The Bone Taker

by Scott Charles

Indiana Jones meets Goosebumps in this chilling Creeptown adventure!

Arlo Vreeland is not a superhero. There is nothing cool about missing forty percent of your skeleton. Especially when your dad studies bones for a living, and your uncle runs the world's biggest fossil museum. Who took Arlo's bones? And why is a missing Creeposaurus rex skeleton involved? Arlo finds his answers, and more, on a full-day class trip he will never forget.

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2021

About the author

SCOTT CHARLES is the author of Video Game Elementary, an epic adventure series for young readers, as well as the Creeptown series and the standalone adventure Mylo and Max Break the World. He writes thrilling books for busy kids who might not want to be reading, but what choice do they have? Zero! None!

Scott grew up in a pair of small towns outside of Princeton, New Jersey. He attended Duke University, where he graduated with a B.A. in Public Policy. He now lives at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can find him at the library, across a chess board, or on a soccer field late, late at night.

Reviews

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, that was a lot of fun. It felt like a cross between Goosebumps and Mr. Lemoncello with a little bit of Captain Underpants thrown in with plenty of action, absurdities, and yes, bathroom humor. It was totally ridiculous, but so much fun when you're in the right mood. After reading many WWII historical fiction lately, this was a good way to give my brain a break and I really enjoyed it and even laughed out loud in parts. It was definitely frenetic, but it was something that I could definitely see a 4th-6th grader enjoying. There was even the lesson about misjudging people, including yourself woven throughout the story. I think this would be a fun book for an elementary or middle school library.

I received an advance review copy from BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[By Book and Bone (Sally) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bone Taker started off really well and kept my interest until the final chapters. I really like the premise, it's quirky and fun. It has a sort of Goosebumps but more adventure vibe.

The resolution of the story was confusing though. There's not much to figure out, or really for the characters to figure out. Stuff happens and they barely have time to react but seem to immediately understand. There was also too much forth wall breaking in the final chapters too.

Having said that, it's fun and I certainly think it will be some kids favourite book. I'd read more in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

My name is Arlo, and my uncle's museum has lost a dinosaur skeleton. How does anyone do that? Luckily, my class is taking a field trip to the museum even though it's a crime scene. However, my best friend Darius is obsessed with movies and wants to film an adventure film starring me. It's kind of cool, and he convinces me to do things I'd never do on my own. Like jumping into a river of creepy, snapping bones or running at a pair of glowing, red eyes. That may sound brave, but I can't get up the nerve to ask Haley to co-star in the movie. She's pretty, awesome, and I've known her since we were little kids. Still, she's been acting different toward me recently, and she's hanging around with the class bully. Darius and I are still determined to solve the mystery of the missing bones and finish our movie if only we can survive the Creeposaurus rex that's terrorizing the museum.

This book is part of a Creeptown series, but it looks like each one can stand alone. I'm not sure how to describe the story in The Bone Taker. The conflict boils down to Arlo finding the Sorcerer's Tomb while surviving attacking bones and skeletons. The twist is that Arlo is missing 30% to 40% of his own bones. He's normally able to move like anyone else, but he sometimes collapses to the floor as a blob. Other times he's able to squeeze himself through small openings, which comes in handy at times. The weird thing is his classmates think his lack of bones is gross, but it doesn't really freak them out. It's almost normal. The story is a nice mixture of adventure, humor, silliness, and drama. The most entertaining part is Darius, as he won't let anything keep him from finishing his movie. Actually, most of Arlo's bravest moments don't come from his bravery but are a result of Darius's prompting as the movie director. Despite the funniness, the plot has a "serious" side to it, and the author saves some surprises for the climax. Overall, the book is very entertaining, and I recommend you give it a shot.

[Fieryjoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this book! It is sooo fun I laughed a lot. A good adventure book that is not very scary (but scary). You need to read it because the ending was a surprise but I liked it (especially the big kid.) Do you like museums and dinosaurs? You will like reading this book!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC free from BookSirens and this is my voluntary honest review.
A quirky fun read. Nicely written. Great action. A laugh out loud adventure, full of humor, silliness, and drama. Very interesting, and scary. Read and enjoy.

[Candi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A field trip to the Museum of Natural History and a dinosaur turns into an adventure of a spooky kind. Two classmates are keen on making a film of a Creep-a-sauras Rex. They are warned not to roam around the museum. But, they do and are in for a surprise. This tale is a fun quick read.

Thank you Book Sirens for this ARC.