The Kneebone Boy in Mock Newbery 2026

Jul 01, 2010 Dest rated it it was amazing

Shelves: harry-potter-alternative, siblings, scary, middle-grade, tween, families, funny, favorites, british, adventure

It's clever, funny, dark, and touching. It's Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl and dare I say a touch of the ol' J.K. And it's over too soon! The Kneebone Boy straight charmed the crap out of me. I wanted it to be longer, or at least be the start of a series, but I believe it's just an awesome little standalone gem I'll have to reread soon and often.

This is the story of the three Hardscrabble siblings: Otto, Lucia, and Max. These kids are outcasts in their hometown of Little Tunks because their moth It's clever, funny, dark, and touching. It's Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl and dare I say a touch of the ol' J.K. And it's over too soon! The Kneebone Boy straight charmed the crap out of me. I wanted it to be longer, or at least be the start of a series, but I believe it's just an awesome little standalone gem I'll have to reread soon and often.

This is the story of the three Hardscrabble siblings: Otto, Lucia, and Max. These kids are outcasts in their hometown of Little Tunks because their mother disappeared and the whole town suspects Otto killed her and their father buried her in the backyard. But no one really knows what happened to the mother. She may be dead. She may have been kidnapped. It's been long years since anyone's seen her and the Hardscrabbles have precious few memories of her.

Then one day their father has to go on one of his portrait-painting trips and leaves the kids with their cousin in London. Only it turns out their cousin isn't in London and they are stranded. Unable to reach their father, they decide to seek out their mysterious Great-Aunt Haddie in a town called Snoring-by-the-Sea. I will not give away any more plot, which is quite twisty, but I will go on a little about why I loved this so much.

First and foremost, the narration is outstanding. We're told in the beginning that one of the Hardscrabble siblings is writing the story, but can't say who it is: "They said it's because the story belongs to all three of us, and I suppose they're right, but it seems unfair since I'm doing all the work. No one can stop you from guessing though." It's pretty easy to guess who the narrator is, but it's also really fun that the story is told in both third and first person. It has great flow, but can be broken up by asides about the writing of the story itself (very Series of Unfortunate Events--if you didn't like those books, you probably won't like this). The asides are very funny and very meta. If I were more industrious I'd quote a long passage from page 87 that illustrates how great they are, but I'm not feeling industrious, so you're just going to have to read the book.

The relationship between the siblings is another of this book's strong suits. To me, it was so real. Each of the siblings' personalities seemed molded by their siblings. Otto doesn't speak, but communicates with a secret sign language he developed with Lucia. Max is just ten years old, but hyper-intelligent, so the very proud Lucia is often upstaged by him, which just makes her act even more haughty. They fight childishly. They bond touchingly. It's a dynamic that's familiar to most people, but not often captured so well in an adventure like this book.

One last compliment for Ms. Potter: I believe you are American, so bully for you for writing in so many cheeky Britishisms. I mean, I'm American too, so I can't truly say that you got them all right. But it sounded super awesomely British to me. The audio book could be great.

In the end, this book is about what all good adventure books are about: danger and discovery. And, as the narrator says, "Here is my most important message to you: All great adventures have moments that are really crap." Or, in a more philosophical vein: "You have to work really hard at being astonished by life."

One last thing: the cover art is perfect. Do you see how the cat has extra toes?

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Oct 04, 2010 Kathryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: annie-and-katie-bookclub, huffleryn-book-club, middle-grade

"There were three of them. Otto was the oldest, and the oddest. Then there was Lucia, who wished something interesting would happen. Last of all was Max, who always thought he knew better. They lived in a small town in England called Little Tunks. There is no Big Tunks. One Tunks was more than enough for everyone. It was the most uninteresting town imaginable, except for the fact that the Such Fun Chewing Gum factory was on its west end, so that the air almost smelled of peppermint. When the win "There were three of them. Otto was the oldest, and the oddest. Then there was Lucia, who wished something interesting would happen. Last of all was Max, who always thought he knew better. They lived in a small town in England called Little Tunks. There is no Big Tunks. One Tunks was more than enough for everyone. It was the most uninteresting town imaginable, except for the fact that the Such Fun Chewing Gum factory was on its west end, so that the air almost smelled of peppermint. When the wind blew just right you could think you had been sucked down a tube of toothpaste."

I knew the moment I read that opening paragraph that I would love this book. Nevermind that it got just a bit creepy for my taste now and then. Nevermind that some of the things I expected (and wanted) to happen never did. Nevermind that I still can't decide whether the ending was brilliant or a huge and slightly unsettling let-down. I absolutely loved the writing style and the characterization. It just felt "right" to me--one of those books that seems like a long-lost friend.

The three Hardscrabble kids are so vivid, their emotions and motivations and flaws and strengths so believable, and I truly appreciated their overwhelmingly supportive and positive relationship with one another (albeit with a few of the requisite squabbles) as compared to all those books out there with siblings loathing one another or all caught up in rivalries. The secondary characters felt multidimensional, too, and I appreciated how we were kept guessing about the true nature of some without it feeling like we were simply being strung along. I did question the motives of a few characters, and am not entirely sure I am satisfied with the behavior of one in particular, though I suppose I can understand in the way it was presented.

Potter does a great job of lightening some rather dark, chilling chapters with flashes of humor that never seem off-pitch. And while some of the subject matter is quite sad, the overwhelming sense of love and camaraderie amongst the children, and their good humor, leavens the melancholy. I loved how the Hardscrabbles move so seamlessly from "ordinary" children to become quite heroic and that their heroism is motivated by compassion. Yet they also enjoyed the adventure for the delicious experience of it, because "People should have all their adventures before they're fourteen because if they don't they lose their passion for adventures."

This is a book I would be very happy to read again, and I wish there was (or will be!) a sequel.

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Nov 06, 2010 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2010-award-possibilities

I'm not at all familiar with this nouveau-Gothic/British or whatever kind of writing; I haven't read any Lemony Snicket etc. But I thought this book was hugely enjoyable and very well-done, and oh, such a satisfying conclusion. Some say it isn't convincingly British; I read those reviews and thought "well, it isn't convincingly stereotypically British, no".

There's a little bit of Dahl-ish vulgarity here and there that I wasn't enthusiastic about, because I am prudish about these things, but it ...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Shelves: strongfemalecharacters, chapterbook, kids, adventure

The Hardscrabble children of the small English town Little Tunks are….well, it may not be the most polite thing to say, but they’re odd. Max is a bit of a know-it-all who likes to sit on the roof of their house. Lucia longs for adventure, or at least for something interesting to happen. Otto is the oddest by far though. Otto likes to collect oddities (things like one-eyed frogs and lobsters with extra claws), he never takes his scarf off, and most of all he never talks. The Hardscrabbles’ father The Hardscrabble children of the small English town Little Tunks are….well, it may not be the most polite thing to say, but they’re odd. Max is a bit of a know-it-all who likes to sit on the roof of their house. Lucia longs for adventure, or at least for something interesting to happen. Otto is the oddest by far though. Otto likes to collect oddities (things like one-eyed frogs and lobsters with extra claws), he never takes his scarf off, and most of all he never talks. The Hardscrabbles’ father, Caspar, is odd too – who ever heard of a job painting portraits of down-on-their luck royalty? What makes the people of Little Tunks really talk though is the mysterious disappearance of the Hardscrabbles’ mother. The whispers of the townsfolk echo in the children’s heads: “Has she run away? Been taken? Could she be dead? Did Otto have something to do with it? Is that why he’s so odd? Did the scarf that he never takes off play a part?” The Hardscrabbles are tired of being outcasts and the subject of gossip but it looks like things will never change – until their father gets a new job and has to leave town again (painting royalty requires a lot of traveling). A stay with nasty neighbor Mrs. Carnival looks inevitable, but Caspar announces that instead they will be traveling to London by train to stay with their cousin Angela. A train ride on their own! A stay in London! At last, it’s the adventure Lucia has craved and the change of scenery they’ve all wished for! Except, no one meets them at the train station when they arrive. The Hardscrabbles make their way to cousin Angela’s only to discover the truth: there’s been a miscommunication and Angela isn’t there! Angela has gone on vacation leaving Max, Lucia and Otto alone in London with nowhere to stay and no one they know. And that’s when the adventure really begins…

This went places I didn't really expect it to, and I have my suspicions that multiple readings may be needed to really appreciate all the nuances. I also think maybe it was trying to be too many different kinds of books at once - an adventure, a mystery, a problem novel - with incomplete success - at times it felt like the tone was all over the place. Still, it was a really enjoyable story with fantastic characters that I would not hesitate to recommend. ...more

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Aug 09, 2010 Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2010-100-book-challenge, debut-author-challenge, arcs-i-own, mundie-kids-book-reviews, mundie-moms-review

This is my first Ellen Potter book, and boy have I been missing out on her books. The Kneebone Boy has a voice I've not read before and one that was so intriguing, that it would easily appeal to middle grade, YA and adult readers alike. I'll admit, I was completely memorized with the voice and the story, even though it took me a few chapters to really get into the story.

The Kneebone Boy has a very fascinating setting, that is set in timeless England. The feel reminded me a lot of Lemony Snicket' This is my first Ellen Potter book, and boy have I been missing out on her books. The Kneebone Boy has a voice I've not read before and one that was so intriguing, that it would easily appeal to middle grade, YA and adult readers alike. I'll admit, I was completely memorized with the voice and the story, even though it took me a few chapters to really get into the story.

The Kneebone Boy has a very fascinating setting, that is set in timeless England. The feel reminded me a lot of Lemony Snicket's. Though the story is about the three Hardscrabble Children, Otto, Lucia and Max, you have no idea which one is really telling the story. I really liked their characters- charming, witty and a little dark, the children have an independence and sense of adventure I admired. Their father, who often travels for weeks at time to paint portraits of dignified people, leaves the children with a sitter, Mrs. Carnival. This time when their father sends them to stay with his cousin Angela, who lives in London. The children arrive and soon find there's been a huge misunderstanding and Angela is away in Germany. Left with little money and no where to sleep, the children venture to find their Great Aunt Haddie, who's staying in a castle folly in a remote seaside village where rumors of the Kneebone boy have circulated for years.

I really love how the story becomes more twitted once the children arrive to an area rich in Kneebone history, tucked among the edge of the sea called, Snoring By The Sea. Hoping to find answers into their Mum's disappearance, the children are about to realize nothing is as it seems. They have a castle to roam about in, the Kneebone Boy to find, and they seek answers to where their Mum may be, to which their spirited Aunt Haddie has yet to give them. To keep this spoiler free, I will say Ellen Potter has done a beautiful job at telling this story, as her plot twists have left me feeling both satisfied with the story and wondering how I didn't see "that one" coming.

This is truly one of those books where I am left scratching my head and in awe of Ellen's ability to tell a wonderful story. Not only does the cover match the story and the characters perfectly, but it's a well written, well told story and one I will read again. The Kneebone Boy is a clever, fascinating, witty book, and one I highly recommend. ...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Krystal rated it it was amazing

Loved the author's style of writing and this unique book will not soon slip from my memory. I loved it. ...more

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Aug 04, 2010 Jess rated it really liked it

Shelves: juv, mystery

One of those stories that you itch to reread as soon as you reach the end, just to see how it all came together. Plenty of secrets and red herrings and truths hiding in plain sight (even a mystery about the narrator). One thing that bugged me while I read was the inconsistent use of Britishisms, but once someone mentioned that it could have been intentional, fitting with all the other quirks of the story, it stopped bothering me. It's been over a month since I finished it, and that "want to rere ...more

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Feb 02, 2011 Robynn rated it really liked it

Loved the quirky writing and the characters. Clever story and ending satisfying.

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Nov 27, 2010 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-kids-books, childrens-fiction

Fun, quirky characters, mysterious magical plotline. Highly enjoyable!

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Jan 04, 2011 Tamsyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: adventure, humorous, youngadult, fms, entertaining-reads, defies-categories

Very entertaining and offbeat. I liked all the siblings and it was suspenseful, quirky, and resolved in an interesting way. I tend to love the books from Feiwal and Friends.

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Oct 15, 2010 Kris Springer rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011-newbery-reads

This book was a surprise. It looks odd, and it is a little, but mostly it's very touching. Story of 3 children whose mom is either dead or gone...they're not quite sure. The children are outcasts in their small English town & their dad is absent-minded. Eventually they go off on an adventure which answers all their questions. Neat combination of adventure & mystery, with emotional resonance. Humor too. A good read, and a good one to recommend to readers. ...more

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