''Bone Gap'' is a young adult novel by Laura Ruby, published on March 3, 2015, by

Balzer + Bray Balzer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Arthur J. Balzer (1895–1962), American merchant * Falk Balzer (born 1973), German athlete * Félix Balzer (1849–1929), French physician * George Balzer (1915–2006), American scree ...

. It won the 2016

Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's ...

Reception

''Bone Gap'' is generally well received by critics, including a starred review from ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'', who said the novel is "cleverly conceived and lusciously written." ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'''s Sarah Hunter referred to the writing style as "refined and delicately crafted." She highlighted how "Ruby weaves powerful themes throughout her stunning novel" and "imbues all of it with captivating, snowballing magic realism, which has the dual effect of making the hard parts of the story more palatable to read while subtly emphasizing how purely wicked and dehumanizing assault can be." Jennifer M. Brown, reviewing for ''

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'', discussed how "Ruby probes the meaning of beauty and perception, steadfastness and fickleness in surprising ways as she builds the tension to a climax. She balances supernatural elements with timeless coming-of-age questions that come with intimacy." Brown concluded by saying, "Readers will devour this in one sitting."

Awards and honors

In 2015, ''

'' included ''Bone Gap'' on their "

Booklist Editors' Choice Booklist Editors Choice is an annual list compiled and reviewed by ''Booklists editorial staff as the best adult and youth books and videos, and audiobooks. ''Booklist'' is a publication "that has been published by the American Library Associat ...

: Books for Youth" list. The following year, the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

named it among their

Best Fiction for Young Adults The American Library Association's (ALA) Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommended list of books presented yearly by the Young Adult Library Services Association The Young Ad ...

References

External links

''Horn Book Magazine'' review

''School Library Journal'' review
{{Michael L. Printz Award Winners Novels set in Indiana 2015 children's books Balzer + Bray books