The Bag of Bones (novel in a series)

The Bag of Bones by Vivan French

The Second Tale from the Five Kingdoms

Candlewick Press 2008

The Bag of Bones is a story of witches, good versus evil and a happily ever after. Truda Hangnail is a “deep magic” witch who is trying to take over The Five Kingdoms. It is up to the truehearts, Gracie Gillypot and Loobly Higgins to stop her – yet they don’t even know each other yet!

At first I was a bit confused by this novel. I expected to have some form of summary, as this is the second book in a series, but I quickly learned that I didn’t need any background knowledge. If I would have went into reading this novel with the attitude that it was not in a series, I would not have had the initial confusion. This was an independent story that you could read without any prior knowledge. But it left me curious as to how or if it connected to the previous novel.

I think that in a classroom, a story like this would be great for a read aloud. Sharing a chapter or two a day with the whole class will allow students to fully engage in the story. It allows them to predict what will happen, get to know the characters and discuss them, as well as be excited about what’s to come. The suspense and action throughout the plot create for a great young adult novel.

You could also have students illustrate the characters and write descriptions about them, what the motives were behind their actions, and what they think the next book will hold. Reading a series with a class can help them see connections between the stories.