Malamander
Thomas Taylor
Malamander
Thomas Taylor
Fans of Lemony Snicket or Pseudonymous Bosch will find their next adventure here. -Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor: Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age who lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby. She’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find her parents. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued by a strange hook-handed man. And the town legend of the Malamander-a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true-is rearing its scaly head. As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? Featuring black-and-white spot illustrations, this lighthearted, fantastical mystery kicks off the Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series - now available in paperback with a bright new cover featuring Herbie and Violet.
Review
Natalie Platten
Malamander is a seafaring adventure set in the coastal town of Eerie-on-Sea and is the story of a legendary fish-man creature (of the same name) rumoured to be in hiding there. At Eerie-on-Sea the air smells fishy and the sea mist sends its ghostly tentacles about town. But, please don’t be alarmed by this story’s dismal setting, its characters are full of theatrical aplomb. In particular, the hero of this story, Herbert Lemon, a twelve-year-old boy employed as a Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel.
Herbert is the only person with the necessary detective skills to help Violet Parma, a young girl who is lost and needs to be found and who also happens to be on the run from Boathook Man; a very frightening bearded sailor. Together, Herbert and Violet work to solve a mystery beginning with a clue that leads them to the Eerie Book Dispensary, a magical place where the book chooses the reader, not the other way around. So begins this rollicking, suspense-driven adventure that will thrill, frighten and delight readers aged 9+.
Natalie Platten is the assistant manager and children’s book buyer at Readings Doncaster.
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