Book #551 – A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A book about nightmares and monsters is perfect for this spooky Halloween reading list. Apparently the original idea of Siobhan Dowd (author of the London Eye Mystery series), the work was passed to Patrick Ness after her death. Much of the story shows the influence of Siobhan’s own struggle with cancer, and the grief of those that knew her pain in those final years. While yes, the story does deal quite a bit with a young teenager’s nightmares and a yew tree grown sentient, there is much more to this story.

Originally published in 2011, the book has been nominated for and won several literary awards, including winning the Galaxy British Book Award, and a nomination for the Bram Stoker Award. In 2016, the book debuted as a film at the Toronto Film Festival and had Sigourney Weaver and Liam Neeson as part of its cast. Like the book itself, the movie received several nominations and awards.