Precious Bones

Publishers Weekly

Ashley-Hollinger’s debut is saturated with rich, authentic images drawn from her childhood in Florida. In 1949, 10-year-old Bones; her spirited and unpredictable father, Nolay; and her pragmatic mother live an idyllic life on the edge of the Everglades—who needs electricity when you have a house full of animals (including a pet pig and raccoon), a protective best friend, and a mysterious swamp to explore? When two Yankee men attempt to buy the family’s land, Nolay, who is part Miccosukee Indian, threatens them; soon after, one of the men and a neighbor are found murdered, and Nolay is the prime suspect. Bones starts questioning her father’s character and investigating on her own. The author is perhaps a bit too fond of ending chapters with portentous lines to drive the story forward (“Answers to all my questions were laying right around the corner, but they wouldn’t be the ones I wanted to hear”), but that’s a quibble in a bighearted, gracefully written, and atmospheric mystery. It’s Bones’s narrative voice, folksy and true, that gives this story its heart. Ages 9–12. Agent: Catherine Drayton, InkWell Management. (May)

School Library Journal

Gr 4–7—Set in Florida in 1949, this coming-of-age story is Southern Gothic for the middle-grade crowd. Bones's idyllic life in the swamps with her parents is uprooted when an out of towner is found murdered and her father is the prime suspect. The 10-year-old's narration imbues the book with a folksy, down-home flavor reminiscent of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Shiloh (Atheneum, 1991). However, the overuse of the Southern vernacular occasionally grates, especially with regard to the dialogue. Although the narrative is built around a murder, at the heart of the book is the protagonist's maturation process; like an age-appropriate To Kill a Mockingbird, it's Bones's interactions with well-developed, often-eccentric characters that shape this story. There's the reclusive but good-hearted Miss Eunice (a Boo Radley-esque character who Bones initially suspects is a witch due to her father's wild stories); Mr. Speed, a young man left physically and emotionally battered after the war, and Bones's unpredictable but loving half Native American father. Issues of race and gender are explored in a cursory way as well, but there's plenty of fun mixed in to keep the mood from getting too heavy, such as the child's adventures in the swamp with her best friend, Little Man. Though the story's resolution is somewhat predictable, many readers will find it wholly satisfying.—Mahnaz Dar, formerly at Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City

Kirkus Reviews

It is 1949, and the traditional way of life in the swampland of Atlantic-coast Florida is threatened. Ten-year-old Bones and her family live a life governed by awareness of the land and the measured pace of the seasons. They are not cut off from modern life, but it's encroaching rapidly. When a land speculator and a neighbor are murdered, offstage, Bones' father becomes a prime suspect because of his encounters with them. The plot weaves around the investigation but focuses mainly upon Bones, who is at once innocent and wise, trusting and skeptical, fearful and accepting. Her voice is strong and lyrical, mixing regional syntax and dialect with lovely descriptions of the beauty she sees as she hunts, fishes, observes and explores in this mystical place. She cares for every creature that comes her way and learns lessons of neighborliness and generosity from the example set by her parents. Finely drawn supporting characters add richness and warmth. But there are also the harsh realities: one family's vicious cruelties, hurtful laws and prejudices that prevent natural friendships, the death of a beloved neighbor and the ever-present dangers of nature itself. A satisfying conclusion leads to a happy celebration for everyone. A spirited tale and fascinating setting, but it is Bones who shines. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 9-12)