Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac

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Skeleton Man
by Joseph Bruchac
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/9958608

I heard about this book from children's librarians who did a Book Talk about it at a party for library volunteers. So when I spotted this at the Book Thing, I knew I had to grab it and read it!

I liked it. In this chilling story, Molly finds her parents have gone missing and is taken to an uncle she didn't know existed. He's thin and creepy and locks her in her room when he's not feeding her food that makes her feel weird. She remembers a Mohawk Indian story her parents once told her about an uncle who ate the whole tribe, including all the flesh from his bones, but was stopped by his niece. Then Molly starts having dreams that help her figure out what's going on.

The concept of this book is great. And the description was enough to keep me on edge. So icky and scary! Apart from the stories and the mystical dreams, I did like the fact that Molly talks to her teacher, and her teacher takes her seriously. That was reassuring and healthy, even though it was Molly who saved the day in the end, of course.

The part I didn't like was how obvious the connection between Molly's story, the story from the tribe, and the dreams is. It felt like reading the story again and again and again. And when the final solution came, I wasn't surprised because that was how it had happened in the story/dream. I liked the basic concept, but the execution bored me at times. Then again, I'm 31 years old, not a kid. Perhaps a kid reading this would appreciate the repetition and parallels more.