A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Jim, Kay, story inspired by Siobhan Dowd. 4.5 stars, middle grade fiction, 206 pages, 2011

An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.

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. from Goodreads

If I know a book will likely make me cry, more often than not, I’ll skip it. Plenty of things to cry about in real life, I do not need to be sobbing when reading fiction.

This book was so good I didn’t even mind that it made me cry twice. Not just tears in my eyes, but having to close the book and grab some tissues. I can only speak to this illustrated version. The fantastic illustrations really added another layer to this story for me. They created just the the right amount of darkness and terror needed.

Conor’s mom has been sick awhile and he’s having trouble at school. When a monster appears he’s scared, but nothing can be as scary as his nightly nightmare. The monster tells his stories and Conor’s life continues to get worse.

This is a kids book, but it goes to dark places. I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s so much to say, but I don’t want to say all of the spoilery things.

Have you read it? I highly recommend, but would read it first before sharing it with your child. As a mom you want to be prepared to discuss.

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“There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.”

“Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?”

“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.”

“Conor was no longer invisible. They all saw him now.
But he was further away than ever.”