'Bone Talk'

- Candy Gourlay

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Candy Gourlay’s third novel, Bone Talk, and her first picture book, Is It a Mermaid (illustrated by Francesca Chessa), were published last year to prize listings – including the Costa Book Award – and glowing reviews.

Growing up in the Philippines at a time when most books were imported from the West, Candy Gourlay wondered why all the books she ever loved only featured pink-skinned children who lived in snow-covered worlds that didn’t resemble her steamy, tropical home in Manila. As a result, she took many detours on her way to becoming an author. She worked as a journalist, a cartoonist, a fake American voiceover talent and a web designer – before finally becoming an author of children’s books. It took her years not just to fulfil her dream of becoming an author but to learn that Filipino stories too belong between the covers of books.

Candy’s first middle grade novel, Tall Story – set partly in the Philippines and partly in the United Kingdom – is about siblings who are separated by paperwork and magic. It was nominated for the Carnegie Medal as well as the industry’s top prizes: the Waterstones, the Blue Peter and the Branford Boase. Her second book, Shine – a ghost story – was listed for the Guardian Children’s Book Prize. Both novels won the Crystal Kite Prize.

Bone Talk is set in a historical moment in the Philippines when headhunting tribes came face to face with American invading forces for the first time. Her first picture book, Is It a Mermaid, is set in an idyllic white sand island typical of the Philippines, with a heartfelt eco message.

Candy is an ardent member of the international "kid-lit" organisation, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She is currently serving on the Children’s Writers’ and Illustrators’ Group of the Society of Authors. She lives in London with her family, where she wages war on the snails in her garden.

SYNOPSIS

Samkad is a boy from a remote Filipino "headhunter" tribe called Bontok in the highlands of the Philippines, back in around 1899.

When the story starts, Samkad is most worried about receiving the Cut (something similar to circumcision that happens to boys in their tenth year on the cusp of manhood) and his slightly complicated friendship with a girl called Luki. He has never met anyone from the world outside of his tribe.

But then the American invaders provide a much greater threat to everything he knows and loves.

Candy Gourlay tells this brilliant adventure story from the point of view of a young Filipino boy from a time and place that most readers will know nothing about – and certainly from a previously unheard voice (most of what is written about the time is by Americans writing as tourists, anthropologists and conquerors).

Samkad’s story is told so sensitively, so lightly and so truthfully that you are completely transported (heart in mouth) to another time and world – until Samkad’s concerns are your concerns and you’re with him every step of the way.

An exciting, fascinating and beautifully written book.

If you liked 'Bone Talk' , you might like to read...

read about: 'shine'

Rosa was born with a rare condition that meant she could not speak. Not only that, but the condition was one that was feared by her community on the island of Mirasol where she lived, so she had to remain hidden.

Rosa wasn't the first in her family to suffer from 'The Calm'. Her mother also had it, but what happened to her mother? Rosa knows so little about her family as she grows up, protected by her father and the mysterious Yaya who rescued her as a child but as the story moves to its exciting conclusion, we know she will find out.

This story is mysterious, compelling and unusual. It shows us what it is like to be different and afraid and shows us the strength of family love and friendship. It is a treasure waiting to be enjoyed.

read about: 'dog'

This is the story of a dog. We first meet him when he is just 11 weeks old and from the very start, his circumstances make him a very insecure puppy. As the last in his litter to be taken, and in the end given away because nobody chose to buy him, he’s unwanted - or at least that’s what a sinister talking spider tells him.

This spider travels along with the dog to his new home with 12-year-old Tom, who ends up calling his new puppy Spider due to his long legs. Tom is going through a tough time at home with his parents separating and some really horrible bullying at school. When Spider and Tom get separated, things get much more challenging.

This is a very unusual book. Poor Spider the dog has to listen to a lot of very negative voices from the insects and animals he meets, so thank goodness for the flea who is the kindest of them all. He gets really confused over which paths to take and makes some bad decisions. But in the end, what doesn’t break you makes you stronger. Ultimately, this book is about finding out who you are as you grow up. It’s funny, but also deadly serious. A great read.

read about: 'the land of neverendings'

Emily felt wide awake - but this had to be a dream. A soft light glowed from the middle of Holly's empty bed. It came from a little tent - striped red and white, not more than knee-height, and with shadows moving about inside it. Never in all her life would Emily forget the strangeness of what she saw next . . .

When Emily's sister Holly dies, she is surprised to find that she misses her toy bear, Bluey, almost as much as Holly. Bluey was Holly's constant companion, and Emily used to make up stories about him and his escapades in the magical (and very silly) world of Smockeroon to entertain her. And the only person who seems to understand Emily's grief is Ruth, her kindly next-door neighbour.

But then very strange things start to happen. Emily dreams of talking toys visiting her bedroom, telling her that they have come from Smockeroon, and have a message for her from Bluey. A terrible black toad, who stinks of sadness, begins to stalk Ruth's house. And when a parade of penguins wearing plastic moustaches marches through their kitchen - well, Emily has to begin to wonder whether this is all a dream after all. But why are the toys here, and what could Bluey possibly be trying to tell her?

This stunning novel will tickle your funny bones as much as it pulls on your heartstrings, and is a true classic in the making.

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