The first book of this series, Out From Boneville, which I reviewed recently, was a fast-paced, exciting read with lots of action and intriguing plot lines. In comparison, "The Great Cow Race" runs at a turtle's pace and allows little plot surprise.
The story is good enough for mild entertainment, and keeps readers interested in continuing the series, which I certainly was. I think my students approach it like another episode in a TV series, it just moves the whole plot forward, slightly.
As for plot content:
- Phoney Bone tricks all the villagers into placing a false bet on a "mystery cow" so that he can make great wins at the town cow race. He gets his due reward by losing heavily and being kicked out of the town.
-Fone Bone continues to be in love with Thorn, and begins writing her love poetry.
Mature aspects:
-Thorn flirts with a young man who is more interested in showing off his muscles than wearing a shirt. He eventually brushes Thorn aside for another girl. The scenes are very mild, and meant to be slightly humorous. (Fone Bone is compared to the young, muscular man).
-Other parents have complained that some characters are smoking in the story (the dragon smokes a cigar), that some scenes occur in a bar, and that characters engage in gambling. My response is that the main characters, Fone and Thorn, do not engage in these activities. In some ways, the dragon "smoking" is meant to be an off-hand joke. The scenes that occur in the bar are contextual; there are no restaurants in Boneville, and the main characters--Fone and Thorn--are shown eating and drinking tea. Phoney Bone's gambling always proves itself disastrous, so its presence is more moral than than condoning.
My only true complaint with the series so far are the subtle sexual innuendos, the suggestion of Thorn being attractive because of her sexual appeal. I think the flashes of too much skin takes away from her strength of character and demeans her. It would be better if (boys) reading the story could admire her for her.
The story is good enough for mild entertainment, and keeps readers interested in continuing the series, which I certainly was. I think my students approach it like another episode in a TV series, it just moves the whole plot forward, slightly.
As for plot content:
- Phoney Bone tricks all the villagers into placing a false bet on a "mystery cow" so that he can make great wins at the town cow race. He gets his due reward by losing heavily and being kicked out of the town.
-Fone Bone continues to be in love with Thorn, and begins writing her love poetry.
Mature aspects:
-Thorn flirts with a young man who is more interested in showing off his muscles than wearing a shirt. He eventually brushes Thorn aside for another girl. The scenes are very mild, and meant to be slightly humorous. (Fone Bone is compared to the young, muscular man).
-Other parents have complained that some characters are smoking in the story (the dragon smokes a cigar), that some scenes occur in a bar, and that characters engage in gambling. My response is that the main characters, Fone and Thorn, do not engage in these activities. In some ways, the dragon "smoking" is meant to be an off-hand joke. The scenes that occur in the bar are contextual; there are no restaurants in Boneville, and the main characters--Fone and Thorn--are shown eating and drinking tea. Phoney Bone's gambling always proves itself disastrous, so its presence is more moral than than condoning.
My only true complaint with the series so far are the subtle sexual innuendos, the suggestion of Thorn being attractive because of her sexual appeal. I think the flashes of too much skin takes away from her strength of character and demeans her. It would be better if (boys) reading the story could admire her for her.
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