Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal (UK)Shortlisted for the Costa Prize (UK)
Sunday Times Children's Book of the Week
The Guardian Book of the Month
The Times Books of the Year"Hotly Anticipated Historical Fiction for Young Adults" Amazon.co.uk
It is 1899. Ten year old Samkad thinks he knows everything about the world. He knows that home is in the mountains. He knows who his friends and his enemies are. And he knows that he will grow up to become a warrior like his dad, with his own shield, spear and axe.His best friend is Little Luki and she too wants to become a warrior - though there's little chance of that because she is just a girl.Then strangers arrive: a boy with many languages in his throat ... and weird-looking men called Americans who bring war and death.Set during the U.S. invasion of the Philippines.
Endorsed by Amnesty International: "Amnesty International endorses Bone Talk because it upholds many human rights, including our rights to life, to equality, to have a religion, to enjoy our own culture. It also shows us what can happen when these are taken away from us."