Patrick Ness

Siobhan Dowd

NOW A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor, featuring stunning artwork by Jim Kay. 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.

Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd

A Monster Calls

Jim Kay

Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill--an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.

Lindsay

The answer is that it does not matter what you think, the monster said, because your mind will contradict itself a hundred times each day. You wanted her to go at the same time you were desperate for me to save her. Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.

Moira

“And if one day,' she said, really crying now, 'you look back and you feel bad for being so angry, if you feel bad for being so angry at me that you couldn't even speak to me, then you have to know, Conor, you have to know that is was okay. It was okay. That I knew. I know, okay? I know everything you need to tell me without you having to say it out loud.”

Volendomi strappare le vesti piangendo gridando urlando……

Cédric Yorke

libri per ragazzi ti faranno versare le lacrime piú amare della tua vita...

Stefano

tori 👻

“Stories are important, the monster said. They can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth.” 

I thought I knew where I was getting myself into. I didn't.
Finished it in one sitting, A Monster Calls is devastatingly beautiful and I know I'll be thinking about it for quite some time. As someone who can somehow relate to Conor, this was a very tough one to read, but I'm glad I did.

Samantha King

maitha mana

"You do not write your life with words. You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do."

a novel

A monster calls

Vicky  Nuñez 

Connor's mom is sick. And there is a monster outside his bedroom.

A Monster Calls is a heartbreaking tale of denial, anger and acceptance. It is filled with beautiful illustrations that speak for themselves. It will surely make you weep, but it will be worthy!

Heather

What a good book. Went to many places and many feelings i enjoy kids books they such an escape

Maui S.

Deepika Ramesh

Patrick Ness' 'A Monster Calls' is one of the best things that has happened to me this year. More thoughts here: https://worncorners.wordpress.com/201...

Conor's mother has cancer and the treatment is not working. He wakes from a nightmare at seven minutes past midnight to find an elemental monster at the window, that demands the truth from Conor.

Matcha Donut

What a beautiful story. But I was expecting more.

Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill, but an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.

Inspired by an Idea from Siobhan Dowd

Jaden Nelson

First of all, if you are going I read this book, I recommend buying the paperback version with illustrations because they are amazing and add to the intense feels this book gives. I really liked the book, however I was not bawling and immediately shooing a 5 star review after reading it. The synopsis keeps you pretty in the dark and I think that is a good way to go into reading this. Long story short: a very emotion packed story that has a good plot, TONS of symbolism/metaphors (even cemented into the very plot), and an ending that will probably leave you on the verge of tears or bawling. I would recommend reading this to everyone around middle school- adult because I think every time you read it, you can get new meanings out of it. It was a pretty quick read, so why not?

I spent almost the entire time with this book - crying in my room. So, five stars.

I'M SOBBING. This book was so so brilliant and handles grief and everything that comes with it so perfectly. Highly, highly recommend this book. And, what a great way to honor Siobahn Dowd <3 

(Bre)anne✨

TW to be added later

I'M SOBBING. This book was so so brilliant and handles grief and everything that comes with it so perfectly. Highly, highly recommend this book. And, what a great way to honor Siobahn Dowd <3 

Sang Monster Muncul Persis Lewat Tengah Malam. Seperti Monster-Monster Lain. Tetapi, dia bukanlah monster seperti yang dibayangkan Conor. Conor mengira sang monster seperti dalam mimpi buruknya, yang mendatanginya hampir setiap malam sejak Mum mulai menjalani pengobatan, monster yang datang bersama selimut kegelapan, desau angin, dan jeritan… Monster ini berbeda. Dia kuno, liar. Dan dia menginginkan hal yang paling berbahaya dari Conor. Dia Menginginkan Kebenaran. Dalam buku karya dua pemenang Carnegie Medal ini, Patrick Ness merangkai kisah menyentuh tentang cinta, kehilangan, dan harapan. Ia menulisnya berdasarkan ide final Siobhan Dowd, penulis yang meninggal akibat kanker. Ini memang kisah sedih. Tetapi kisah ini juga bijak, kelam namun lucu dan berani, dengan kalimat-kalimat singkat, dilengkapi gambar-gambar fantastis dan keheningan-keheningan yang menggugah. A MONSTER CALLS merupakan hadiah dari penulis luar biasa dan karya seni yang mengagumkan. —The New York Times

A Monster Calls - Panggilan Sang Monster

Zia Nazaliah Ainisyifa

mindblowing sih ceritanya, antara perpisahan, keikhlasan, cinta, dan harapan huhu keren banget authornya, conor dan si monster

charisa

4.5 — children’s literature can be so powerful.

Ed Kay

Finished in one short sitting and sobbing my eyes out. Clever, heartfelt, poignant. Patrick Ness perfectly expresses the voices of young adults and their struggles with the "big questions" of life without being too simplistic or cliche or patronising. The characters are always slightly flawed and don't always do the right thing, which is what makes them so heart-wrenchingly real. These observations also allude to the Chaos Walking trilogy, which I loved, and which made me pick this up as I know there's a movie in the works. I can understand why: big themes, powerful scenes, allegorical fairy tales, magic and monsters all in perfect balance. Brilliant.

Katherine Yang

Alexa M

This is such an unpopular opinion but I really didn't care for this book at all until the end... The end was really good tho!

Salem Jackson

This book was so beautifully written and was so incredibly real. It’s a book to share with friends and family, a conversation to have and I completely, wholeheartedly recommend it.

Savindi Jinasena

Synopsis: 12.07… a time of dread and anticipation for 13 year-old Conor. Every night a monster knocks at his bedroom window; but it’s not the monster that plagues his nightmares. This one is of a different kind, one that tells Conor that he called him. Yet Conor doesn’t recall calling such a ferocious and strange creature. This monster is old and has walked the earth for a long time. It claims that he is here to help Conor tell the truth. Will Conor find the courage to tell and feel the truth he has been running away from all this time?

Cover Gushing Worthiness: I think the cover of A Monster Calls is one of the most beautiful and dark covers that I’ve ever seen for a children’s book. Funnily enough when I showed the book to my brother he didn’t believe that it was a book written for children. As he glanced at it, he even said “It seems really dark to be a children’s book. Are you sure it’s meant for kids?”. The truth is that it’s meant for everyone. I like the darkness of the cover because the moment you see it, you instantly feel drawn to it and the story grips you in the exact same manner.

I should say that the original idea for the story was author Siobhan Dowd's idea.Sadly she lost her battle with cancer before she could write the story. This is Patrick Ness’ tribute to her, where he states that he wanted to write "a book Siobhan would like" and I believe she would have loved this book. I first heard about the book through Stacey's Blog (theprettybooks.wordpress.com) when she posted some pictures of the book. I became curious about it when I read that it was about a monster visiting a 13 year-old child and that is where the story begins.

The plot of A Monster Calls is universal because it looks at how loved ones of cancer patients attempt to come to terms with the illness that takes over the body and later the lives of those involved. I don’t want to dumb down the story and say it’s a simple plot because I don’t believe that it does the book justice. But this book literally ‘spoke’ to me because I experienced a similar situation personally. However I was older than Conor when I went through it. But I still remember the pain, the grief and the feelings of horror I felt for some of the thoughts I had. The monster is very much Conor’s own creation because it is in the form of emotions Conor has pushed down to the depths of his being. However when the emotions resurface, Conor comes to accept the reality of the situation. The monster tells Conor three stories in an attempt to get Conor to reveal the truth he has been running from all this time. As a reader you know how the story is going to end, but it doesn’t stop you from finishing it because you’re taking this journey with Conor. You feel his pain and anguish. You feel the anger and helplessness and I think this book teaches you a lesson in the human condition.

Character wise I adored Conor. Maybe because I related to what he was going through so much. I felt his emotions so much that I teared up a few times and it forced me to put the book down because I didn’t want the pages to get all blotched up with my tears. After all it’s the library’s copy. While I was older when I went through my situation, I can’t imagine what it must be like for a 13 year-old to watch the life you know literally fall apart as you watch without being able to do anything about it. I have to say that I was happy to have recognized the monster as it introduced himself and a I had a small moment of triumph where I went “Yes! You were in Robin of Sherwood” except he was in a different form. While the monster was a mixture of Conor’s emotions, there was a wisdom to it; like a mentor or a wise old loved one. The relationship between Conor and his grandmother was both heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time because it reflected how much of a toll an illness on loved one can affect those involved. The relationship reflected the strain that both Conor and his grandmother felt because everyone deals with these situations differently.

Before I end this review I want to take a moment to appreciate Jim Kay’s illustrations. They were beautifully done. I liked that the illustrations were done in black & white because the colour combination helped bring the story to life. It reflected the emotions one feels when you’re in a situation like Conor’s. There’s no longer the colour grey because you know there are only two ways to the end of the story.

Overall I will say that A Monster Calls is going to be one of my favourite reads of 2012. It hit close to home for me and it brought up painful memories, but it also reminded me that I got closure, just like Conor did. I’m so glad that this was the first book I read by Patrick Ness because I will definitely be going back to read his Chaos Walking Trilogy. Ness has a mellifluous way with words which resonate with you. I think I might even purchase a copy of A Monster Calls because I know it’s a book that I want to read again.

My Rating: 5/5

Would I recommend it? Absolutely

mercy

dija

You're not crying, I am crying. 

PatrickNess is awesomeness.

Jamieson

Today I did something I have never, ever ever ever done

I cried on a train, in front of REAL PEOPLE. 
I ..... expressed a real emotion?

Why Patrick Ness (and Siobhan Dowd). w h y 

Anyway this book is undoubtedly beautiful. The main characters situation really made me feel, as in, sharp shocks that felt like I'd been slapped in the face or punched in the stomach because of how much I felt

And even though this book is small, it is so big. It has so much to say in just the right amount of words, in just the right way. The art throughout is haunting and beautiful, the story pulls you forward, keeps you tuning pages, until that awful but beautiful bitter sweet ending that really had me tearing up like a goddamn baby

Full review to come. I am beyond moved, breathtaking truly and I cannot WAIT for the movie.

A Monster Calls Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd

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