I reviewed this book for LoveReading4Kids, they are amazing! You should check them out, and you can read all reviews here. It is hard to say what my favourite bit was, because it was so sad, but it made me feel very strongly, and that is what a good book does. Together, we worked out that the book is about hope, or maybe about how death is sometimes harder for the people left behind, than for the person dying.

I had a chat with my Mum, because I was very angry at Princy. Kim Ventrella Narrated by: Christopher Gebauer Try for 0.00 14.95/month after 30 days. Is he bad or good? This book is very emotional - I cried for a really long time when I finished it, and I don't normally cry about books. Skeleton Tree By: Kim Ventrella Narrated by: Christopher Gebauer Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins 4.4 out of 5. With black line illustrations throughout by Victoria Assanelli. Stanly thinks Princy is bad news, and his sister is getting sicker and sicker. Skeleton Tree by Kim Ventrella is a whimsical, heartfelt story about a boy who finds a friend in Death with the help of an unusual tree growing in his back garden.

When Miren gets really sick, Princy is the only one who can make her smile. She calls it Princy, because, according to her, Princy wears a gold hat and has a black cape. The grown-ups can't see it, but Stanly's sister Miren can.

Bit by bit, bone by bone, a skeleton grows out of the ground. A sensitive take on grief and growing up.There is something odd growing in Stanly's garden. I like that the intense bond between Stanly and his sister is celebrated throughout, but that Stanly also has on outlet for his anger and frustration in the form of Slurpy, the pet zombie in his head who gobbles up his problems. She is the author of Bone Hollow and Skeleton Tree, which Kirkus Reviews called an 'emotional roller coaster tempered by a touch of magic. Ventrella strikes the perfect balance between slapstick humour and the seriousness of the situation facing Stanly and his mum as they struggle to hold everything together. At first glance, I thought that this was a young adult novel, given the cover’s dark, minimalist look, but instead it is pure and often joyful middle-grade fiction at its best. Kim Ventrella’s début novel is a moving story about how sickness can strike at the very heart of a family. Maybe his dad will finally come back home if he wins its Young Discoverer’s Prize! But Princy seems to have a mind of his own and when he makes friends with a very ill Miren, Stanly starts to get a little bit wary of him.

Stanly is determined to take a photo of ‘Princy,’ as his little sister Miren decides to christen the elusive skeleton, and send it in to National Geographic.

Skeleton tree by kim ventrella