Ruby, L. (2016). Bone gap. New York: NY: HarperCollins Publishers.Bone Gap
Written By: Laura Ruby
Published in 2016 by HarperCollins Publishers.
Grades 9 and up
ISBN: 978-0062317629
Winner of the 2016 Printz Award and National Book Award Finalist
Book Review:
This Printz Award-winning novel chronicles the disappearance of a beautiful young woman, Roza, from the small town of Bone Gap and a young man's determination to find her. Weaving together dream sequences, magic and devastating realism, Laura Ruby brings the small town of Bone Gap to life, and challenges the reader to consider whether we are what we appear to be. Recommended for grades 9 and up, Bone Gap invites students to experience a world that is familiar and altogether unexpected and empathize with Finn as he battles town bullies, with Petey as she struggles to deal with the rumors that have been circulating about her, and with Roza as she perseveres in the face of incredible odds.
Teaching Ideas
World History I
WH1.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of ancient Greece in terms of its impact on Western civilization by: (b.) describing Greek mythology and religion.
After reading Bone Gap, students will work with a partner or in small groups. They will select one aspect of Greek mythology to research in the library. After completing their research, students will write a one page reflection of how Greek mythology continues to impact Western civilization through the lens of Bone Gap.
Family Life
9.5 The student will review the nature and purpose of dating.
9.7 The student will interpret the effects and prevention of sexual assault, rape (including date rape), incestuous behavior, and molestation, and human sex trafficking.
Students will read Bone Gap in randomly selected peer groups in a literature circle format. After completing the novel, each group will choose a social issue addressed in both the Virginia Family Life SOL's and in Bone Gap (potential topics include: coping with pressure in relationships, signs of physically or emotionally abusive relationships, sexual assault, bullying) and, using information from library resources, create a presentation that discusses the social issues and resources for students.
English 9
9.6 The student will develop narrative, expository, and persuasive writings for a variety of audiences and purposes.
9.7 The student will self- and peer-edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and paragraphing.
After reading Bone Gap each student will select one of the "College Essay" prompts that Finn and Petey create throughout the course of the novel. After responding to their chosen prompt, students will attend a Peer Editing Workshop in the school library. Librarians will review peer editing expectations, go over guidelines, and lead students in a peer editing exercise.
English 9
9.8 The student will use print, electronic databases, online resources, and other media to access information to create a research product.
After reading Bone Gap, students in English 9 classes will conduct research on traditional standards of beauty to prepare themselves for a class discussion regarding appearances of characters and the ways in which their appearances impacted their stories.
Health
9.1 The student will apply health knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain long-term health and wellness.
p) Evaluate how social environments affect health and well-being.
q) Identify causes of conflict with friends and family.
After reading Bone Gap, ninth grade students in health class will work with a partner or small groups to conduct research on healthy relationships (within families, friendships and dating). After conducting their research, each group will be assigned a relationship within the novel (i.e. Roza and Bobcia, Finn and Sean, Finn and Miguel, Petey and Mel, etc.) and evaluate whether or not that relationship could be described as healthy. Students will then share their findings and participate in a class discussion about healthy relationships.
Further Explorations
One Thing Leads to Another: An Interview with Laura Ruby - This fascinating author interview provides the reader with insight regarding Laura Ruby's teenage life, writing process, and inspirations for Bone Gap. Students who are interested in the mythology and folklore that Ruby drew from will really enjoy this interview.
Laura Ruby's Website - Students can access the author's website and follow her on multiple social media platforms. This website also provides information about Laura Ruby's other novels.
THEOI Greek Mythology - This comprehensive website provides students with information about Greek mythology that is reflected within the pages of Bone Gap. Broken up into various sections, students can delve deeply into the world of Greek mythology to make connections with what they've read. Complete with family trees, illustrations, and detailed descriptions, this site will appeal to visual learners.
Poland: Daily Life and Social Customs - This excerpt from the Encyclopedia Britannica will provide students with additional information regarding the social customs in Poland, building on information provided in Roza's stories of her home. With audio and video supplements, students of all learning modes and abilities will be able to access information.
Bone Gap Community Profile - This website contains information on the actual town of Bone Gap, Illinois. Students can research the ancestry of the town, access information from the U.S. Census Bureau and see where Bone Gap is located on a map. Students who have difficulty visualizing what they read will benefit from the information on this site, and will have a better understanding of Finn's home town.
Healthy Relationships - This website, loveisrespect.org, is published by the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the hopes of educating young people about healthy relationships and domestic violence. Roza and Petey's relationships and sexual encounters throughout Bone Gap may leave students with unanswered questions about what it means to be in a healthy relationship. This website provides students with helpful articles and quizzes, as well as the opportunity to chat online with an expert.
What is Face Blindness? - This article from SciFri (Science Friday) explains Prosopagnosia or "face blindness" and relates stories from people who suffer from it. This information would be helpful for students who have reached the section of the novel in which Finn's disability is discovered. Although the students will have a basic understanding of face blindness from reading about Finn's experiences, this article will provide them with additional information and real world examples.
Partner Titles
Emma Donoghue's collection of short stories, Kissing the Witch, will enchant readers who enjoy new spins on familiar tales. This collection includes 13 short stories with 13 incredibly courageous heroines. The ability to break this collection down into parts will make Kissing the Witch appeal to struggling and reluctant readers.
Clayton, S. P., & Virginia Lee (Illus.). (2009). Persephone. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
This illustrated retelling of the story of Demeter and Persephone will enchant readers young and old. Perfect for students to use as a basis of comparison between Ruby's Bone Gap and the original myth. Reluctant and struggling readers as well as ELL students will benefit from the illustrations, but readers at all levels will enjoy this retelling.
Medina, M. (2012). The girl who could silence the wind. Berryville: VA: Candlewick Press.The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind is plagued by a perceived destiny that she didn't ask for. Born during a storm that threatened to destroy her village, Sonia is believed to have some kind of holy or magical powers. Convinced that she doesn't and frustrated by the requests for blessings and and prayers, she jumps at the chance to leave, only to realize that you can never really leave your past behind. Students will see parallels between Sonia and Petey, and Sonia and Roza and will enjoy the same hint of magic that they first experience during Bone Gap. Set in Latin America, students will also enjoy learning about a culture they may never have experienced before.
Ruby, L. and Dan Bittner [narrator]. (2015). Bone gap [audible audio book download]. New York, NY: HarperAudio.
This audio version of Bone Gap is fantastic, and could be used in conjunction with the original text to provide support to reluctant and struggling readers, as well as ELL students. However, many students enjoy being read to, and most would benefit from the audio version regardless of their reading level.
Set in the 1940's this movie is set in Spain (English subtitles) and documents the quest of a young girl to save her mother. After moving in with her mother's new husband, and young girl is forced to come to terms with the perceptions of others, and must decide what she is willing to endure for the sake of her mother.
References
Bartel, J. (2015, April 01). One thing leads to another: An interview with Laura Ruby. Retrieved from http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2015/04/02/one-thing-leads-to-another-an-interview-with-laura-ruby/
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2017, June 02). Daily life and social customs. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Poland/Daily-life-and-social-customs
ePodunk. (2017). Bone Gap community profile. Retrieved from http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=263566
Leibach, J. (2016, February 11 ). What Is Face Blindness? Retrieved from https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/what-is-face-blindness/
National Domestic Violence Hotline. (2016). Healthy relationships. Retrieved from http://www.loveisrespect.org/healthy-relationships/
Ruby, L. (n.d.). Laura's bio. Retrieved from http://www.lauraruby.com/laura.php
The Theoi Project. (2000). Theoi Greek Mythology. Retrieved from http://www.theoi.com/
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