A return to the enthralling world of BONE with book one in this gripping spin-off novel trilogy, illustrated in four-color!
Twelve-year-old Tom Elm is just an ordinary turnip farmer from the Valley, but he's always felt destined for something bigger. So when he discovers everyone in his village is asleep and plagued by nightmares, he assembles a band of unlikely heroes. They must fight to preserve the Spark--a divine light born at the core of a vast, dark nothingness called the Nacht. The Nacht is trying to permeate the Waking World with nightmares of the Dreaming, and it's Tom's mission to defeat the Nacht and its most loyal follower, the Constable. If he fails, his family--and everyone--might never wake up again.
Children's Literature - Michael Jung PhD
Twelve-year-old turnip farmer Tom Elm always dreamed of becoming a great warrior and protecting the people of his Valley. But he never thought he would be chosen by the otherworldly Dreaming to be one of its champions against the Nacht, an evil dragon intent on destroying both the Dreaming and the Waking World. Now Tom and his raccoon friend Roderick must seek out and unite the Dreaming's other champions—including a battle-scarred Veni Yan warrior; two borderline-evil Rat Creatures and their dead pet squirrel; and a mysterious shapeshifting woman made entirely of plant life. Fortunately, help arrives in the form of cartoonish explorer Percival Bone and his niece and nephew who blew into the Valley on their potato-powered airship. Together, the group must find and re-assemble the missing pieces of the Spark, a magical light capable of driving back the Nacht. But as Tom finds his new allies, the Nacht is also assembling its own dangerous forces. Can Tom's rag tag team overcome this new threat? While apparently a continuation of Jeff Smith's celebrated "Bone" comic book series, Quest for the Spark is in many ways a completely original story that happens to be set in Smith's "Bone" world. New author Tom Sniegoski chooses to focus on a cast of mostly new characters (although the two dimwitted Rat Creatures from Smith's original stories return—this time as a pair of unlikely heroes), allowing him to craft a story that stands largely on its own. This proves to have both advantages and disadvantages, for while Sniegoski can take his tale in a different direction from Smith's saga, he also spends much of this first book introducing the new characters and setting up the basic plotline, which slows down the pace of the initial chapters. Nonetheless, the story is entertaining and offers much of the same mix of silly humor and life-or-death drama that made Smith's original series so fun to read. A promising beginning to what will hopefully be an exciting new entry in the "Bone" books. Reviewer: Michael Jung, PhD
School Library Journal
Gr 4–8—A full-text adventure set in the world of Smith's iconic "Bone" graphic novels (Scholastic). Young Tom, a Valley turnip farmer, receives a vision that the peaceful otherworld of the Dreaming is under attack. The evil Nacht, a renegade Dragon, seeks to control the dreamland, and through it, the Waking World as well. A mysterious forest woman tells Tom that he has been chosen to lead a quest to find the scattered pieces of the Spark—the light of creation that can drive back the dark power. When his family falls under the Nacht's corrupted sleep spell, Tom realizes that he has no choice and sets out with his best friend, a talking raccoon. Along the way, they are joined by three Bones—inventor Percival and his squabbling niece and nephew; a disillusioned Veni Yan warrior priest; and two Rat Creatures. Tom must mold this oddly assorted crew into a cohesive group if they have any chance of success. As the first of a projected trilogy, the book devotes considerable space to background exposition and character definition. Much of the action involves a series of seeming coincidences and accidents that bring the companions together, but there are chuckles and chills aplenty along the way. Smith's familiar illustrations help link this to the original series. Bone aficionados will appreciate the many references to events and characters from the saga, but enough detail is provided that newbies will feel at home. An exciting new direction for one of the best-known and best-written graphic series available.—Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
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