Publishers Weekly
07/19/2021
Mirabelle, an otherworldly being in girl guise who looks "no more than twelve," lives with the Family, a close-knit group of monsters, at the House of Rookhaven. The group is protected from a nearby village by the Glamour, a magical barrier resulting from a generations-old monster-human pact, through which nothing may cross without a key. To the confusion and horror of the Rookhaven household, all rendered toothily macabre in inky b&w illustrations by Bettison, a tear appears in the Glamour soon after the arrival of a new Family member, allowing 12-year-old Jem and ailing 13-year-old Tom, orphan siblings on the run, to stumble through. Pivoting between the cued-white characters in a third-person narration, this elaborately cast adventure by Kenny (Tin) begins languidly, gathering momentum and turning grim when a Family member escapes just before an unsettling hitchhiker's arrival, and the human (and human-seeming) children must fight desperately to maintain relations between the Family and the postwar English village nearby. Full of gruesome charm and heart-wrenching pathos, this story offers a satisfying gothic fantasy at once chilling and affecting. Ages 10–14. Agent: Sophie Hicks, Sophie Hicks Agency. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
A magnificent, shadowy, gothic adventure full of heart.” —Emma Carroll, author of When We Were Warriors
“Unique, thrilling and moving...with its timely—yet timeless—message of choosing empathy over fear, The Monsters of Rookhaven is proof that Pádraig Kenny is one of the best children's writers around.” —Shane Hegarty, author of Darkmouth
“[A] totally absorbing tale, where the most fearsome monster is one that reveals everyone’s deepest fears to all the others.” —Guardian
“A wildly imaginative story...a triumph.” —Irish Examiner
"Between the incredible descriptions, unique cast, and dark and lovely illustrations, readers will be enveloped by Rookhaven. They will experience the tragedy and grief that follows not only Jem and Tom but the people from the village, as well as Rookhaven, and they will stay up long into the night to discover who the real monster is. A breathtaking novel about family, loss, and truly seeing those around us." —Booklist, Starred Review
"Full of gruesome charm and heart-wrenching pathos, this story offers a satisfying gothic fantasy at once chilling and affecting." —Publishers Weekly
"Themes of grief, empathy, and the nature of monsters play out as danger arrives from an unexpected source . . . A dreamy, imaginative premise gives way to pensive catharsis." —Kirkus Reviews
"Twelve-year-old Jem is an effective lens for readers to understand the monster world through human eyes, and her grief over the parents recently lost to World War II adds a more serious note that contrasts with the traumas the monsters have faced. Readers will be compelled to keep turning the pages to discover the intriguing workings of this bizarre world and the fate of the Family." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Kirkus Reviews
2021-07-27
Stranded runaways end up at a house where a family of monsters live.
Mirabelle has always lived at the House of Rookhaven, a magical place with passages from another world. When the Glamour that protects the house and its inhuman residents falls, orphaned siblings Tom and Jem arrive in need of help. Mirabelle, a misfit among misfits, champions helping the two and quickly befriends Jem. Beauty is found through the horror, from carnivorous flowers to a beautiful lady who transforms into a swarm of spiders and other gothic monsters in residence. The mood is set through exquisite black-and-white illustrations, featuring both silhouettes and delicate linework, and through the collective fog of grief—the story is set in England shortly after World War II. Mystery comes in the form of the oldest member of the Rookhaven family—Piglet, declared dangerous and locked away but who knows that change is coming; it’s only a matter of time until Piglet is freed. Themes of grief, empathy, and the nature of monsters play out as danger arrives from an unexpected source. While the ending concludes the imminent dangers and storylines, enough mysteries remain for the fictional world to be revisited. Third-person viewpoints shift among Mirabelle, Jem, a boy from Rookhaven village named Freddie, and occasionally Piglet. Characters default to White.
A dreamy, imaginative premise gives way to pensive catharsis. (Fantasy. 8-14)
