Skeleton Tree

Gr 3–6—Stanly Stanwright is living an ordinary day in his ordinary home when out of the blue he sees a skeleton bone emerge in his backyard. Perplexed and excited, Stanly soon discovers an entire skeleton growing up from the ground. Stanly is determined to take a picture of the skeleton and submit it to the Young Discoverers' Competition. He is certain he will win and then his dad will have to come home. Unfortunately, as fascinated as he is by the skeleton, Stanly has a bigger problem: his younger sister, Marin, is sick. She's spending more time in the hospital and has to rely on an oxygen tank. The presence of the skeleton becomes increasingly foreboding in Stanly's mind. Touches of the extraordinary lift the mood of this somber story. Stanly's narration is honest and authentic as he deals with his father's abandonment of the family, his mother's long work hours, and his sister's declining health. When the physical embodiment of death enters their world, an actual skeleton, Stanly's frayed life feels like it is coming apart. There are no easy answers offered, but Ventrella's comforting storytelling reveals a magical world where a skeleton can grow and where a family's love for each other can provide healing.