When Skeletons Rise by Coral Rumble – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: friendship, local history, betrayal, adventures.
Children’s book title: When Skeletons Rise.
Children’s authors: Coral Rumble.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Troika Books.
ISBN: 9781912745494.
Recommended for children aged: 7+.
First published: Paperback June 2026.
This children’s book is ideal for: individual or small group reading as well as showing how local historical events can be just as interesting and vital as those of national importance.
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Our review:
Arlo Skinner isn’t very confident about making friends. He used to be, until his dad disappeared and none of his friends in London wanted to know him any more. Now he lives near his uncle and aunt in Cornwall with his mum, and although he thinks he’s got a couple of friends, he isn’t really sure how to keep them.
After he sees a news report about the skeletal remains of a sailor being discovered nearby, his enthusiasm is piqued and he can’t wait to tell his classmates. Then his teacher tells him about a whole crew from a ship who are buried locally after their ship was wrecked nearby. Before he even realises it, Arlo is researching what happened, and the school has been persuaded to arrange a field trip.
When Arlo discovers his mum has been keeping secrets from him, he is angry, upset and sure he’s going to lose everything all over again. Needing to get away on his own for a while, Arlo takes off on his bike, but when disaster strikes, he begins to see how things change all the time and that it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Our verdict:
When Skeletons Rise is a beautifully written story about Arlo Skinner, an eleven-year-old boy who has recently moved to Cornwall after his dad, unbeknownst to him, was sent to prison. Thinking his dad had been killed, he tries to make friends and enjoy living in his new home in a small Cornish village. Discovering that there is a burial site nearby for a ship’s crew lost hundreds of years earlier fires his imagination and changes the way he looks at going to school and making and keeping friends.
The first part of this story is joyful as the author shows Arlo gaining confidence and beginning to feel he belongs in his new home. Then his mum and his uncle, who lives nearby, admit his dad is still alive and has actually been in prison for transporting drugs. Then new evidence is discovered, and Arlo’s dad is released and wants to see his son! Suddenly, Arlo’s life has changed again: his mum and uncle have lied to him, his friends will all disappear again, and they’ll have to go back to London!
Overwhelmed, he races off, gets caught in a bad storm and injures himself. Stuck alone overnight, Arlo realises his new home is more than just a small village, and his life is far fuller than it’s ever been. The book returns to its positive outlook as it draws to a close, leaving no doubt that Arlo’s future can be everything he wants it to be.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Arlo isn’t a big fan of school until he hears about the buried sailors, even though he wanted them to be pirates! What type of discovery would you like to investigate for a school project?
- When he discovers he was lied to about his dad, Arlo gets very angry. Do you understand why his mum didn’t tell him the truth?
- Arlo headed to the one place he felt an affinity with. What should he have done instead?
- In a cross-curricular activity with history, look for information about something which happened near your school.
- Design a poster for younger pupils that explains what happened.
- Arlo was scared his friends would disappear again if they knew about his dad. How hard do you think you would find it not to tell anyone what had happened, or could you keep it a secret?
Many thanks to Troika Books for the review copy.
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Browse our Books for Year 4 list.
