The Boneshaker (original 2010; edition 2010)

by Kate Milford

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363	25	70,677	(3.67)	8
When Jake Limberleg brings his traveling medicine show to a small Missouri town in 1913, thirteen-year-old Natalie senses that something is wrong and, after investigating, learns that her love of automata and other machines make her the only one who can set things right.

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Member:	mypumpkinmail
Title:	The Boneshaker
Authors:	Kate Milford
Info:	Clarion Books (2010), Edition: None, Hardcover, 384 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	to-read

Work Information

The Boneshaker by Kate Milford (2010)

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Inky_Fingers: Both these books create original fantasies using stricting American mythologies, and both use the fascinating setting of the medicine show.
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▾Member reviews

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Showing 1-5 of 25 (next | show all)

I just couldn't get into this. I picked it up and put it down dozens of times, but it never stuck. (

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LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |

Just couldn't get into this one. Will try again later perhaps.

readingjag | Nov 29, 2021 |

Great book! (

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AlizarinCrimson | Jan 7, 2021 |

There are not many YA novels that are genuinely creepy/scary--this one definitely is. Fun read that asks some very profound questions. Highly recommended. (

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Skybalon | Mar 19, 2020 |

Natalie is the thirteen year old daughter of the bicycle repairman at the turn of the century Arcane, Missouri. She has inherited her father's love for mechanical things and is even building her own automaton. She has grown up listening to her mother tell mysterious tales about Arcane and the ghost town nearby, but even Natalie is caught off guard when Dr. Jake Limberleg's Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show comes to town. She is drawn to all of the clockwork machines that Dr. Limberleg brings with him, but soon she begins to suspect that these snake oil salesmen are not what they seem. I loved reading this book. Kate Milford is a great storyteller who draws a reader into her historical fantasy world. There is the battle between good and evil, magic, and the devil himself. Natalie is a wonderful heroine who overcomes her fears and learns to look evil in the eye. I would definitely recommend this book. (

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Cora-R | Jul 31, 2019 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Kate Milford	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Offermann, Andrea	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Arkansas Teen Book Award (Nominee – Level 1, Grades 7-9 – 2013)

Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist – Grades 6-8 – 2014)

Distinctions

Notable Lists

Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection – 2011)

Books From All 50 States (and Washington, D.C.!) (Missouri)

Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children and Teens (2011)

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Canonical title

The Boneshaker

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2010

People/Characters

Natalie Minks

Jake Limberleg

Important places

Arcane, Missouri, USA

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

This book is for Mom, Dad, Phil, Buddy, Stephanie, Tom, Alexa, Jason, Amy, Susie, Walt, and most of all, for Nathan

First words

Strange things can happen at a crossroads.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

de Lint, Charles

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

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Wikipedia in English

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▾Book descriptions

When Jake Limberleg brings his traveling medicine show to a small Missouri town in 1913, thirteen-year-old Natalie senses that something is wrong and, after investigating, learns that her love of automata and other machines make her the only one who can set things right.

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▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Thirteen-year-old Natalie Minks loves machines, particularly automata—self-operating mechanical devices, usually powered by clockwork. When Jake Limberleg and his traveling medicine show arrive in her small Missouri town with a mysterious vehicle under a tarp and an uncanny ability to make Natalie’s half-built automaton move, she feels in her gut that something about this caravan of healers is a bit off. Her uneasiness leads her to investigate the intricate maze of the medicine show, where she discovers a horrible truth and realizes that only she has the power to set things right.
Set in 1914 in Missouri, The Boneshaker is a gripping, richly textured novel about family, community, courage, and looking evil directly in the face in order to conquer it.

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