Bone Jack

January 30, 2017
In this haunting debut set in the mountains of England, a teenager trains for an ancient annual tradition while dealing with everyday troubles that include an ex-military father with PTSD and a best friend who’s growing increasingly strange. Thirteen-year-old Ash Tyler is all set to perform as the stag boy in the Stag Chase, a dangerous race that originated as a pagan rite, in which he’ll have to evade the pack of runners chasing him. But as the race approaches, ghosts of races past, wolves appearing where they’ve no right to be, and the manifestation of Bone Jack—a mysterious nature spirit—all hint that something deadly is brewing. Worse, Ash’s friend Mark believes that sacrificing the stag boy is the only way to heal the land and end the drought. As the boundaries between reality and myth blur, British author Crowe crafts a tense, atmospheric tale steeped in folklore, where the setting itself comes alive. It’s a quick but memorable read, and a fascinating take on the power of belief and healing. Ages 10–up. Agent: Joanna Swainson, Hardman & Swainson.

December 1, 2016
In a grim season, one rural tradition seems less like a boys' romp and more like a gateway for the old powers.This ought to be a banner year for 13-year-old Ash, finally selected as the stag boy. As the lead runner in his British town's annual Stag Chase, Ash should be preparing to race his best friend, Mark, and the other boys their age, hounds to his stag. If only the whole town weren't shattered with grief. A foot-and-mouth outbreak has devastated the area, with tragic consequences; Mark's dad hanged himself in the barn. Ash's own father, an army captain, has returned from the war--afflicted with PTSD, haunted by visions and rising alcoholism. Even the Stag Chase itself seems corrupted. Ash sees creepy crows in the woods, skulls draped in the trees, ghost stag boys, and (most uncanny) Mark living in the woods, dressed in rags and daubed with clay. The old ways are rising, Mark insists, and the stag boy's destiny will not be a happy one. In haunting, lyrical prose, Ash tries to protect himself from Bone Jack the soul-taker while learning to be a better son and friend. With a deft hand, Crowe twines the ancient folk motifs around her evocation of modern Britain--with one exception: characters' races go unspecified, leaching it of its multicultural vigor. A lovely, eerie adventure that balances the ancient magic with its protagonist's very real character growth. (Fantasy. 11-13)

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December 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-Haunting, ominous, and mesmerizing, this is a fantasy that captivates. Set in the English countryside, the story weaves medieval myths into a contemporary tale about war and its effects. Fifteen-year-old Ash Tyler is preparing for the annual Stag Chase. As he trains, he remembers all the times he ran this land with his father, and he wonders when his father will come home from war. When Ash's father finally returns, Ash cannot believe his eyes. His father is so different-a mere shell of a man. More determined than ever, Ash vows to run and win the race for his father. Legend has it that when the land is sick, the old ways return. Ash witnesses eerie visions in the hills and encounters a mountain man named Bone Jack. Ash researches myths and finds that Bone Jack is believed to be a magical creature who can appear as a human or as birds. Ash becomes increasingly on edge as he is warned off the race by his ex-best friend Mark. Mark has taken to the forest, killing birds and repeating old stories of bone and blood. Mark believes the land is broken and Nature is ailing. Old magic is returning, and old ways require blood sacrifice and the killing of a youth, the stag. Crowe is a masterly storyteller whose lyrical prose will enthrall young readers. VERDICT A page-turning and atmospheric offering for middle graders who crave dark fantasy.-Pamela Thompson, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School, El Paso, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2016
Grades 7-10 Ash has been training for months for his village's annual Stag Chase, the modern iteration of an ancient ritual to usher in a prosperous season. This year, Ash will be the revered Stag Boy, leading a pack of Hound Boys on a chase around the mountains. He should be elated, but he's struggling with both the return of his PTSD-afflicted father and his exbest friend Mark's eerie descent into a violent, weird obsession with both the pagan roots of the Stag Chase and a mythical being, Bone Jack, who monitors the gateway between life and death. Crowe cultivates an unsettling atmosphere with ghostly apparitions, threats of violence, and descriptions of grotesqueries, such as a rotting stag head and a cape of crow carcasses. Amid the looming danger, Crowe leaves plenty of room for meaningful conversations about family, loyalty, and mental illness, particularly pertaining to Ash's father. Though this might seem like just another ghost story, there's subtle depth here, too, and teen fans of both horror and literary fiction will find lots to like.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)