Bone Talk

Samkad lives in a tribe deep in the Philippine jungle at the end of the nineteenth century, and has never encountered anyone from outside his own tribe before. He's about to become a man, and while he's desperate to grow up, he's worried that this will take him away from his best friend, Little Luki.

However, Samkad's world is about to change utterly.


A strange man with white skin arrives in his village, and Samkad discovers the brother he never knew he had. A brother who tells him of people called 'Americans'. Americans who are bringing war, and burning, to Samuel's home...

Very special The Times
Gourlay's evocative writing grips from the outset Guardian
A master storyteller Scotsman
Vividly drawn . . . mesmerising Observer

Growing up in the Philippines, Candy Gourlay wondered why all the books she ever loved only featured pink-skinned children who lived in snow-covered worlds that didn't resemble her steamy, tropical home in Manila. As a result, it took her years to fulfil her dream of becoming an author - and years to learn that Filipino stories too, belong in the pages of books. Candy's novels for young readers, Tall Story and Shine, have been published to acclaim and listed for many prizes such as the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Book Prize. Both novels won the Crystal Kite Prize for Europe. She lives in London with her family, where she wages war on the snails in her garden.

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