Beastly Bones: Jackaby, Book 2
By Andrea Beach,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Second fun, supernatural mystery has larger dose of fantasy.
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What's the Story?
The day after a woman gives Jackaby and Abigail a shape-shifting kitten, she's mysteriously murdered. The killer's trail leads the teen assistant and her oddball-detective boss to the countryside, where she's excited to reconnect with the handsome Charlie. The team of three investigators learns that some dinosaur bones have been stolen from an excavation at a nearby farm. Abigail hopes that her knowledge of archaeology will help track down the thief of the BEASTLY BONES, but what do the mysterious, nonhuman footprints at the dig site have to do with either case? Can Abigail, Jackaby, and Charlie find the murderer, the thief, and the monster?
Is It Any Good?
This second installment continues the spooky, exciting adventures of eccentric detective Jackaby and his plucky teen assistant, Abigail. It's slightly less supernatural and eerie than the first installment, and author William Ritter brings a popular fantasy creature to the forefront yet still delivers plenty of eerie, atmospheric chills and quirky fun. Readers will enjoy watching Jackaby's quirky methods through narrator Abigail's eyes and will relate as she grapples with figuring out which paths to follow, both in life and in solving the mystery.
Fantasy and mystery fans will find the conclusion satisfying while looking forward to further adventures, thanks to the door left open at the very end.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about fantasy series. Which are your favorites? Would you like to read more Jackaby books? What do you like about them compared with your favorites?
Just like in the first book, Chapter 13 is missing from this one. But there's no gap in the story. Do you think the author really left anything out? If so, what could it be?
Nellie says she would rather win men's respect than their hearts. What does she mean by that? Do you feel the same way?
Book Details
- Author: William Ritter
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Great Girl Role Models , History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
- Publication date: September 22, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 18
- Number of pages: 304
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: August 6, 2019
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