A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Published August 27th 2013 by Candlewick Press (first published May 5th 2011) CDN $9.18 Kindle edition
At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting– he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd– whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself– Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined. (Goodreads excerpt)
Ok first off let me tell you that this is not the kind of thing I normally read. My daughter gave this to me to read. We don’t have the same taste in most books but so far the ones she tells me to read, I really enjoy. I think I have mentioned that before…(The Program, The fault in our Stars etc)
It was very different. I found it a little slow at first but |I still couldn’t put it down. The monster has three stories to tell Conor and when he’s done he wants a story in return. I was intrigued and the stories are twisted in a way that you want to keep reading. I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. It is easy to read and makes you think. You get to know Conor with each page and you feel empathy for him and his situation. I was angry and sad and wanted at one point to smack his father up the side of the head. I will say I guessed the ending but it didn’t take away from the story. It was emotional and heart wrenching in a good way.
5 stars for me.
Cynthia Stacey 