Friday, September 30, 2011

Review: A Monster Calls


A Monster Calls
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



OH MY HEAVENS! Warning…this book made me do the “ugly cry”. But it was so worth it!

Conor is 13 and he is having a recurring nightmare. When a monster shows up Conor is expecting the one from his nightmare…but it’s not. This monster comes in the form of a Yew tree in his backyard…and what he wants from Conor is his truth. But Conor’s truth, the truth of his nightmares, is something so awful that Conor can’t put words to it…Conor would rather die than voice his truth.

This was an incredible story! Patrick Ness took a kernel of an idea shared with him by author Siobahn Dowd, before she passed away, and turned it into this magnificent story. I’m not sure what and how to talk about it without revealing too much.

As you read the story, you become pretty convinced what the monster is and who “called” him to come walking…but you would be wrong.
While the story is geared toward middle grade kids, it would apply to anyone who has ever dealt with someone they know that is dying. As an adult and the primary caregiver for a parent with Alzheimers, it shook me to my core and brought out feelings and memories in me that I thought I had stuffed down years ago…hence the “ugly cry”.

While the story is a tearjerker, and I mean have a whole box handy, the resulting message is beautiful and one I definitely needed to hear again. I can’t recommend this book enough!




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