Alright; so this book nearly lost me in the first few chapters. The writing was on the didactic side for me and certain cuts between dialogue, descriptions, and actions were on the awkward side. But what this book may lack in prose it makes up for in a clever plot and some really cool attention to historical detail. Historical ghost stories set in early 20th century Vancouver? Wonderful. Not to mention the fact that this small compact book minces absolutely no words about Canada and this city's shameful anti-asian history, which is especially admirable and important since it's aimed at children. Come for the spooky; stay for the plot.

ghost stories on the BC coast and racial tension!

ok but kinda of boring

This was not my favorite book at all. It was an easy read, so I finished. But would not recommend.

This was an interesting read. I really liked how it was based in Vancouver (I am a vacouverite by the way) but there were quite a few boring parts as well. The ending was nice though.

I didn't think a book about some son and some bones would have kept me entertained, but it definitely did. I read “The Bone Collector's Son” by Paul Yee. It was a short but sweet story, and I was always left wanting to read more. The Author used very descriptive words that really added to the feel of the book, almost like I was living it with the characters. I'm not always into ghost stories, but I was into this. It was creepy yet still enjoyable. Sort of like a sour candy, but not too sour to the point you can't enjoy it.

The Bones Collector's Son, but he only collected one bone- the skull. This book, “The Bone Collector's Son” by Paul Lee is about exactly what the title says. Bing, Ba’s son, is a chinese teenager living in canada during the 1900’s. He lives with his father and some other Chinese men who also moved to Canada to make money. Bing loves his father of course, but he also has a deep, deep hatred for Ba. Ba is a broke gambler being held under tremendous debt, taking out all his life failures onto his son. Even though Bing doesn't like working with his father and his father seems to be always annoyed at Bing, they work together. In a graveyard. His father does most of the work digging up bones, since Bing is terrified of ghosts, bones, and things of that nature. While the story does educate you on life as a Chinese person living in Canada, it also holds a twist on a certain set of bones they dig up that turns into a series of unfortunate events.

On one ordinary day in Canada, Bing and Ba left early in the morning and headed out to the graveyard. Bing described it as “A thick forest surrounded the graveyard. Silence hung in the morning air. A hawk soared high above a long, lazy circle,” (2). They began digging and Bing was terrified as usual, and Ba was harassing him as usual. After all the bones were dug up, they assembled the bones to makeout a body. They realized there was no skull. They continued digging, but couldn't seem to find it. It was getting late though, so they put all the bones into a sack and left without the skull. While they were riding home, some mysterious events happened with their public transportation. Ba thought it was a coincidence, but Bing knew. “Both times, as soon as that sack of bones left the car, the electricity went right back on,” (16), Bing says to his father. He just ignored it.

On another ordinary day, the father and son were home eating dinner with the rest of the Chinese workers. Bing's Uncle came down the stairs and told Bing the great news, a family right outside of Chinatown was looking for a house boy to help around. Bing jumped at the offer, anything to get away from his father and the creepy bones. There were rumors that this mansion the family lived in was haunted, but Bing decided to work there anyways. During his first day of the job, spooky things had happened. He had also heard the mother of the house on the phone, talking to a realtor about “the goings on” . Bing didn't want to look like a coward, so he became as brave as he could and stuck with the job for a few weeks.

Back to that incomplete set of bones, after they had been dug up Bing's father had gotten horribly sick. He was basically on his deathbed. Bing went to a fortune teller, whom a while back had given him a gift to help with his fears. He told this man all about “the goings on” in his life. After this talk, Bing realized it was up to him to save his father, save the haunted mansion, save himself, and save the ghosts. He started with the mansion, but after a big misunderstanding, he was fired on the spot. Meanwhile, his father had gotten even more ill to the point he had to be taken to the hospital. This hospital, though, turned out to be the missing piece of the puzzle. The missing bone of the skeleton. Turns out things go a lot smoother when the ghosts are on your side!

This book is probably in my top 10 favorite books of all time. Even though if I hadn't read it for school, I would have never read it or anything like it. I'm definitely glad I did though. I enjoyed the bits and pieces of Chinese culture throughout it, and also the spooky ghost parts. My favorite part was definitely the end when all the problems were solved and it felt like a ginormous weight was lifted off of Bing's shoulders. I will for sure be checking out more books by Paul Yee.

Five for real

An historical novel set in Vancouver’s 1907 Chinatown, this is the story of 14-year-old Bing. His life helping his father collect bones from graves is hard, often alarming. His father is a compulsive gambler and at times downright mean. Between that, and the racism and physical violence young Bing endures, at times the book can be hard to read. But it’s an important depiction of futility and adaptation in the face of brutal racism, and ultimately shows how even one caring adult, even briefly in a child’s life, can make a difference for a struggling child.

Reviewed as part of a roundup of fabulous middle-grade novels about immigrants and refugees at https://bookbonding.wordpress.com/201...

Two intertwining ghost stories set in early Vancouver make this book an excellent YA read.

I enjoyed this! Wasn't sure what I was expecting when I picked it up- but I'm really glad I did. Odd book indeed- but if I wanted normal I would turn on the tv and rot my brain out. I love historical fiction like this.

Bing's father collects bones of deceased Chinese immigrants who want to be buried in China, but when he uncovers bones without a scull, problems begin. The money lender harasses Bing's father for his gambling debts, unexplained disaster happen in the house where Bing is a houseboy, and his father becomes so ill, it seems he might die. Can a fourteen year old boy solve these problems?

Set in Vancouver in 1898, this is a predictable tale, but one I'd recommend to teachers who want to address early racism in B.C.

After the first 3 chapters, where the father constantly berated the son and continually called him "stupid fool," I looked at other people's reviews to see if I even wanted to finish this. The brutal racism was, as always, sadly difficult to read. The ghost story part was pretty good, tho, and the story had a solid conclusion.