A few weeks ago a friend tagged me in a Facebook meme challenging me to name ten books that have “stayed with me” after reading them. One of the ten books I listed was Jeff Smith’s sprawling fantasy series, Bone.
If you’re not “in the know”, Bone is an “all ages” graphic novel which tells the story of the three cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone, who after being outcast from their home of Boneville embark on an epic adventure where they encounter a myriad of people and creatures as they find themselves unlikely heroes who attempt to save the world from a race of evil rat creatures and their master, the Lord of Locusts.
If you’re not “in the know”, Bone is an “all ages” graphic novel which tells the story of the three cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone, who after being outcast from their home of Boneville embark on an epic adventure where they encounter a myriad of people and creatures as they find themselves unlikely heroes who attempt to save the world from a race of evil rat creatures and their master, the Lord of Locusts.
Although the three main characters look as if they stepped off the pages of the Sunday Funnies, do not be fooled. Yes, there is a lot of humor to be found here, but the story is much deeper than you would expect with drama and character development on par with Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings trilogy. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys graphic novels, fantasy, or just great writing.
The true brilliance of Bone is that it tells a story complex and engaging enough for adults while still remaining completely accessible to grade school age children. The internet is full of parents and kids alike praising the merits of Bone and crediting Jeff Smith with sparking their love of reading. Personally, I can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to be introduced this classic.
So you can imagine my surprise when I found out that this series of books, which has introduced countless kids to the joy of reading, was named among the top ten most banned books of 2013.
Wait, what?
So, in honor of Banned Books Week, I thought I would take a few minutes to defend, and endorse, what is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of modern storytelling. This is especially fitting since BBW is focusing on the graphic novels this year.
The chief complaints from parents who have challenged the series is that it ”promotes drinking, smoking, and gambling” and because of “political viewpoint, racism, violence and horror”.
Yes, some of the characters in Bone do drink, smoke and gamble. But it should be noted that the characters who do indulge in these vices are typically depicted as being buffoonish and are in not intended to be “role models”.
The true brilliance of Bone is that it tells a story complex and engaging enough for adults while still remaining completely accessible to grade school age children. The internet is full of parents and kids alike praising the merits of Bone and crediting Jeff Smith with sparking their love of reading. Personally, I can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to be introduced this classic.
So you can imagine my surprise when I found out that this series of books, which has introduced countless kids to the joy of reading, was named among the top ten most banned books of 2013.
Wait, what?
So, in honor of Banned Books Week, I thought I would take a few minutes to defend, and endorse, what is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of modern storytelling. This is especially fitting since BBW is focusing on the graphic novels this year.
The chief complaints from parents who have challenged the series is that it ”promotes drinking, smoking, and gambling” and because of “political viewpoint, racism, violence and horror”.
Yes, some of the characters in Bone do drink, smoke and gamble. But it should be noted that the characters who do indulge in these vices are typically depicted as being buffoonish and are in not intended to be “role models”.
I have got some news for these parents, people in the real world smoke, drink and gamble too. And your kids are going to be exposed to it whether you like it or not. Why not take this opportunity to have an open discussion with your children about these things and explain to them how and why these habits can be harmful?
The accusations of “political viewpoint” and “racism” are laughable. There are a variety of different creatures in the world of Bone that the cousins encounter along their journey. And Smith does indeed touch on the ways that these races coexists within that world, but he does so in a thoughtful and respectful way that mirrors the reality of our own society.
The accusations of “political viewpoint” and “racism” are laughable. There are a variety of different creatures in the world of Bone that the cousins encounter along their journey. And Smith does indeed touch on the ways that these races coexists within that world, but he does so in a thoughtful and respectful way that mirrors the reality of our own society.
Again, this would be a great opportunity for a discussion with you kids about how the real world works. Perhaps if we start having open and honest discussions with our children about how people of different races or beliefs interact we might actually be able to evolve our society out of this quagmire of prejudice and knee-jerk left/right politics we find ourselves in now.
As far as "violence and horror' goes, there is nothing in Bone beyond the level of what you would find in any Disney movie. The rat creatures are kinda creepy though...
As far as "violence and horror' goes, there is nothing in Bone beyond the level of what you would find in any Disney movie. The rat creatures are kinda creepy though...
This is why Banned Book Week is so important. It shines a light on the root cause of much of the world’s turmoil, ignorance. Too many people out there would rather shelter their kids from the real world instead of preparing them for it. Give your kids some credit. You might find that they are smarter that you think. If you assume that you children are "not ready" to handle certain topics, you are ensuring that they never will be.
Books can and should inspire discussions about controversial issues because in case you haven’t noticed, the world is full of them.
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. For more info check out http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/.
For information on Jeff Smith and his work go to http://www.boneville.com/.
Books can and should inspire discussions about controversial issues because in case you haven’t noticed, the world is full of them.
Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. For more info check out http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/.
For information on Jeff Smith and his work go to http://www.boneville.com/.
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