The dreary prospect of spending a lifetime making caskets instead of wonderful inventions prompts a young orphan to snatch up his little sister and flee. Where? To the circus, of course. When the story starts, Samkad is most worried about receiving the Cut (something similar to circumcision that happens to boys in their tenth year on the cusp of manhood) and his slightly complicated friendship with a girl called Luki. He has never met anyone from the world outside of his tribe. What an amazing book. It took six years to write and now it is out in the world - the uncovering of a buried past that will touch the lives of all of us, but be particularly poignant to those from a heritage of colonialism. Were there any parts of ‘Bone Talk’ that you particularly liked writing? Were there any parts or scenes that were especially difficult?

Bone Talk is set in a period that has been allowed to fade away in many memories. In 1899, the United States invaded the Philippines. At the time there were still headhunting tribes, and my story is told from the point of view of Samkad, a ten year old boy who is looking forward to becoming a man when he will be given his own shield, his own spear and an axe to chop off the heads of his enemies. His best friend is Little Luki, who also dreams of becoming a warrior … except she’s a girl and in that society, girls do not become warriors. Then strangers begin arriving in their isolated village and slowly, they realise that the world is not what they thought it was. What are the main differences and similarities between writing for older children and writing picture books? Do you have a preference for one type of writing? A beautifully written story set in the Philippines at the time of the 1899 American invasion told by a young boy growing up in a remote tribe who encounters the outside world for the first time. Most stories from this time are told in the voice of the invaders, tourists or anthropologists. Candy Gourlay takes us into the world of the Bontok tribe and shows us their world through their eyes. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Bone Talk is totally different, set in a real place at a real time. But my heroes struggle with the same issues: identity, culture clash and coming of age. Buy here!Candy Gourlay (b.1962) is a Filipino author who lives in London. As a child she loved to read, particularly historical novels, like Oliver Twist and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but noticed that none of these books were set where she grew up or feature children like her. So, go and read the book. Find a copy. Buy or borrow! Do not miss out the wonderful discoveries and insights you can take away from the novel. For one, these colonisers' intent and interests can be further fleshed out through a comparison of the objects they gave the Bontocs. What do music and books represent? What are guns for? How powerful are photographs? By bringing these objects in the novel and planting them at well selected spots or parts in the entire narrative, I thought about the ways we were subjugated. They differ in function but were used to colonize just the same. That being said Candy's use of language is impressive. The descriptions are beautiful and a picture is painted for you so its easy to imagine this place that feels so removed from the world we see around us now.

Little do I know that I wasn't able to put it down, when I read about Mangili, the tribal war context, and the arrival of the Americans. Those Americans. Bone Talk is the story of Samkad, a young Bontoc boy at the cusp of manhood. His journey towards becoming one is a thrilling and heart breaking adventure since the setting of the novel happened at a time of conflict and change. It is 1899 and the Philippines has entered a war with the United States of America. His village in the Cordilleras is not spared of the cruelty of invaders. Though, the opportunity to learn from a friendly stranger presents itself. This coming of age story has a lot to tell, and teach, about identity, honor, subversion, obedience to customs and traditions and the gray areas in between. I wondered if this reflected your own perceptions of the UK before you moved here from the Phillipines? What was your experience of moving here like? Candy Gourlay tells this brilliant adventure story from the point of view of a young Filipino boy from a time and place that most readers will know nothing about– and certainly from a previously unheard voice (most of what is written about the time is by Americans writing as tourists, anthropologists and conquerors). Her latest book is Mike Falls Up, illustrated by Carles Ballesteros, a portal fantasy for young readers beginning to explore beyond picture books. She has written a comics biography Illustrated by Tom Knight of the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who happens to be credited with “discovering” the Philippines. Her novel Bone Talk was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Costa Prize in 2019 – it is set in the moment when headhunting tribes in the Philippines come face to face with American invaders. Her picture book, Is It a Mermaid, lushly illustrated by Francesca Chessa, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Shine a ghost story for teens was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Book Prize. Her debut Tall Story was listed for 13 prizes including the Waterstones, the Blue Peter and the Branford Boase. It won the Crystal Kite Prize for Europe and the National Book Award in the Philippines.The horror comes not from the death rituals of the Bontok people, or from the animal sacrifices, or from the tree of bones, but from the monstrosities carried out by the American soldiers. We follow the story of Samkad, the ten-year-old son of a great warrior in the Bontok tribe who live in the magnificent highlands of the Philippines. It is set during the time of the American Invasion of 1899 and is written with breathtaking sensitivity and skill. Instead of being repulsed by the primitive ways of the tribe we a drawn into the beauty and importance of the spiritual rituals and traditions. We're with Samkad every step of the way as the world he knows, understands and loves is blown apart by the arrival of the Americans. You often tell your stories through the use of dual narratives. Why is this? When writing dual narratives, do you write the stories alongside each other, at the same time, or write one at a time? What does the planning process look like? More than a hundred years ago, a boy named Samkad thinks he knows everything about the world. He knows the mountains he lives in. He knows his people. He knows his blood enemy, the Mangili. And he wants to become a man, to be given his own shield, spear and axe to fight with. His best friend, Luki, wants all the same things – but she is a girl, and no girl has ever become a warrior. Bone Talk was received well by critics and has been shortlisted for many awards, including the Costa Book Awards 2018 and the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2019.

Ms. Gourlay claims that Bone Talk is not history. True, but fiction can lead readers to a broader understanding of other disciplines and life lessons embedded in the material either intentionally or otherwise. In the end, I realized, that while Samkad earned his rightful place in the village, it is his father who learned a great lesson as well. This for me is the most beautiful part of the novel. I liked reading this one, but not at first. I was still adjusting a bit, since from reading something like Frankenstein, which is a classic and old kind of style, to something of this category, which falls in the YA and Modern genre, its a huge leap from one place to another, I would say. I was interested in the exploration of gender in ‘Bone Talk’. Luki says that Samkad is too short and too small to be become a man and Samkad is desperate to be powerful, handsome and strong. How important is it to you in your writing to challenge gender stereotypes? And LUKI! Luki was one of the fiercest characters in this book, yet in the end, she never got what we all wanted her to be: a warrior!I adored the relationship Samkad had with his father, his best friend and the elders of the community. While they didn't always get along, the belief the community had didn't allow for lies or treachery, even stubbornness seemed to melt away if the village's safety was called into question. I’ve just finished reading ‘Shine’ and really enjoyed it. It’s full of interesting, complex characters, mystery and cleverly balances the modern world of social media and the internet with myth and legend. How is ‘Bone Talk’ similar to ‘Shine’? How is it different?

An examination into the Phillipine-American War that follows a small village and a budding young man, Samkad, who is waiting for the day he will become part of the men-folk. We are thrilled to welcome author Candy Gourlay into The Reading Realm today to discuss Bone Talk, Shine, and Is It A Mermaid? And then, there is Luki. Irrepressible and persistent, she is Samkad's best friend. It is through her that social class and the roles of Bontoc women are presented. How she defies and disobeys them not because she is a bad girl. Luki is smart and perceptive, protective of her family and friends. She knows who she is and where she belongs. These are all evident in the dialogues she has with Samkad implying that, even girls or women, can fight for the people and the place they love. Samkad’s story is told so sensitively, so lightly and so truthfully that you are completely transported (heart in mouth) to another time and world– until Samkad’s concerns are your concerns and you’re with him every step of the way. Over a hundred years ago, a boy named Samkad lives with his tribe in the remote mountains of the Philippines. One day a new boy arrives in the village. He may call himself Samkad’s brother, but he brings news of people called Americans who are coming to ‘civilise’ them and bring war and destruction to Samkad’s home.When I started writing I wanted to publish picture books. I only started writing novels because it was so hard to break into the picture book world. Is It a Mermaid is a dream come true. Picture books in the UK are published with an eye to the 0 to three year old reader, and publishers make money through translations in other markets … this means many interesting challenges to the storytelling and the story itself. Writing for specific markets, you have to consider so many things as an artist – not just theme and story shape but the emotional capacity of your reader. You also have to take into account that your reader has no experience, no hindsight. This, I think, is what differentiates the young reader from an adult reader. Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment. This novel creates intrigue to a forgotten war, one that is pushed aside by the big boys - WWI and WWII. The beautiful if not demanding nature of the villages that would live on their own self efficiency is a wonder. They fight, they win or lose, but beyond everything - they survive.