- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Fantasy
Rose
Part of Bone: CompanionsView the full series
Part of the Bone universeOpen the collection
A beautiful, more mythic Bone prequel focused on young Princess Rose, later known as Gran'ma Ben. It is best for Bone readers who want the saga's ancient history, dragons and darker fantasy backstory.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
- Length144 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr10 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Literary
- Conversational
Tone
- Adventurous
- Suspenseful
- Dark
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Rose takes readers back before the main Bone saga, to the youth of Princess Rose and her sister Princess Briar. When a terrifying dragon attacks the small towns of the Northern Valley, Rose must face the danger with courage and honour, while Briar is drawn towards a far more sinister path. The story reveals the early shadow of the Lord of the Locusts and helps explain the tragic family and political history that shapes Gran'ma Ben, Thorn and the wider conflict of the valley. Charles Vess's painted fantasy artwork gives the book a very different atmosphere from Jeff Smith's clean cartoon style in the main series: more classical, darker, dreamier and more storybook-like. It is not the best entry point into Bone, but it is a rich companion for readers who have finished or are deeply invested in the epic arc.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–12
- Independent · 8–13
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: scary imagery, violence.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
3 / 5 · Some
Best for
- Bone fans
- Dragon fans
- Fantasy prequels
- Beautiful artwork
- Classic graphic novels
Avoid if
- Wants entry point
- Prefers funny bone
- Very sensitive readers
- Prefers low peril
Particularly good for children who are…
- Anxiety and worry
- Nightmares or fears
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Companion tales to the beloved Bone saga — a classroom-library favourite for fantasy-comic fans.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the sisters splitting — young Princess Rose and her sister Princess Briar facing a dragon attack on the Northern Valley, Rose holding to courage and honour, Briar drifting toward the Lord of the Locusts. The Bone prequel painted by Charles Vess.
- Being special or chosen
- Going on a quest
- Making a difference
- Secret world
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The Jeff Smith / Charles Vess Bone prequel — Vess's painted classical fantasy palette completely different from Smith's clean cartoon mainline, dragons and ancient family politics. Not the Bone entry point; rich companion for readers deep in the saga.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Great writing
- Conversation starter
- Beloved classic
In the series
Bone: Companions.
3 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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