Book Review of The Girl with the Blade of Bone
The Children’s Book Review
The Girl with the Blade of Bone
Written by Adam B. Ford
Illustrated by Wilhelmina Craw
Ages: 8-12 | 152 Pages
Publisher: H Bar Press (2026) | ISBN: 978-1965139066
What to Expect: Legends and mythology; magic, courage, girl heroes, loyalty, and the power of storytelling.
A fiercely clever girl, a magical sword carved from the bones of an ancient evil, and a seaside town that needs protecting—this is the legend of Nelaka, and it has been waiting to be told.
In the coastal village of Tanaby, Gramma Nini gathers her grandchildren each night as the threat of war creeps closer to their door. To comfort the frightened little ones, she tells them stories—tales of dragons, sea monsters, serpents, and swarming locusts, and of the girl who has defeated them all: Nelaka, the girl with the blade of bone, the eternal protector of Tanaby. But as young Asper listens night after night, she begins to notice things about her grandmother that don’t quite add up, and she starts to wonder whether Nelaka is truly just a legend.
Adam B. Ford writes with the warm, unhurried confidence of a born storyteller. He trusts his young readers with complexity, earns the emotional payoff, and leaves them with a heroine worth believing in. The nested narrative structure—Nini’s bedtime stories folding in and out of the real-world tension of an approaching army—is well handled, and the gradual revelation at the heart of the book lands with genuine emotional weight. The prose has a lovely oral quality, rich with rhythm and repetition that makes it as well-suited to reading aloud as to independent reading.
Ford also introduces a quietly radical stylistic choice: the word “i” is never capitalized throughout the book, a deliberate authorial decision that feels natural. Themes of courage, legacy, and the power of stories are woven throughout without ever feeling heavy-handed, and the character of Asper—skeptical, observant, and ultimately brave—is a thoroughly satisfying heroine-in-waiting.
Wilhelmina Craw’s black-and-white spot illustrations open each chapter with the confidence of classic natural history engravings. Rendered in fine stipple and crosshatch, each piece feels at once timeless and slightly wild — three coiled serpents rising from a tangle of grass, a breaching whale frozen mid-leap against a clouded sky, a single locust enormous and impassive before a darkening field. The artwork sets a tone of ancient menace that primes the reader perfectly for the story ahead. Craw’s style is a beautiful match for Ford’s legend-steeped world.
The Girl with the Blade of Bone will resonate most with readers who love mythology, legends, and stories about girls who refuse to be underestimated.
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About the Author
Adam B. Ford lives in central Vermont with his dogs Bulo and Koey. He has written a not-small pile of children’s books, screenplays, novels, stories, articles, and random social posts. When not writing, he teaches snowboarding, plays ultimate Frisbee, and designs fonts.
