Official Rating: PG
The Bone cousins have found each other and are planning to head back to Boneville after enjoying Barrelhaven's spring fair and working off their debt at the tavern. It should be the perfect ending to a bizarre little adventure...except that Phoney Bone just has to cook up another scheme that involves Gran'ma Ben and the annual Great Cow Race, which somehow alerts the rat creatures, causing mayhem to ensue! You may want to read the first Bone book (and our review on it) to know who everyone is and what happened.
Good Parts: Lots of humor is featured, much of it slapstick involving the rat creatures. The lore of the world continues to intrigue, if you are interested in that sort of thing. Lucius Down, the owner of the tavern, is kind and supportive to Gran'ma and Thorn.
There are other fun bits that will not be mentioned here for the sake of spoilers, but it's definitely worth a read!
Religion: None.
Violence: Fone Bone proposes an arm wrestle. When he tries to get some honey of his own to impress Thorn, he gets beat up off-panel by a large bee guarding the hive. We only see him looking rather battered after the fight. The rat creatures persist in their efforts at eating Fone. Discovering Phoney's shady actions, a mob tied him to a stake and hit him with eggs between chapters four and five.
Sexual Content: Fone Bone continues in his crush on Thorn, and a temporary sort-of-love triangle ensues when they meet a honey seller who expresses interest in Thorn but is rude to Fone Bone. He turns out to be quite a flirt and makes no further appearances. Fone Bone tries to write a love poem for her with help from Ted the bug. This probably doesn't count, but Gran'ma calls Mr. Down "dear."
Language: Characters speak harshly to one another and argue. Some threats and insults are pronounced.
Supernatural: None.
Other: The main plot of the story is triggered by Phoney Bone trying to rig the betting that goes on for the cow race. A cigar is taken by a bee. Although some may find the rat creatures cute in some lights, they do look rather scary on occasions.
Summary: Further chronicling the adventures of the Bone cousins, The Great Cow Race continues to enthrall readers and deliver great art, hilarious intrigue, and fun for all ages! Like the character of Lucius, this particular volume may be a bit rough around the edges, but it has a heart of gold that will make you eagerly peruse this volume and continue discovering what happens next in this fascinating saga. Score 9/10.