Sheree Christoffersen

  • 10 Activities to Keep House-bound Parents Sane
  • About
  • Authors A-Z
  • Books reviewed A-Z
  • Review policy
  • Writing
    • Roses
A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness

Children

A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness

May 13, 2016 by Sheree Leave a Comment

Later this year a movie will be released of Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls.

I’m keen to see the movie, but reluctant at the same time.

Anybody who loves a book will know the feeling; excitement at seeing a great story brought to life, but anxious at the thought it could be ruined.

The trailer looks hopeful.

The story centres on Conor, who lives with his mother who has cancer. Her illness has made Conor feel isolated and alone, and he has been plagued with a recurring nightmare of darkness and screaming.

One night after midnight a voice calls to him outside his window. It’s the huge willow tree from the graveyard of the church he can see from his room, terrifying and stern, who insists it will come back and tell him three stories, and then Conor must tell his story to the tree. The yew does as it promises, each time returning after midnight. 

The consequences of the yew’s visits to Conor
grow more and more severe.

Ultimately, it leads him to confront his deepest fears.

9781406311525A Monster Calls has a sad history. In an Author’s Note at the beginning of the book, Ness explains that the premise of the book was conceived by author Siobhan Dowd, along with the characters and the beginning. It would have been her fifth book. “What she didn’t have,” he says, “unfortunately, was time.” What he doesn’t mention in his note is that she had cancer.

However, he was asked to turn her beginning into a book. He felt like he’d “been handed a baton, like a particularly fine writer has handed me her story and said,

‘Go. Run with it. Make trouble.’

“So that’s what I tried to do.”

He had only a single guideline: “to write a book I think Siobhan would have liked. No other criteria could really matter.”

He certainly wrote a book a many people like. Ness and the illustrator Jim Kay won the Carnegie and Greenaway Medals for writing and illustration, as well the British Children’s Book of the Year and a swag of other awards. I’d include it on any list of the best books for pre-teens/teenagers, and would recommend it to most adults. It’s a deceptively simple story, with a huge depth of psychological and emotional sophistication.

Film is a very different media to print, but I hope the underlying complexity, the confusion, grief, fear, love and alienation that Conor deals with manages to be portrayed in the film.

The monster paused again.
You really aren’t afraid, are you?
“No,” Conor said. “Not of you, anyway.”

The monster narrowed its eyes.
You will be, it said. Before the end.

Details
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Candlewick Press/Walker Books
ISBN 1406311529
Pub: May 2011

Links
Patrick Ness’s website
Second trailer for the A Monster Calls movie

Posted in: Awards, Cancer, Children's books, Contemporary, Family, Fantasy, Folklore, Illness, Young Adult Tagged: Book review, Books, Cancer, Child Protagonist, Children, Contemporary, Family, Fantasy, Folklore, Illness, Patrick Ness, Review, Young Adult

Two Wolves – which will you feed?

April 24, 2016 by Sheree 3 Comments
Released as “On the Run” in the US

Ben Silver is home with his little sister one afternoon when the cops show up looking for his parents. After they leave, his mum and 19392551dad arrive and bundle them in the car, supposedly taking them on a spontaneous ‘holiday’.  Ben finds it hard to believe the two things aren’t linked.

So begins a tale of tension, suspicion and fear. Why did they leave so fast, without clothes or food? Why do his parents take Ben and his sister, Olive, to a filthy cabin in the middle of nowhere?

What’s in the bag his father
tries to hide?

Two Wolves is a novel at the lower end of the YA bracket that tackles some difficult questions. Parents are supposed to look after you, but what if other things are more important to them? What if they neglect you, or worse? What if they betray you? What if you come from a family who do things that are wrong? Does that mean you’ll be just like them?

Tristan Bancks handles these and other questions with skill. While his other books have lighter subjects and tones, Two Wolves captures the confusion, loneliness and longing of Ben as he tries to make sense of what’s happening to him and his family.

The title is taken from a story in the pages of Ben’s grandfather’s almost-empty journal, which is printed as a brief preface before the first chapter. In this version of the old story, a man tells his grandson that inside all of us a battle rages between two wolves.

“One wolf is bad – pride, envy, jealousy, greed, guilt, self-pity.
The other wolf is good – kindness, hope, love, service, truth, humility.”

23310747When the child asks who will win, the grandfather answers, “The one you feed”.

The conclusion to the novel isn’t a tidy, neat, Disney happily-ever-after, but it’s a satisfying resolution that stays true to the characters and story, while still allowing the reader to ask themselves, “What would I do?”

Highly recommended, for readers from late primary school up.

 

 

Details
Two Wolves by Tristan Bancks (On the Run in US)
Random House Australia
ISBN: 9780857982032
Published: March 2014

Links
Tristan Bancks website: http://www.tristanbancks.com

AUSSIE-AUTHOR-2016 Aussie Author Challenge 2016

Posted in: Aussie books, Aussie setting, Children's books, Contemporary, Family, Young Adult Tagged: #aussieauthor, #LoveOzYA, Aussie setting, Book review, Books, Child Protagonist, Children, Contemporary, Review, Tristan Bancks, Young Adult

Zarkora: The Fyrelit Tragedy

June 14, 2015 by Sheree Leave a Comment

A sinister foe, legendary swords, a princess, dragons, a quest for a lost sister. There is all this and more in the first book of the Zarkora series.

Brother and sister writing team Nicholas and Alison Lochel, based in Brisbane, self-published The Fyrelit Tragedy a few years ago. It’s the first book in their Zarkora series for older children, and with the first three of the series doing well, Hachette Australia has picked them up and is publishing all four over 2015-16, beginning in July.

25602749The Fyrelit Tragedy* is about teenage brothers Neleik and Ervine Fyrelit, who set out to find their little sister who’s been kidnapped by a sinister stranger, the same stranger who killed their parents years before. On their journey they make friends, gain companions, elicit aid, learn new skills, and discover new truths. They also discover new enemies.

There are lots of fantasy tropes to satisfy the traditional taste; as well the ones already mentioned there are, giants, kings, wizards, elves, monsters, swordfighting, and tests of courage and skill. There’s a lot to enjoy, and it’s a great story. I particularly like the challenges the companions face in each mountain when seeking the Swords of Lytharin and Deragoth (it makes sense in the story, I promise).

Sadly, the writing often lets the story down, with too many words, stumbling over passages, or just awkwardness taking me out of the moment. I also found the speed with which the brothers’ first two companions joined them, and their lack of thought, didn’t make sense – particularly the girl.

The other thing is just a personal preference. I think if books in a series are going to be sold separately they should have a firm resolution at the end of each one. The overall arc for a series is important, but I think to leave the major question of a book unresolved is a bit of a cheat. The trick – obviously not an easy one for authors – is to ramp up the stakes as the series progresses, rather than having to buy all the books to get the resolution of the first book’s inciting incident. Each book in a series should have its own story which is resolved, as well as its place in the main series arc. I’m not a Wheel of Time fan.

Maybe that’s just me. I felt ripped off all those years ago when I first saw The Empire Strikes Back. When Han Solo was left encased in carbonite as the credits rolled, I wanted to stand up in the theatre and yell “Nooo!” at the screen. It was years till Return of the Jedi came out – how could Han be left in limbo like that?

I wanted to like The Fyrelit Tragedy, and I did like the story. I’ll be interested to see what the authors produce next, with this experience under their belts.

Netgalley badge* I was provided with an e-copy of this book for review via Netgalley

Links: Zakora website

Aussie-Author-Challenge-2015-300x264 50Aussie Authors Challenge

Posted in: Aussie books, Australian Women Writers, Children's books, Fantasy Tagged: #aussieauthor, #aww2015, Alison Lochel, Book review, Child Protagonist, Children, Fantasy, Nicholas Lochel, Review

Tyrannosaurus in the Vege Patch!

April 15, 2015 by Sheree Leave a Comment

19848115What would you do if you found a dinosaur in your back yard? Not just any dinosaur, but the sharp-toothed, meat-loving tyrannosaurus rex?

When Jack looks for his dog, Charlie, early one morning, that’s exactly what he finds squashing the cauliflowers, beans, tomatoes and cabbages. He’d seen a shooting star the night before and wished for a real live tyrannosaurus, and he was stuck with it. Fortunately, the tyrannosaurus is friendlier than Jack would expect from its reputation, but he needs help to stop it destroying everything on his street and maybe eating everyone as it gets hungry, including Charlie. So, he enlists his best friend and neighbour, Toby, to help. Toby is a genius, and they set out to send the tyrannosaurus back to its own time before Jack’s family discover the results of his wish. The trouble is, it doesn’t go exactly according to plan.

This is a fun, silly adventure, where logic goes out the window and you’re happy to wave it goodbye. Don’t expect educational content on dinosaurs, but an engaging story about a boy who made an impulsive wish then got what he wished for. The tyrannosaurus appears on page three and the pace stays fast.

The black and white pictures by Tony Flowers enhance the story and are funny in themselves. Details add so much to the feel of the book; I love the illustrated words throughout the text, giving it extra oomph (see below), and small tyrannosaurs surround the page numbers.

As a chapter book it’s suitable for intermediate readers, though some might need help with occasional words. Some kids would probably re-read it many times. I read it to my four year old great-niece, who loved every bit. So if you’re looking for something for kids, this is a lot of fun.

Nick Falk now hasTyrann_eg six Saurus Street books as well as the Billy is a Dragon and Samurai vs Ninja series.

 

Links: Nick Falk’s Website

Aussie-Author-Challenge-2015-300x264 50

I haven’t counted this as parted of my Aussie Author challenge, but Nick Falk is an Aussie Author doing great work :)

 

 

 

Posted in: Aussie books, Aussie setting, Children's books, Fantasy Tagged: #aussieauthor, Book review, Child Protagonist, Children, Nick Falk, Reading

Recent Posts

  • Why a Grandmother Reads Young Adult Fiction
  • Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club
  • Confessions of a Writers Festival Volunteer Co-ordinator
  • A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness
  • Two Wolves – which will you feed?
  • Zeroes – What’s your superpower?
  • Getting Back Into Reading. Guest Post by Morgan Bell

Contact me:

Email: contact@shereechristoffersen.com
My Tweets

Tags

#aussieauthor #aww2015 #aww2016 #Cherished #LoveOzYA #Readalikes Adult fiction Alison Goodman Alison Lochel Alyssa Brugman Aussie books Aussie setting Awards Book review Books Cancer Child Protagonist Children Chuck Wendig Contemporary Cook book Courtney Collins Crime Deborah Biancotti Dystopia Faery Fairy tale Family Fantasy Favel Parrett Fiona Wood Folklore Gabrielle Tozer Garth Nix Gill Hornby Guest post Historical Illness Inky Juliet Marillier Kate Forsyth Kaz Delaney Libraries Lists Literary Livia Day Margo Lanagan Morgan Bell Myth Newcastle Writers Festival Nicholas Lochel Nick Falk Non-Fiction Novels Opinion Paranormal Past the Shallows Patrick Ness Paul Daley Personal Politcal Rainbow Rowell Reading Rebecca Lim Review Romance Rules Sarah J. Maas Sassy Crime Science fiction Scott Westerfeld Short stories Solo Sydney Writers Festival Tansy Rayner Roberts Trinity Doyle Tristan Bancks urban fantasy Volunteers Writers Festival Young Adult
Challenge Participant

Categories

Archives

Go to:

  • 10 Activities to Keep House-bound Parents Sane
  • About
  • Authors A-Z
  • Books reviewed A-Z
  • Review policy
  • Writing
    • Roses

Copyright © 2021 Sheree Christoffersen.

Custom WordPress Theme by themehall.com.