Do You Dare: Fighting Bones (1836) by S. Laguna – Book Review

By guest reviewer Liz Bray

In this historical adventure for boys, Declan and his younger brother Dan have been sentenced to transportation to Australia for stealing a pudding and a bowl of custard. They’re sent to Point Puer Boys’ Prison near Tasmania’s Port Arthur, where they join with 2 other Irish boys to create a little ‘gang’ called ‘Fighting Bones’.

When Dan sees something which could incriminate the prison bully, Striker, he is threatened with serious harm – or even death – and the boys decide the only solution is to escape the prison. What follows is a pacy, tense adventure with plenty of hair-raising moments that will test the boys’ courage and ingenuity. When they’re captured, and one boy is killed in the process, it seems all might be lost. But *spoiler alert* they do ultimately find safety and leave the prison – just not in the way we first expect.

There’s plenty of action in this story, and it champions values of mateship, honour, heroic sacrifice and looking after your family and friends. The boys learn trades such as bootmaking and gardening and we are shown that self-worth comes from working hard and creating things.

There is quite a bit of violence in the book, including institutional cruelty (lashing, solitary confinement) and fighting, physical bullying and even murder among the boy convicts. The boys also knock out a guard during their escape. The descriptions aren’t graphic, and it’s all seen through the lens of the past, but be aware of how sensitive the young reader in your life might, or might not, be about this.

There is also grief and loss and S. (Sofie) Laguna does a very good job of acknowledging and conveying these emotions in a realistic, kid-appropriate way.

Some of the plot elements did stretch my credulity a bit but I doubt young readers will care – they’ll simply be swept up in the action!

Fighting Bones is part of a series of Australian historical stories targeted specifically at boys (other books in the series cover topics including the Eureka Stockade, bushrangers and WWI). There’s some information in the back about the real Point Puer Prison and a list of other major events which happened in 1836.

The new Australian Curriculum requires that students read Historical Fiction and narratives, but I think there are plenty of reasons to offer kids historical novels outside of school, too.

I’ve recently been lucky enough to read some wonderful historical tales for adults by the likes of Elizabeth Gilbert, Christine Piper and Hilary Mantel, and travelling to the ‘exotic’ world of the past—a world like ours, but changed—and imagining myself navigating events and societal expectations back then is a real treat. The everyday details of how people lived can be fascinating. And the ‘distance’ of history somehow makes it feel ‘safer’ to read about difficult or disturbing events.

I’ve read comments from a number of educators and parents who say that historical fiction, if it's well written and not ‘dry’, has all those same benefits for kids. And because they show us so many different perspectives, historical stories can also help kids build empathy and teach them not to accept stereotypes.

I wasn’t sure about the boy-appeal of the Fighting Bones cover and the general series look, so I gave it the ‘nephew test’. Initially my nephew screwed up his nose and told me it looked ‘funky’ (not a compliment), but then he added that there are boys in his class who ‘like that sort of book’ and they would think the cover looks ‘good’.

Who’ll love this: Boys of about ten who love classic-style action and adventure. (The only girl character appears at the very end and is a spoilt pain!)

Teachers looking for texts to support the historical fiction requirements in the new Australian Curriculum will also love it.

Price: $14.99

Publisher: Penguin Books Australia