The Bone Sparrow: Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

Jimmie hasn’t gone to school much since her mum died. She likes school, but she has to rely on her brother Jonah to get her to the bus, which only runs once per day. The school seldom calls and never leaves a message. Most kids are often absent anyway, and Jimmie figures school isn’t all that important. Reading is, though—Jimmie’s mum used to read to her all the time. But Jimmie still can’t read. Jimmie isn’t sure if her dad remembers this fact, or if he thinks school “fixed” her. The other day, he caught her sniffing a book and asked if it was any good. She didn’t answer. Fortunately, her dad just doesn’t notice much these days. For instance, he thought he’d bent his bike wheel and had just forgotten when actually, Jimmie crashed it. Jonah has promised to get Jimmie a new bike for her birthday.

Jimmie’s family used to move around a lot, but Jimmie’s mum declared that this place was where they were going to stay. True to her word, they haven’t moved. There’s a birdbath in the garden and a lemon tree, and Jimmie’s mum started a garden. She used to sing to the seeds to get them to grow. After Jimmie’s mum died, Jimmie, her dad, and Jonah planted a wattle, her mum’s favorite tree, out front—a sure sign they weren’t moving. They’ve even stayed through Jimmie’s dad losing his job. Now he works shifts and is gone for days every week.

The town is full of memories, and Jimmie likes exploring them with her pet rat, Raticus. They explore the rotting houses and imagine what it’s like to be other people. Sometimes, Jimmie ignores the signs warning about crocodiles and goes swimming (she can’t read the sign, but Jonah has read it to her so many times that she has it memorized). Sometimes Jimmie goes up the hill to the edge of town, where the milk bar was before it closed—now, it’s a 50-minute drive for milk. The only place Jimmie hasn’t explored is the Centre down the hill. It’s sad down there, though kids at school say the kids in the Centre have everything, including computers and doctors. One kid even said he saw the Centre kids getting new bikes. Still, Jimmie remembers hearing her mum say of the Centre that “[t]hat’s no way to treat people,” which doesn’t square with what her classmates say.

Lying in bed, Jimmie can’t stop thinking about the Centre. Suddenly, she decides she has to know more, so she grabs her mum’s book and sneaks out the bathroom window. She picks her way down the hill and reaches the fence. Jonah always told Jimmie that fences mean there’s something interesting inside, and that you just have to find the fence’s weak spot. All fences have weak spots. Jimmie sits and studies the fence.