bone

bone: out from boneville
bone: the great cow race
bone: eyes of the storm
bone: the dragonslayer
bone: rock jaw
bone: old man's cave
bone: ghost circles
bone: treasure hunters
bone: crown of horns
jeff smith
graphic novels/ya/supernatural
scholastic, inc
published 2005

Fone Bone and his cousins Smiley & Phoney have been run out of Boneville because of another one of Phoney's greedy plans.  After running into a swarm of locusts they are separated and Fone finds himself in a strange valley where the animals talk and find him odd.  They direct him to Thorn who knows everything.  He finally finds his way to Thorn and they become fast friends.  But what seems like a quiet valley is actually a world on the brink of war from a spirit that is more powerful than Thorn or Fone are ready for.

I really don't know how I never picked this series up before.  And I'm so sad that I didn't.  Bone is an amazing graphic series!  The story was fantastic & the art was engaging. 

There was humor, I mean how can you not have humor with Smiley Bone around.  There was action and sadness and elation and suspense.  The mystery was always there in the background and for once having to wait so long to know what is actually going on didn't bother me.  I loved the little crumbs of the background story that Smith would leave throughout the series.

By the time I got to the last book I was biting all of my nails off!  I had no idea what would happen and there were times when I gasped audibly.  So glad I finally picked up this series.