The Bone Collector's Son

Sylvia Pantaleo is an associate professor of education, specializing in
children’s literature, at the University of Victoria. She is the
co-author of Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary
Classroom.

The Bone Collector’s Son is a ghost story that takes place in
Vancouver in 1907. Bing’s father, Ba, collects the skeletons of
deceased Chinese workers and ships their remains to their homeland for
reburial. Ba has accrued gambling debts and Bing is disgusted by his
father’s addiction. Bing secures a job as a houseboy at the home of
Mr. Bentley, a professional boxer. Supernatural happenings occur in the
Bentley household, and eventually Bing discovers both the ghost’s
identity and the actions needed to appease it. Bing’s initially
skeptical employer comes to understand and appreciate Bing’s role in
ridding the house of the spirit.

Meanwhile, Ba has become very ill after collecting the skeleton, minus
the skull, of a Chinese man named Shum. In order to get well, Ba must
appease Shum’s spirit by locating the skull. While at the hospital
with his father, Bing is mysteriously led to the location of Shum’s
skull. Ba’s health improves immediately and Shum’s spirit repays Ba
for reassembling his skeleton by scaring the protestors who attack the
Chinese businesses in Chinatown.

The author provides an afterword that explains the riot that occurred
in Chinatown on September 7, 1907. Readers learn about the struggles of
many Chinese immigrants who came to Canada at the turn of the century.
Yee also conveys information about Chinese culture and intersperses
Chinese folk tales throughout the novel. Like most adolescents, Bing
deals with issues associated with self-identity and parental
expectations. Recommended.