SNOWBONE

Readers of Barkbelly (2006) have likely been wondering what adventures lay in store for Snowbone, the pale wooden girl with the forceful personality. Like Barkbelly’s, her story is expansive and episodic. It takes place in the same imaginary world, but introduces new characters and situations. Rather than being a solitary soul in search of home and kin, Snowbone is blessed from the start with a stalwart band of friends. Most were born with her aboard the pirate ship; others are met along the way. But all join in her quest to stamp out the slave trade that preys upon the wooden Ashenpeakers. Their adventures lead them from Ashenpeake Island to the heart of a volcano, up into the skies and to the far-off Nova Land. Some of the band are lost along the way and the ultimate triumph owes as much to spiritual seeking as to battle skills, but the conclusion is a satisfying one, and Snowbone’s growth from a voracious baby to a thoughtful, inspiring leader is both satisfying and convincing. (Fiction. 10-12)