A Monster Calls

By Patrick Ness

This book is about a boy called Conor being visited by a monster, but it is not the one he is expecting, not the one he is terrified of. The monster tells him three tales that help him. Conor's Mum is ill and having treaments in the book and so the monster makes him see things about himself.

To begin with I didn’t enjoy this book that much, but as I read more, I grew to like it more. My favourite bits were the ones with the actual monster in, especially as I think the stories the Monster told are very true. I liked them because although they were aimed at Conor I think they were true for nearly all humans.

I really liked the character of Conor’s Mum and I thought she really came across as someone who really really cared about her son. I also liked Conor, I thought it was really sweet how he really wanted to care for himself and his Mum without help, and I felt sorry for him, having to be so grown-up with his Mum.

Ness managed to really do the descriptions in the book well, describing everything clearly and I think that definitley added to the story. I also really liked the drawings in them, whole page ones and ones in the corner of the pages, they were really effective.

I read this book really quickly and although it didn’t take me long, I really enjoyed it. Overall, I think that this was a good book and an easy read.

By Emily B, Year 8

A Monster Calls

By Patrick Ness

Love, love love this book! The illustrations are beautiful and I really enjoyed the story overall, with it making me cry! It would have been interesting to see Siobhan Dowd's interpretation of the story, however Patrick Ness did a brilliant job! It's tough to see whether this is going to win or not, but ti's definitely one of my favourites!

Abi, Yr 12

A Monster Calls

By Patrick Ness

I absolutely loved this book! It was quirky and original with beautiful illustrations and powerful ideas. It was like reading a much loved book that I's read many times before, and it was incredibly moving for considering how short it was.

Rachel, Yr 12

A Monster Calls

The name "Chaos Walking" suits this book aswell, Ness really stuck to his style on this one. Dark, very dark; I'm not complaining. I really enjoyed this book, we all now know that Ness was not just lucky with a trilogy - like J.k Rowling and the seven books of drivel known as Harry Potter - we know Ness can write a decent book that isn't backed up by one before that just got lucky (I never read New World but I count it as a Chaos Walking).

Then we get to the book itself, almost poetic, the "Monster" spoke the way you'd expect a wise old man to speak but could change to a Monster in a second. He lead Conner down a dark path, no following family, he seemed almost happy at the start though. Happy he was alone, his mother had cancer, that he was bullied and plagued with nightmares of a tree monster.

The entire thing was written in the same style as the Chaos Walking trilogy; dark, twisting, a certain hint to the writing that I can see but can never quite put my finger on.

The illustrations were yet another part of this book that added up up as awesome, the darkness of it, the style of it was almost goth, the Monster was - in my point of view - exactly how I would have imagianed it. A dark, twisted monster with tendrils and leaves, a brown that's closer to black than it is to brown. Just more perfection.

So, A Monster Calls is proof that Ness is more than just the amazing author of Chaos Walking, its proof Ness is an amazing author that we all hope will write more amazing novels. GO FOR THE SECOND WIN IN A ROW!

Louis Yr 9

Ready, steady, SQUEE!

The rights for Chaos Walking have been sold!  Lionsgate can make a film.

I'm not sure if this is exciting or scary, I have such a clear image of what these characters look like, how they act, how they move.  I know what they sound like, and I know you do too! So, can our expectations ever be met?  I've started a thread on this in the Forum, so head on over and let me know what you think.  Who would be your idea casting choices?  Who on earth could play the Mayor?!

The Hay Festival

Hay is a HUGE literary festival, held every year. This year the line up was amazing and I was very disappointed that I couldn't go!  But Molly did, AND she got a ticket to the event that I would have pulled out a fingernail to go to...

 On the 28^th May, I went to see David Almond and Patrick Ness at the Hay Festival with my sister Gwen. David Almond was talking about his new book, My Name is Mina, and Patrick Ness was talking about his new book, A Monster Calls. First, they started talking about where they got the idea for the two books from. Patrick Ness had the same agent as Siobhan Dowd, who had an idea, and a beginning. They asked Patrick Ness to finish the book. This led on to writing a book, and talking about having to let a book grow, and go whichever way it wanted to, while still being true to the story. David Almond talked about his book, and how Mina made words into pictures, and wrote a story where nothing happened, which was just two empty pages. We saw the artwork from A Monster Calls. Afterwards, some people asked questions that I can’t quite remember.

Overall, I really enjoyed this event and it was great to see Patrick Ness and David Almond talking about their books!

  Patrick Ness's autograph to my sister Gwen! 

And the winner is....

Monsters of Men, by Patrick Ness!

To quote the man himself, huzzah!

I did quite a lot of squealing and jumping up and down when I heard the news, sat at my computer desperately clicking away on Twitter to refresh the feed.  The plan was to do a group announcement at 1.15, so that everyone would find out together, but Will, Ellie and Jess's poor Maths teacher made the mistake of teaching them in the ICT room today and so the massive majority of their time was spent refreshing the news page until they found out who the winner was and sent excited emails back and forth.  Apparently they got told off quite a lot.  Worth it.

The rest of the Shadowers gathered to hear the news and let out a massive cheer.  They then demolished the huge, delicious and highly decorated three tier Carnegie cake that Jenna and Louise made.

It was amazing!  The cake, I mean.  Well, the devouring was pretty impressive too.  Within five minutes there was NO CAKE REMAINING.

Hopefully there will be a video of the ceremony up on the site soon, but for now, do have a look at this Guardian article which reports from the awards.  I love what Ness has to say about the importance of libraries and the absolute idiocy of declaring a wish to improve literacy while reducing access to books.

And our congratulations also go to Louis, who is quoted on the official CILIP press release of the award.  Good work Louis!

Quote of the day: 'Miss, there seems to be a lot of cake in this whole Carnegie thing.'
Why, yes.  Yes, there does.  \o/

Carnegie Day

It’s all coming to an end!

Yes, it’s Carnegie announcement day, which means that all of this joy is coming to an end.  But there’s been so much wonderful stuff happening this year!

Last Wednesday we were visited by the Shadowers at Sir John Lawes school across town.  It was fantastic to hear some new opinions on the books, and though some of the discussions were heated, we made some excellent new friends and are really looking forward to doing more with them in the future.  Hopefully they will join us in becoming Nerdfighters! Many thanks to Ms Warman for arranging their visit and piling them all into the minibus.

Then yesterday we had an amazing Shadowing meeting and took part in something very new to us – a Twitter interview with Patrick Ness!  We all settled down with tribute doughnuts, went through the inevitable ICT emergency (why block Twitter school?!  Why?!) but were all set and ready to go at 1.30.  Will and I typed in questions and queries, and Patrick answered them all, giving us an insight into his writing.  The tweets have been archived here, so if you’d like to have a look at our questions, please go ahead!  We’d like to say a huge thank you to Patrick for giving us his time. 

And now, the day is here.  Thursday 23^rd June.  Carnegie Day.

At 12.30, they will announce the winner of this year’s Carnegie medal, and we’ll know if our Shadowing vote matched that of the judges.  So I guess it’s time to announce our own winner.

The RPS Readers Carnegie Shadowing winner for 2011 is…

Monsters of Men, by Patrick Ness. 

This amazing book held us captivated right the way through as the war raged.  Our sympathies were pulled tight across all sides at one time or another and many returned from reading this book with shredding nails!  Those who read it as a stand alone enjoyed it and appreciated the story for what it was enough that some of these readers were among those who voted it their winner.  And those who read the whole trilogy were bowled over by the complexities and involvement that they felt with the characters, all of whom we came to love or admire in some way.  Yes, even the Mayor.  He may be the most wonderful villain ever created. 

Awesome. 

Monsters of Men

Todd and Viola. Two people trapped in a war between 3 leaders, all looking to dominate the other 2. The Mayor, who controls Prentisstown, Mistress Coyle, Head of the Answer, and The Sky, leader of the Spackle (or the land as they call themselves). And they are two people who have to create a world that is safe for an entire new convoy of Settlers on the New World, and they don't have long.

Now I look at it, I realise I have been verbally reviewing this book for ages. They have been as short as: "Read it now. It is awesome" or sometimes I have gone into a bit more detail. I have been so seriously obsessed to the extent that some people have started to worry in love with this book my Mum is reading it currently. I'm not joking.

I had already read it before last years Carnegie (where Patrick Ness had been short-listed for the Ask and the Answer. I was actually lucky enough to meet him!). Miss Adkins had put me onto them, starting with the knife of never letting go. By the time I had got to Monsters of Men I was so totally in love with the series I read it in one day (I was standing outside lessons, reading, in lessons, reading, at home, reading, I bed, reading, downstairs, recovering from its awesomeness and something else that I won't say because it would kind of be a spoiler). I have since lost count of how many times I have read it. Enough blabbering.

Why do I love it (other than it just being utterly epic)?

Well, I'll start with the characters. I love them (especially Todd and Viola) because, not only are they superbly rounded, the voices are so amazingly written that when they are speaking, you are then. I swear, whilst reading, I actually love Viola (and Todd as well!). Basically, he deviously crept in whilst I was engrossed and started playing with my emotions!

Todd. I'll begin with Todd. Viola is his world, and almost everything he does is to protect Viola, and to make the world a better place. Obviously, with such a personal cause he makes mistakes along the way, sometimes they are awful things, but he does all with the best intentions, and punishes himself more than anyone else ever could, maybe more than he should, and he always picks himself up again and continues to try his best.

Viola next. She is a wonderful character, who tries so hard to do the best, as does Todd, for the world. She is from a new convoy of settlers, as opposed to Todd, who was born on the New World from an earlier lot of people looking for a better life. She again, makes her mistakes, most are to protect Todd, but finds a way to make up for them and carry on.

Then there was The Mayor. I never loved him (obviously) but his character is so cleverly created. He's not meant to be loved (again, obviously) but he can fool you. Easily. He is manipulative and crazy, so power hungry he would do anything to stay in power. But he's clever enough not to need to be desperate. He's clever enough to stay there using manipulation and ruthless cunning. I could go on for hours about the other characters but I might just crash Google with my epic fan geek rant.!

So, I move on to the plot. I have heard people say it goes on to long, but for me, I wanted more *laughs evilly with more echoing in the background*. The twists and turns were so carefully crafted, catching you at the best times. The power struggles (for which Ivan is a good measure of) are constant, ever changing and merciless. And guess what? Todd and Viola are in the middle *wishes them luck and runs*.

So as this war unfolds Todd and Viola have to find a way. A way to not only survive, but save the world from any supreme rule (and there isn't just one way that could happen).

Now, I have used up enough of your time already. Time that should have been spent reading. Reading this. Go. Now. Read it or I might have to make you or you are missing out!

*gives Blogger a break*

(the) Will

YR 8

Monsters Of Men

By Patrick Ness.

This book is about Todd, Viola and the Mayor, who, as well as many other of there friends are involved in a war against the Spackle, on an unknown world. The war is in a helpless world and the three fractions have a struggle to win, or lose. This book is the third and final book in the series, after the ‘Ask and the Answer’ and ‘The Knife of Never Letting Go.

I found this book very difficult to get into as I thought to much unneeded information was given, making the book ‘drag on’ a little bit. I personally feel that the book could have been half the size. Although, I have said the above, I found this book really exiting once I got to about three quarters into the book as more action and suspense came into the book.

I also thought that the triple narrative was really effective in this book as it allowed you to see all aspects of the war and what was going on in all areas of the ‘New World’. My favourite narrative was Viola, as I though she had more feeling in her part, which I enjoyed. However, I also thought the way that Patrick Ness showed Todd’s situation in schooling by spelling incorrectly was really good as it gave it more depth and background into how long the war had been going on, and what some effects to young people such as Todd and Viola.

Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book for a while after I had started it, although it defiantly picked up towards the end and from that point on I really enjoyed it!

Jess year 8

Monsters Of Men Patrick Ness

The endless War. Todd and Viola only want peace but with invading armies of the answer, the mayor’s (David Prentiss) own army and the spackle it’s going to be hard. But will love trump hate or will the noise of battle still ring loud in the mayor’s ears. But does war make monsters of men or does it make a boy become a man? The mayor believes the latter.

The book is fantastic I love the characters and I love the story line. A beautifully written novel with drama, war, romance and pain.

My favourite character was probably Viola because she has attitude and she stands up for herself. She is also kind hearted and giving. I didn’t like Todd so much because he never stands up for himself really and he just does whatever people tell him he basically has no independence. The mayor still wants to fight even though it costs him the life of many of his army. He also can’t stand losing and he likes to get his own way.

“Monsters of Men” is the 3^rd book in the series “chaos walking” and I think before you read this one you need to reads the first two like I have. I really hate the wait between each book as Ness tends to leave the end of the first two books on a cliff hanger because I was desperate to read the next one and find out what happens.

I thought however the book was a little too long and it spent ages saying one simple thing. It could have been so much shorter and think the length puts people of from reading it. This is a real shame because it’s a great book.

One of the reasons the book is so long is because it vividly describes everything from the scenery to the people. This can be a good thing and a bad thing it’s good because it paints a picture in your head but it’s bad because it doubles the length of the book.

Like nearly all the books nominated for Carnegie this year it changes perspective so you have to make sure you read at the top of the page who is talking and due to Ness’ brilliant description whose eyes you are looking through.

It’s a very unique book and I absolutely adored well done Ness and I look forward to reading more books by you.

Review by Yasmin Year 7

Monsters of Men

Monsters of Men is the third and final book in the series Chaos Walking following after 'The Ask and The Answer' and 'The Knife of Never Letting Go'.

It is about a boy called Todd and a girl called Viola. Todd found Viola in the first book 'Knife of Never Letting Go' and this certain book is all about war. At the beginning of the story Todd is fighting against the Spackle army along side the mayor of Prentisstown and Viola is trying to get to the scout ship. As the book goes on the war against the Spackle dies down and then the war starts all over again.

As the last in the story I found easier to read as I have read the two books before I read this one. Out of all the Chaos Walkings I think Monsters of Men is the best. throghout of all three books you have always wanted to find out what will happen in the end and finally this great series has gone with a bang.

My only criticism is that I think that Patrick Ness could have put shortened the length as of the book because I feel that it could have been put into a book almost half the size.

Overall I think this book is good and has a pull factor towards people that like war and running away so I would recommend it to any of my friends that enjoy reading long, fiction books which include war (which is quite a lot of my friends)

Harry Year 8

Monsters of Men

Patrick Ness

Monsters of Men

A warning to all who wish to read this book: It will consume you. This book will give you hope and then snatch it away, it will fill you with joy and pain and grief and love, and it will rip your heart apart a million times over. In other words, it is a masterpiece.

Todd and Viola have survived so much. But the Spackle are coming, a war is approaching, and "War makes monsters of men." Through this final part of the Chaos Walking trilogy, we see the young Todd and Viola adapt to impossible circumstances, and risk everything for each other, over and over again. Like always. But war is a terrible thing, and there is a price to be paid for it. The question is, how high?

Patrick Ness has crafted this novel magnificently. The beauty of the characters, full of the flaws which make us all so human, allows you to grasp them and never let go. When the characters speak to you, you are not reading an account of fictional events - you are living a very real life right alongside them. There is much in Todd and Viola which we as readers can relate to, but also there is so much that we can aspire to be. There is an amazingly realistic ideology to this novel which is admirable.

The structure of Monsters of Men, with its multiple narrators, should be confusing. There are many pages where there are two or three changes of perspective after less than a paragraph. By rights, it should be an impossible literary feat, and there should be no reader left without confusion. This is not the case; Ness has manipulated the voices of Todd, Viola, and another, and has used them to create the novel's biggest strength; there is not a moment of action missed, not a thought unheard, even when the plot calls for the main protagonists to be many painful miles apart. There are no awkward discussions between characters to serve the sole purpose of informing the reader. Everything that happens in the novel, everything that is said and done and thought, happens because it must, for the sake of Todd and Viola and the whole, stupid world.

Monsters of Men is a novel that will never leave you. It will burrow down into you and hide away, but it will always be there, a book to remember for all time.

Holly, Year 12

Monsters of Men

One word. Amazing. I love this book!

It is the story of Todd and Viola, caught in the middle of a war in the new world. And there are new settlers arriving, and the Spackle are attacking.... I don't want to reveal too much! But as well as the main story line, there are separate sub plots

This book is so well written. There are so many emotions, happy and sad. This book could make you cry. And laugh. And shout. The characters are all so well developed. Each has their own separate story to tell.

I can think of only one bad thing about this book, and that is that Davy is not in it. He was my favorite character in TAATA. :-(

The ending is so amazing! It is so clever, just genius. I wouldn't be able to think of it. The best ending to the best series.

Review by Elle
Year 8

*snuffle*

Thought the Easter holidays would be a great opportunity to reread the whole Chaos Walking trilogy.  Finished The Knife of Never Letting Go yesterday and feeling slightly traumatised and ready to run, fast, if I hear so much as a twig break behind me.  Now for The Ask and the Answer.

Damn these books are good.