Bone #5: Rock Jaw: Master of the Eastern Border »

In this fifth volume of the BONE saga, Fone and Smiley Bone strike out into the wilderness to return a lost rat creature cub to the mountains. It doesn't take long before they run smack into Rock Jaw, "Master of the Eastern Border," an enormous mountain lion with a none-too-friendly disposition. Life gets even more complicated when they befriend a group of baby animals who are being orphaned by rat creature attacks. Everything comes to a head in an earth-shattering clash between Rock Jaw and Kingdok, the leader of the rat creatures.

Children's Literature

Rock Jaw, an oversized mountain lion, prowls the eastern border of an unknown mountain range. However, the story does not focus entirely on him. The main characters of the tale are named Fone and Smiley, and they are creatures the author calls Bones. In this story, they have embarked on a search for their friends who went missing days earlier. These beings encounter the mountain lion and wonder whether he is friend or foe. After escaping from him, they encounter a greater danger: a giant rat creature. However, because of previous alliances that the Bones have made, they manage to escape yet again. Since the story seems to start in medias res, it seems fitting that it ends with unanswered questions about the Bones and their search. The book not only shows the strength of great friendship but also the importance of teamwork. This animal fantasy is well-written, with visuals that are strongly associated with the story. Readers who read only this book may feel lost since it is one title in a five-part series, but fans of the series will not want to miss this one. Reviewer: Patrick Clarke