpy, but the sheer creepiness of the books helped me get through that.
At first I was surprised that this is marketed towards a 7-8th grade audience. There were several parts of the book that made me very weary of my own surroundings, but I'm also a big baby so I'm sure that those middle grade readers who like horror will be really invested in this story. If you're looking for a new horror middle grade book I would check this one out. I would also recommend listening to it on audio.
So this is the first book that I completed for Indigathon! It was CREEPY AF! I don't think I expected that level of creepiness for a middle grade story. It's actually two books in one and each book is based off of Mohawk folklore and legends. Both stories follow a girl by the name of Molly who's parents go missing after an outing during the weekend. Molly is then "claimed" by an uncle that she believes is an imposter. However, when he is able to produce pictures of her family Molly has no choice but to live with him. His behavior is incredibly strange and reminds Molly of a legend that she heard about a cannibal skeleton man who started off as a man that eventually ate himself down to his bones. In both of the books, Molly must fight to save her family.
First let's talk about the writing in these books. It created such a spooky atmosphere. I was listening to this on audio while I was at work and something in the building made noise and I swear my heart dropped to my feet. I haven't had that happen to me in a long time. I also enjoyed the fact that Bruchac spent a lot of time educating the reader of cultural traditions especially those that are significant to the Mohawk people and even the origins of The Day of the Dead. It is a great talking point for middle grade readers that being exposed to works outside of their own race, ethnicity, and culture. In regard to characters, Burchac also did an excellent job illustrating the connections that Molly had to her parents. I wish we would have gotten a little more of that in the first book, but it definitely shines through in the second book. Some parts of the text were a little info-dumpy, but the sheer creepiness of the books helped me get through that.
At first I was surprised that this is marketed towards a 7-8th grade audience. There were several parts of the book that made me very weary of my own surroundings, but I'm also a big baby so I'm sure that those middle grade readers who like horror will be really invested in this story. If you're looking for a new horror middle grade book I would check this one out. I would also recommend listening to it on audio.