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The Bone Collector's Son

by Paul Yee

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Description

Thirteen-year-old Bing-wing Chan must conquer his fear of ghosts as his father’s gambling debts force him to dig for human bones in a graveyard and then to work as a houseboy in a haunted house. Set in Vancouver's Chinatown The Bone Collector's Son is a moving study of the struggle of Chinese immigrants and racism at the turn of the century.

Themes: multicultural, BC history, Vancouver social history, Chinese culture, ghost stories, racism

Awards

  • Finalist of the City of Vancouver Book Award 2004
  • Finalist for the Rocky Mountain Book Award (Alberta Children's Choice) 2006
  • Finalist for the Stellar Award (BC Teen Readers' Choice Award) 2005-2006
  • Selected as Best of 2004 by Resource Links

Reviews

“Earnest, courageous Bing makes an appealing protagonist, and the story, with its quick dialogue and precise allusions to region and culture ...is always engaging. Vancouver's Chinatown, 1907, is portrayed vividly. A good read-aloud, either at home or in the classroom.” The Toronto Star

“Yee skillfully contrasts the supernatural with brutal, racial prejudice and haunted, unsettled yearning of immigrants longing for roots” Booklist

Author Biography

Paul Yee is one of Canada's finest writers for children. He was raised in Vancouver and now lives in Toronto. He won the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Literature for Ghost Train.