A Monster Calls: Inspired by an Idea from Siobhan Dowd [NOOK Book]

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Overview

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

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 one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming. . . .

This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.

Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final story idea of Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it ...

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More About This Book

Overview

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

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 one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming. . . .

This monster, though, is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.

Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final story idea of Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel about coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults.

“Compelling . . . powerful and impressive." - Philip Pullman, author of the award-winning His Dark Materials trilogy

“Exceptional . . . this is storytelling as it should be - harrowing, lyrical, and transcendent." - Meg Rosoff, author of the Printz Award–winning novel How I Live Now

“Brilliant and elegant, with all the thrills and ambition you would expect from the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy." - Frank Cottrell Boyce, award-winning author of Millions and Cosmic

“Haunting, lyrical, powerful, and true. Patrick Ness has crafted a masterful story about grief and loss, love and hope that lingers in the heart like a ghost.” - Libba Bray, author of the Printz Award-winning novel Going Bovine

Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature
Monsters can be sinister phantom creatures of nightmares, but in this story the monster in question comes to answer a child's call. Just after midnight, a monster comes to thirteen-year-old Conor and calls his name. Conor, whose mother is gravely ill, is having a hard time coming to terms with the "the truth" of his mother's illness. The relationship between Conor and the mysterious monster is at times scary, funny, poignant, and always insightful. Readers will get the opportunity to see through the eyes of Conor as he faces his own fears and the seriousness of his mother's illness. Ness has crafted a beautiful dream-like and sometimes nightmare-like story with well-drawn characters and intriguing magical elements, filled with laughter, tears, humor, heartache, and acceptance. With gorgeous, dark illustrations by Jim Kay, A Monster Calls is a book that explores grief and loss in a truly unique way. Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd. Reviewer: Shawn Buckenmeyer
Jessica Bruder
…a story that lodges in your bones and stays there…There's no denying it: this is one profoundly sad story. But it's also wise, darkly funny and brave, told in spare sentences, punctuated with fantastic images…and stirring silences.
—The New York Times Book Review
More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews
VOYA
Thirteen-year-old Conor is living a nightmare. His mother is dying of cancer and neither she nor he can deal with the reality of her impending absence. Conor's father, remarried and living abroad with a new wife and baby, does not have the bandwidth to handle his son's anger. To his dismay, Conor's grandmother comes to stay for the latest round of disabling treatments. Grandma, rigid in normal circumstances, attempts to hold her own grief in check by implementing strict control over Conor. If that is not enough, Conor has become a target of bullying at school where his denial and suffering combine to drive help away. Nightly, Conor finds himself haunted by a dark and frightening monster—the incarnation of a huge yew tree from the graveyard just beyond his backyard. Defiant and skeptical, Conor struggles to make sense of the monster's visits and the three tales he shares—a process which ultimately shows Conor a path through his even darker and more frightening daily reality. Ness's novella is the brainchild of Irish young adult author Siobhan Dowd, who became a victim of cancer herself in 2007. If a bit slow to get moving, the story's tone serves to put the reader squarely in Conor's shoes. Conor is not a particularly sympathetic protagonist. He is stubborn and selfish. In the end, however, the story works on many levels. Death is not fair and it does not arrive conveniently, and it is messy and confusing, ultimately leaving its victims feeling powerless. Jim Kay's stunning illustration is a perfect complement to the text and it is quite likely what will draw readers' initial interest. In the same way that Ness captures Conor's frustration with words, one can almost feel the angry scribbling in Kay's textured use of darkness and light. This is the perfect book to put in the hands of teens unsure how to approach a grieving friend. Reviewer: Laurie Vaughan

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780763656331
  • Publisher: Candlewick Press
  • Publication date: 9/27/2011
  • Sold by: Barnes & Noble
  • Format: eBook
  • Sales rank: 31,767
  • Age range: 12 - 17 Years
  • File size: 6 MB

Meet the Author

Patrick Ness is the author of the critically acclaimed and best-selling Chaos Walking trilogy. He has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children's Book Award. Born in Virginia, he lives in London.

Siobhan Dowd spent twenty years as a human rights campaigner for PEN and Amnesty International before her first novel, A SWIFT PURE CRY, was published in 2006. She won the Carnegie Medal posthumously in 2009 after her death at the age of forty-seven.

Jim Kay studied illustration and worked in the archives of the Tate Gallery and the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, two experiences that heavily influence his work. His images for A MONSTER CALLS use everything from beetles to breadboards to create interesting marks and textures. Jim Kay lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 21 )

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Sort by: Showing all of 12 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 31, 2012

    Moving, thoughful, and inspiring

    I bought this book mainly because I loved Patrick Ness' other books. I was a little surprised after finishing it and realized it had really touched me in a very real way. Mind you, I am in my forties and like young adult novels because they are easy reads. "Monster" is an easy read, but so thought provoking and emotional it felt like it was much more. My ten year old daughter is reading it now and thouroughly enjoying it as well. Highly recomended.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 15, 2012

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 12, 2012

    By the book

    This is a wonderful story on its own, however, the actual hardcopy book has wonderful illustrations and page decorations that are very much missing from the nook version (I have the 3g and simple touch.) There are a few of the illustrations, but the nook doesn't do them any justice. The audiobook is also amazingly well done.

    All told, a well crafted story with fantastic elements that is grounded in real life.

    Minor quibble - the American slang the dad uses seems so outdated. I don't know anyone who uses those terms now a days. Minor quibble though.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 5, 2012

    Moving

    Wonderful food for thought. I got so into it because it felt so real. A good book for anyone.

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    Posted October 30, 2011

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