Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow

Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow
Buy Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Confident Readers
Reviewer: Linda Lawlor
Summary: Crisis! The villainous Snatcher and his gang have trapped young Arthur above ground, preventing him from bringing much-needed supplies to his grandfather. Add to that some excitable boxtrolls, a crew of helpful rats and a wide array of other creatures, and you're set for a rollicking adventure.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 242	Date: September 2014
Publisher: OUP
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9780192739308
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When the author of a book is also the illustrator, and he has a wild and thoroughly silly imagination, it's not surprising if that book is swiftly turned into a highly successful film. This story, part of the Ratsbridge Chronicles, is a lively and wondrously eccentric tale of greedy villains bent on revenge, brave and resourceful heroes of all shapes and sizes, and brilliant (if occasionally sinister) Heath-Robinson-style devices.

Ratsbridge is an oddball of a town. Once a bustling and highly successful industrial centre, known far and wide for its cheese, it is now dilapidated and dreary, poisoned by soot from the very factories which were once a sign of its prosperity. Many of its inhabitants now only just manage to survive by growing their own food, and they live in fear of the quaint and mysterious creatures known as Underlings that dwell beneath its surface.

But someone, angry at his loss of power and riches, is determined to wreak a terrible revenge on the town, and he doesn't care who he hurts, or how, in the process. In the tradition of many a villain, from Ian Fleming to David Walliams, baddie Snatcher has dreamed up the most complicated, peculiar and gruesome scheme imaginable – and the awful thing is, it might just work. Snow combines the time-honoured theme of the plucky orphan against the world who is unexpectedly aided by a band of misfits with some original and amusing new elements: Arthur, along with a host of new friends including a shipful of ex-pirate rats now busily engaged in running a very successful laundry have to stop Snatcher from destroying the town, hunting the poor cheeses that live wild in the woods to extinction, and flooding the underground drainage tunnels which are home to Arthur and his inventor Grandfather.

What with the original 2005 issue of the book, the new version which has been shortened for younger readers, the book-of-the-film (which in the way of such things has been re-plotted and is inspired by this story, rather than merely a filmed version of it) and a whole slew of offshoots including colouring books and resource packs, it's hard to chart the exact history of the story. Not that that will matter much to young readers: they'll be far too busy chortling at the bizarre situations and ridiculous bad guys to care. Add to all that a website which perfectly encapsulates the slightly Dickensian (with a dash of steam punk and swashbuckle or two) setting, and discussions of all the differences between the book and the film it has inspired, and there's enough here to fill the longest of school holidays. The countless and delightful illustrations (all done by the author) will absorb young people, and help less confident readers to gallop though the story. It's daft and funny and weird, and readers, whether or not they've seen the film, will love it.

Another excellent author who takes traditional themes and reworks them is Philip Reeve. Readers who enjoyed this story won't want to miss Goblins and the sequels Goblins vs Dwarves and Goblin Quest. Giggles galore guaranteed.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.

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