Bone, Vol. 5: Rock Jaw, Master of the Eastern Border

by Jeff Smith

Paperback, 2007

Status

Available

Call number

741.5973

Publication

Graphix (2007), Edition: Trade Paperback Edition, 128 pages

Description

The adventure starts when cousins Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone are run out of Boneville and later get separated and lost in the wilderness, meeting monsters and making friends as they attempt to return home.

User reviews

LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha

This volume of Bone is concerned with Phone and Smiley's effort to return a stray rat creature cub to its kind. Many complications ensue, with opportunities to reveal more about the larger plot around events in the valley. There are no humans in this segment, but there is a lot of action, with

multiple chases and a big fight or two. And Smith really lays on the cute, with the possum kids encountering various peers in the eastern mountains. On the whole, this collection is a solid installment in the continuing series.

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LibraryThing member nesum

While Rogue Ja is an interesting character, this volume does not advance the plot very much. We get a little history and a little legend, but other than that we are treated to a round trip where the heroes end up exactly where they started. The confessions of the rat creatures gives us nothing we

didn't already know. Still, it is an entertaining ride.

Smith's art remains top-notch, but his story lags quite a bit in this middle section. Hopefully it will rise out of this mire as the conclusion draws nearer.

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LibraryThing member sholt2001

The first time I read this volume, I was disappointed (especially since it was such a long wait between volumes due to Smith's hand injury). It seemed disconnected from the previous volumes due to the change of setting and primarily new cast of characters. But by series completion I realized how

necessary this was as it was stealthily serving as a secondary expository volume for the worlds about to intersect. Brilliant.

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LibraryThing member Savion.Ormond1

Fone Bone and Smiley Bone try to return a rat creature cub to the mountains, where they meet yet another adversary: the sly and mighty mountain lion Rock Jaw

I thinks its good because I like alot of adventure books

LibraryThing member krau0098

This is the 5th book in the nine book Bone series by Jeff Smith. This is a good installment in the series and introduces some new characters to the series.

This book deals with Fone Bone and Smiley Bone and the rat monster baby that they saved. They encounter a new (large and in charge) character, a

giant cougar, named Roque Ja. Of course the Bones take to calling him Rock Jaw which pisses him off. There is much running from bad guys and trying to determine who is one who's side and just how you define good and evil.

To be honest this wasn't my favorite installment in this series. You don't get to see Thorn or Gma at all in this book and I missed them. Also I am unsure what the point of all of the orphaned animals joining the group was since they all left at the end of the story. I am assuming this will all tie together somehow...eventually. But the story didn't seem to make much progress.

There also were a lot of things I really did like though. Rock Jaw is an awesome new character and his discussion of good and evil is a..uh..good one. This is a discussion we had with my son not too long ago when we were trying to explain (to a four year old) how good and evil kind of depends on perspective. I liked that we also learn more about the history behind the valley.

There was a lot of stuff that happened in this installment that was a bit piecemeal. Having not read the rest of the series yet I can only assume it will be significant in future installments. Like in previous installments there are some very funny parts in here and the illustration is spot on like always.

Overall I really enjoyed this Bone installment, but I liked it a little bit less than the previous few. I missed Thorn and didn't understand how some of the small things that happened will relate to the rest of the story. I did really enjoy Rock Jaw though and hope we see him in future installments. I am excitedto read the next book, Old Man's Cave, to see how the story progresses.

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LibraryThing member lithicbee

Fone and Smiley Bone set out to return Bartleby the rat cub to the wild, and along the way they meet very cute orphaned animals, the rat creatures who orphaned them, and Roque Ja the mountain lion. There is more information about the Lord of the Locusts and the Dreaming, and the art continues to be

fantastic.

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LibraryThing member ChelseaRebman

Bone is great fantasy. The illustrations are clear, crisp and entertaining, and the writing is full of wit and wonder. In this installment, I especially like how it begins with Fone Bone lulling the rat creatures into a coma with his oral rendition of Moby Dick! It starts the reader off laughing

and doesn't let up.

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LibraryThing member MistyRobinson

Summary: A comic strip about two little white characters called Smiley and Bones. They go on an four chapter adventure in the valley. The valley is now split into two sides. A lion named Rock Jaw is in charge of everything on the east boarder. There are rat creatures running around who eat other

animals.They find a baby rat creature who they want to return to his home so he can be taken care of by his own kind. He is not a threat to him or the others who join them on their adventures. The pair also encounter a group of possums and a raccoon who was orphaned when his parents were eaten by the rat creatures. They travel to the other side and encounter Kingdok who is a much larger rat creature. As their adventures go on they find themselves barely escaping one dangerous situation from another. Finally they escape into the woods.

Personal Reaction: Honestly I do not like this book. I don't get the story line and plot very well. I am unsure what the two main characters are suppose to be. I understand the rat creatures are scary big monster characters who endanger everyone else by wanting to eat them. I understand the normal animals that we have in real life like the lion, raccoon and so forth. Maybe I don't understand the mixture of make believe animals and normal animals. I do however think that boys would enjoy it much more and understand it much better than I do.

Classroom Extension: Have the children do their own graphic novel of one or two pages. I could give them a theme to base it around, perhaps over whatever we are learning in class around that time.

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LibraryThing member FINNIAN11

This is the fifth book in the Bone series. Phone Bone and Smiley meet a giant tiger named Roque Jaw, who is good and bad.

LibraryThing member JenJ.

Introduces Rock Jaw, the huge mountain lion who appears to be completely amoral and so far, refuses to pick a side in what is now open warfare between the villagers and the rat creaures. Thorn and the villagers are completely absent from this volume. I hope Bartleby makes a significant return

appearance later on.

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LibraryThing member lkmuir

Trying to return a rat creature cub to the mountains, Fone Bone and Smiley Bone encounter yet another adversary: the sly and mighty mountain lion, Rock Jaw.

Fone Bone and Smiley Bone strike out into the wilderness to return a lost rat creature cub to the mountains. It doesn't take long before they

run smack into Rock Jaw, "Master of the Eastern Border," an enormous mountain lion with a none-too-friendly disposition.

Life gets even more complicated when they befriend a group of baby animals who are being orphaned by rat creature attacks. Everything comes to a head in an earth-shattering clash between Rock Jaw and Kingdok, the leader of the rat creatures.

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LibraryThing member SoulFlower1981

At first when I started reading this I was worried because it felt like it was Jeff Smith venturing into the dreaded "middle ground" territory that I was mentioning in the most recent posting about Bone (the previous volume of the series that I reviewed). I was scared that Jeff Smith was simply

utilizing a device to create more issues of the Bone series, but once I got to the end of this slightly shorter volume I recognized that what Smith was creating here was some more tension. Also introducing some other characters while showcasing the heart of a few important characters that we had seen in previous volumes. This volume made me actually like the two rat creatures that have been roaming around since the beginning of the series. Smith has a way of creating the world through his artwork due to its beauty and then sucker-punching us with the dialogue that takes place within that world. This is something that I wish I could see as an animated series because I believe it would work with a great company backing it with the right finances. This volume proved that even filler material can have a place within the context of a series if it makes you feel something that you have not felt for characters in the series. This definitely did and due to that it is still making this series one of my all-time favorite graphic novel reads ever. I highly suggest this series to anyone that wants a great read because you will enjoy it. There is something here for everyone. From the beautiful artwork to the mystery surrounding characters. There is even a bit of romance for those that enjoy that. Truly this series has something for every single person that would ever want to read it, so pick up a copy at your bookstore, library, or anywhere else you can get this because it will be worth your time!

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LibraryThing member aleykk11

Interesting

LibraryThing member bobbybslax

It almost feels like a side story given the title and the lack of half of the main characters. But with that limited viewpoint, the story is more focused. It also discusses the idea of sides and good and bad in a relative way, which is often interesting and was interesting here.

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