Customer Reviews

Skeleton Man

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Joseph Bruchac skillfully mixes a worrying modern-day scenario with an old Native American legend -- and produces an enduring spinechiller. Fans of legends, scary beasties, and strong heroines will find a fun read here.

Molly is having difficulties -- though her life is pretty normal, one Sunday she wakes up to find that her parents are missing. They haven't been found, no one knows where they are, but Molly is sure that they're alive and going to return. Social Services isn't as convinced as she is, and she ends up in the care of a formerly unknown great-uncle. Only problem is, this great-uncle (who is never named in the book) gives her a strange feeling. He's tall, bony, and sinister -- reminding her of an old legend about the carnivorous Skeleton Man, who tried to catch and devour his niece, before she was helped by a talking rabbit.

Her sense of foreboding grows stronger. She suspects that he's drugging her food and locking her door; strange dreams are haunting her, in which her stick-thin uncle wants her "fattened up." Frightened and unable to get help (others consider her too imaginative), Molly must escape the clutches of what she suspects to be the Skeleton Man.

Frightening? You bet. Bruchac has good insight into the mind of a frightened, lonely young girl, but one with guts, initiative, and imagination. Molly is a heroine that kids -- especially girls -- will be totally sympathetic to. The rabbit is both sufficiently real and otherworldly, while "my uncle" displays sinister malice without any cheap tricks. It permeates every scene he's in.

The writing is fast-paced and devoid of "dead spots," descriptions are highly evocative, and Bruchac displays dry wit in all the right places ("I don't need some furry Oprah Winfrey to tell me I need to get my spiritual act in order"). This book is pretty short -- only 114 pages -- and sometimes felt like it could use a little more length and buildup. There is also a lack of noticeable supporting characters, and I wish that Molly had gotten a best friend to bounce ideas off of. The inner illustrations (can't find the name of whoever did them) are soft-edged and slightly surreal.

Overall, an effective spinetingler that will not allow you to hear heavy footsteps without thinking "Skeleton Man!"

Prepare to be scared! Although based on a Native American tale the author makes you feel as though Molly (the main character) could be anyone in your classroom. When she wakes up to find her parents are not home and that days later they still do not arrive, the eerie tale begins. Molly learns she must trust her intuition and dreams that lead her to know the truth about what is happening to her and what has happened to her parents. Her strength and initiative (warrior instincts) are what gets her through. Not the ending I expected with a children's book , but showing girls can be strong and solve problems makes this a book I would recommend to those who dare to be scared.

Do you enjoy chilling stories? If so, _Skeleton Man_ is a spine tingling must read for you. The story is fast paced and one the reader will have a hard time putting down. Boys and girls alike will enjoy this suspenseful tale.

_Skeleton Man_ by Joseph Bruchac is a Native American legend with a traditional story twist told through the eyes of Molly. Molly leads a fairly normal life until her parents suddenly disappear. The story is an eerie tale of her life since her parents' disappearance. She is convinced that her parents are still alive, but is not sure exactly where they are or why they have abandoned her. Molly is sent to live with a man who supposedly is her "uncle" even though she has never met him and whom she has very uneasy feelings about. Her "uncle" actually reminds her of an old Native American legend about a "Skeleton Man" that her father once told her about. Throughout the story Molly also has dreams that seem to be warning her of impending dangers. Molly is a very likable, down to earth character to which the reader will definitely develop a special bond. Molly is also a very strong, but lonely girl with seemingly no one to trust until she finally confides in a teacher at school. In the end, Molly musters enough courage to plan an escape, but will it be in time to save her parents?

Caution to young readers: this book is recommended for ages 10 and up. I would definitely stay within those guidelines. The story gets a bit gruesome in the description of "Skeleton Man's" eating habits in the first chapter.

The book is quite scary, but fun. I enjoyed Molly's spunk and the illustrations scattered throughout the book were an added plus as well. Pick up a copy of _Skeleton Man_ today for some hair-raising excitement where the "terror builds on every page".

This book does a number of things very well. The story is tremendously creepy and scary which is something intermediate grade readers always enjoy. Molly is a great character. She is strong and resourceful and ultimately saves herself. She also does something very sensible, intelligent and believable in the context of the story. She TELLS a trusted teacher about her situation and concerns with her "uncle." Even better, the teacher believes her and tries to help. So often as a reader I wonder why a character doesn't just TELL someone they need help. The background of the Native American folktale is terrific. The final scenes are absolutely gripping.

If you buy this book, prepare to have nightmares! It is both scary and good! BUY IT (just don't read it late at night)!

Joseph bruchac is a native American writer who draws on his Abenaki ancestry, and the lands around the Adirondacks to spin his wonderful tales. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished.

In Skeleton Man, Bruchac delves into an ancient Mohawk Indian legend of the Skeleton Man, who devours himself and everyone around him. In this story, a girl named Molly is forced to live with a creepy great uncle she never knew about before. The man is bony and pale and she is immediately reminded of the Skeleton Man legend, a tale her father once told her about. At night she is locked in her room and haunted by a voice in her dreams. She suspects that his uncle may really be the Skeleton Man but how does she escape?

Bruchac carefully builds up the tension and terror for the young girl as the book goes on. Molly, a thoroughly modern adolescent, embraces her Native American heritage and uses it to help her solve the mystery of her parents disappearance and the escalating terror of life in her uncle's house. Bruchac keeps the story moving briskly from beginning to end.

A marvelously intelligent and creepy storyline for young readers. In Molly, Bruchac has eschewed the stereotypical female characters and given us a smart, resourceful young lady. Scared yes, but able to deal with her situation and use her wits to escape.

A nice, very well-plotted little story about a resourceful girl who must use to wits, and her Native American heritage, to unravel the mystery of a creepy old man who takes her in after her parents disappear. Much "horror" literature for kids is, frankly, pretty bad. This is a nice exception!

I read The Skeleton Man as a 5th grade assignment. It started slow, but got really interesting (and digusting) once Molly's (the main character) parents disappeared and she had to live with her uncle, who she had never met before. The uncle is pretty weird because he roasted his hand and ate it probably giving him the name of "skeleton man". You'll have to read the whole book to see if Molly makes it out and if she finds her parents.

Skelton Man has so much thrilling action. It also has so much supense. When you get started you never want to stop. That is how good it is If you like thrillers, you will definitely enjoy this book. I normally don't go for this kind of book but I know I loved it and I think you will too. I don't want to tell you any more because you need to write a review so everybody will know how much you liked or disliked it.

Molly's father told her stories of a man who ate all his flesh and his famlies. Molly feels frightened when her parents are missing and she finds out she has to live with her great uncle who she never even heard of. When she gets to her new home she notices one room thats locked. Only her uncle goes in there. She wonders why her uncle locks her room every night and why there are bars on her room. She starts to have these weird dreams that she thinks connect with her life. It may be her key to find out what happened to her parents.

If this book weren't a fantasy then Ithink I would become a vegetarian.(If you think about the stories her dad told her) This book is so suspensful it sends chills up your spine every time you move up and down the stairs. It will becom your friend and your foe.(this is helpful and deceitful)