A Monster Calls
Book description
The bestselling novel and major film about love, loss and hope from the twice Carnegie Medal-winning Patrick Ness.
Conor has the same dream every night, ever since his mother first fell ill, ever since she started the treatments that don't quite seem to be working. But tonight is different. Tonight,…
Why read it?
14 authors picked A Monster Calls as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Targeted towards children, A Monster Calls is a classic novel for all ages. It is a moving and complex portrayal of grief through a fantasy lens.
I cried so much reading this book and faced hard truths about loss, just as the main character did in coming to terms with his mother’s passing.
It’s been said by smarter people than me how writing horror for kids isn’t about scaring them, it’s about showing them how brave they are.
A Monster Calls is the perfect illustration of that. The scariness and the spookiness are a stand-in for the real-life horrors that this kid is facing. Kids deal with a lot, and this book is the perfect example of how to survive when the worst happens.
The artwork too—wow! I wish I could get some of this artwork to hang on my walls. Absolutely gorgeous book.
From Sarah's list on where the monsters are more than monsters.
I’ll always be haunted by this book, based on an idea conceived by Siobhan Dowd before she died…and then taken up and written by Patrick Ness.
A boy whose mother is terminally ill notices a monster outside his window at night, getting closer and closer. But the monster isn’t coming to hurt him; rather, he’s come to join the boy as he faces and navigates loss. Painfully truthful and beautiful.
From Jodi's list on walking the line between real and imaginary.
I need to pause here, because writing this article has made me think about our need as a species to be able to see ourselves through the eyes of others. A need to empathize and to know that others suffer the same traumas we do and also experience the same joy that we do.
Though categorized as YA, this novel has wide appeal. It’s a story of a child who is dealing with grief, but that experience is handled in a gentle, impactful way with plenty of metaphor. Published in 2011, I read it at a time when I was…
From Catherine's list on a child who has a tough journey through life.
This dark fantasy book had me sobbing more than once, thanks to some great writing and the personal resonance it had for me at the time of reading. It’s marketed as YA fiction, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s only for young adults—it’s for everyone, especially if they’re struggling with grief. Siobhan Dowd came up with the story while fighting cancer and sadly died before it could be written, but Patrick Ness has created something beautiful, melancholy, and strangely uplifting from her original idea, in which the young Connor befriends a monster who tells him three stories before…
From Ray's list on using horror to explore loss.
This is a quick and heartfelt read that explores loss, love, and truth. It centers around Conor, a boy with a sick mother, who is struggling with bullies in school. One night, a monster visits him, demanding his truth. Throughout their encounters, the monster tells Conor original stories that smack with all the weight of ancient fables. It offers a classic story-within-the-story that helps Conor understand his circumstances through new eyes and access a deeper part of himself.
From Alison's list on fantasy that showcase the power of stories.
Conor’s mother is sick, and for three nights, a monster comes to tell Conor a new story. On the fourth night, the monster demands that Conor tells his story. A true story. In this way, the monster helps Conor to grieve and come to terms with the fact his mother is dying. A Monster Calls is a beautiful novel, hauntingly illustrated, for anyone—young or old—who has struggled to grieve and accept that death is a part of life.
From Chase's list on to introduce readers to magical realism.
Monsters can be stand-ins for something external that must be fought—social injustice, racism, fate—but Ness’s yew tree monster is a stand-in for something internal that must be accepted. This monster is beautifully ambiguous, sometimes appearing as the shadow left by loss. Sometimes it seems to be 13-year-old Conor’s hyperactive neurons firing off dream stories to help him deal with his mother’s premature death. Or maybe it is an ancient, primal force, giving Conor permission for the destructive expression of pain. Not that it really matters in the end. I’ve seen this called a middle-grade book, I suppose because of the…
From Maria's list on stories told by monsters.
A Monster Calls is a true masterpiece of writing and illustration, and a must-have for any home or school library. We follow Conor as he begins to process and understand his mother's illness. While the story uses the foil of a mythical tree monster come to life, this is the story of how we can move through emotions and come out the other side changed. The monster challenges Conor, and challenges us the reader, to be honest, to be fully in touch with our feelings. He tells us that there is a path through hard times and difficult emotions, with…
From Aoife's list on children's books about grief and death.
This book is stunning and rocked me to the core. Since his mother became ill (also with cancer), 13-year-old Conor is wakened every night at the same time by an ancient monster. The monster declares it will tell Conor three true stories, after which Conor must tell a true story of his own. Through these stories, Conor faces the truth about his feelings and fears and the reader joins in the profound and incredible journey shared by unlikely allies. It may be a bit scary and sad for very young readers, but the overall message about self-forgiveness it being ok…
From Meagan's list on middle grade about medicine or illness.
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