(Early ARC Review) Sally’s Bones

Title: Sally’s Bones
Author: MacKenzie Cadenhead
Illustrator: T.S. Spookyytooth
Pub Date: September 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Source: I received an advance readers copy of this book from Sourcebooks Jobberwocky for my honest and sincere review.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Bones is the dreadfully delicious girl’s best friend who helps solve this Burton-esque mystery. Sally is a quirky character who loves Death Rock and faded blue jeans. She fits in better with the Addams Family than with a clique of catty sixth grade girls. After her mother’s death, grief-stricken Sally begs for death…and death is exactly what she gets: a tail-wagging skeleton dog called Bones. A gift from beyond the grave, Bones is a dreadfully delicious girl’s best friend. In this cleverly written, alliterative tale the neighbourhood’s dog treats go missing and everyone blames Bones. Sally must solve the mystery to save her cadaverous canine from puppy prison. “This unusually clever, fun teen comic is based on the novel premise that parents don’t just seem evil, they actually are evil supervillains… story with clarity, a dollop of drama and just enough pizzazz.” — Publishers Weekly praise MacKenzie Cadenhead’s The Runaways Vol 1 Grades: 4-7

I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it to everyone.

I absolutely loved the main character Sally Simplesmith and not just because of her last name. You can’t help but not fall in love with Sally. She is one of those kids you just want to take under your wing and love her.

She lost her mother when she was very young and her very busy father is raising her the best that he can do. Its only when old friends have come back into the picture (Vanderperfects) that poor  Sally wishes nothing more then “Give. Me. Death.” on her mother’s grave. Viola has made it her mission to make Sally feel like the outcast that she already feels like because Sally isn’t like most of the girls in the sixth grade.

The gift from beyond the grave (a dead dog made of bones) makes Sally’s day and probably her year because for the first time she is happy and decides that no one will bring her down even though they try. No one knows about her dog, Bones and she tries her best to keep him a secret but Sally quickly realizes that someone knows her secret because notes are suddenly appearing, who is behind them?

Sally tries her best to keep Bones her secret but before long her secret is revealed and purely by accident and its this new found friend that has peaked every ones interest and before long Sally and Bones have become the center of attention.  For once Sally feels what she has always wanted to feel, accepted.

But we all know that happiness comes at a price and it seems like there is someone (who isn’t happy about the latest development) out to get Sally and Bones because before Sally can blink and enjoy her new found popularity, Bones is being framed for stealing dog bones from all the dogs in the city. I have to say I really thought it was one person and ended up completely blindsided when the real person was revealed. You will too when you find out who did it and why.

I loved the fact that no matter what the dog looked like Sally loved him no matter what he looked like and I think more people need to realize this too. Its whats inside that really counts.

Thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me this lovely book to read and review and for allowing me to be a part of the tour for it.