Twelve-year-old Bone uses her Gift, which allows her to see the stories in everyday objects, to try to figure out why her best friend, Will Kincaid, suddenly lost his voice at age five. This supernatural historical mystery is the second title in the acclaimed and emotionally resonant Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series.

In a southern Virginia coal-mining town in October 1942, Bone Phillips is learning to control her Gift: Bone can see the history of a significant object when she touches it. When her best friend, Will Kincaid, asks Bone to "read" the history of his daddy's jelly jar--the jelly jar that was buried alongside his father during the mine cave-in that killed him--Bone is afraid. Even before Bone touches it, she can feel that the jar has its own strange power. With her mother dead, her father gone to war, and Aunt Mattie's assault looming over Bone, she can't bear the idea of losing Will too. As Will's obsession with the jelly jar becomes dangerous, Bone struggles to understand the truth behind the jar and save him Featuring a beautiful, compelling voice, this novel weaves a story of mystery, family, and ultimately, love. “This book reads like a folktale with the added authenticity of a historical fiction story. Set in 1942 amidst the turmoil of war, the reader is drawn into the anguish of the survivors left at home. Smibert juxtaposes the danger faced abroad with the dangers at home for those who scrape up a living working in the Appalachian coal mines. The gentle movement of this tale pulls the reader into Bone’s struggle to help others while also attempting to care for herself. This thoughtful piece provides a gentle look at surviving life’s tragedies.” -School Library Connection

“The second installment of Smibert’s Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series (Bone’s Gift, 2018) finds Bone continuing to wrestle with the possibilities and limitations of her powers…an evocative presentation of time and place…(f)ans of the first book will…enjoy returning to Bone's world.” - Booklist