"Bonechiller" by Graham McNamee

In Graham McNamee's novel, Bonechiller, Danny settles down in the the town of Harvest Cove as he and his father try to escape from the painful reality of his mother's death. During the winter months, however, the reality that Danny must face in this freezing ghost-town proves to be equally as upsetting. After a run-in with a wild beast that resembles nothing he has ever seen before, Danny believes he has left the horrific incident unharmed, with only a tiny blue dot on his hand from where the beast had stung him; however, after his friend Howie also encounters the beast, Danny begins to inquire more deeply into what happened to the two of them and what exactly that monstrous thing is. Knowing that the majority of people will dismiss their fears and believe them to be crazy, the boys carefully choose their confidantes: Howie's brother, Pike, and Danny's love interest, Ash. As strange symptoms emerge in the days and weeks following their encounters with the beast, Danny and Howie begin to feel the urgency to find answers regarding the mysterious and terrifying creature. After discovering the fact that there have been reports of strange disappearances of teenagers in this town for decades, the group links these disturbing reports to the beast, knowing that it is only a matter of time before Danny and Howie are at risk of vanishing into thin air. In an effort to save the two boys from a doomed fate, these four set out to find and destroy the beast that they come to know as the "bonechiller."

This novel was a really quick read because it holds your interest the whole time. McNamee does not really spend time diverting into random subjects, so the novel's focus is very solid. I think this aspect of Bonechiller is largely what makes it a good read for reluctant readers. As soon as Danny encounters the beast, which is very early on in the book, you want to keep reading until you find out what the terrifying this is and what will ultimately happen to Danny. I also think it appeals to adolescents because the teens in the story are very realistic, which is evidenced very well in the language they use.

The biggest theme that the novel touches on is "fight or flight" (228). Because Danny and his father tend to run from their problems, one of his most natural inclinations is to run away from this situation and the doom he could face if he stays in Harvest Cove. Even though he knows that running would be an easy way out, Danny has also grown sick of running away and has found a new sense of courage due to his relationship with Ash that convinces him to want to stay and fight. In addition, with "flight," there are sub-themes of helplessness and fear and with "fight," there are sub-themes of control and bravery, all of which are worth exploring with students. McNamee also uses imagery of hot vs. cold that hold both physical and emotional meaning. These all carry very well throughout the book, so I think it would be fairly simply for students to spot them and to draw conclusions about what they signify for the text.

I think one of McNamee's strengths is his descriptive language. Particularly the passage on pages 26-28, which details the appearance of the beast, is vivid and stimulating. Given the specific details that McNamee provides, I think it would be worthwhile to do an activity in which students draw a picture of the beast based on the description.

An example of a drawing of the "bonechiller"

Another activity that came to mind revolves around how the novel incorporates American Indian myths and legends about beasts. I would have students research into American Indian myths and legends about monsters. I found the following website that I think would be helpful for students to choose from:http://www.native-languages.org/monsters.htm. Each student could pick a monster on the website and then write their own description of the monster's physical appearance. Then they could pair up and draw each other's monsters based on the descriptions. In doing this, students could see how effectively they write descriptively by checking to see if their classmate's drawing matches up with how they envisioned the monster in their heads when they were writing. Another assignment that could spawn from this research would be for students to come up with their own myth or legend surrounding the monster that they chose. I think this would be great practice in creative writing that students would benefit from, while still finding it engaging.