Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Arch of Bone by Jane Yolen - Available

Arch of Bone

by Jane Yolen
Ruth Sanderson
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Read a sample Read a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Continuing the story from where Moby Dick left off, this compelling boyhood adventure, penned by beloved author Jane Yolen (Owl Moon), hearkens to timeless coming of age tales of yore. Lovingly illustrated by Ruth Sanderson, the journey of a boy and his dog comes to life on the page, renewing the joy of a classic tale.
"This is the story Melville should have written."
—Daniel Pinkwater, author of The Neddiad
When a rough sailor called Ishmael turns up on a family's doorstep, even loyal dog Zeke knows that the news is ruinous.
Ishmael comes bearing the tragic tale of the Pequod: the whaling ship that fourteen-year-old Josiah's father served on as first mate. Ishmael presents himself as the sole survivor of the deadly journey, fatally lead by the vengeful Captain Ahab and his obsession with the legendary white whale, Moby Dick. But Josiah is not so certain his father's death was that simple. Especially when Ishmael looks so boldly at Josiah's devout Quaker mother.
Josiah is almost of age in Nantucket, and he still cherishes his dream of following in his father's footsteps. He is yet too young to sign on to a ship's crew, but he yearns to be at sea.
Yet adventure has a way of finding a boy and his dog. The true vision of his father's death—as well as the difficult tasks of surviving, growing up, and finding his strength—await Josiah, when he and Zeke discover the secrets of the Pequod at the mysterious Arch of Bone.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 9, 2021

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781616963514

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781616963514
      • File size: 2418 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 920
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      September 1, 2021
      Fourteen-year-old Josiah Starbuck of Nantucket becomes marooned on an island with his dog, Zeke. Extemporizing on Moby-Dick (a work with which the target audience is highly unlikely to be familiar), this story opens with a man who tells Josiah to "Call me Ishmael" showing up at the Starbucks' house early one morning to deliver the news to Josiah and his mother that the whaler Pequod, on which Josiah's father shipped out as first mate, went down with all hands except Ishmael. Josiah is understandably upset, but his grief turns (unconvincingly) to anger at Ishmael and his mother. Needing to clear his head, Josiah sets off in his catboat with Zeke and is caught by a storm. Knocked unconscious by the boom, Josiah wakes up to find himself shipwrecked on a tiny, unfamiliar island. He and Zeke eke out their survival on the scrubby island, on which sits a coffin-shaped fisherman's shack and an arch made of a whalebone's jaw--which delivers disturbing dreams to Josiah (the strongest portions of the story) whenever he falls asleep against it. The story's inconsistencies (whether it's early or late spring, wouldn't a boy whose mother makes blueberry jam recognize a blueberry bush out of season? How does Josiah know that Ishmael floated on a coffin when Ishmael did not relate that part of the story?) undermine it, and the two narrative sections--the dreams and Josiah's survival activities--don't transmute into a whole. The exquisite black-and-white illustrations, however, deliver a rich resonance. A beautifully illustrated patchwork. (Historical fantasy/fiction. 10-14)

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:920
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

Loading