The Beast of Grubbers Nubbin (Stitch Head 5)

This book is the fifth in the Stitch Head series by Guy Bass and will therefore find a ready audience in children already familiar with Stitch Head, Arabella and Professor Erasmus. Those children who have not yet been introduced to the monstrous world of Castle Groteskew will, however, not be at a disadvantage if this is the first Stitch Head book they pick up, as, within a few pages, the reader learns of Stitch Head's unusual origins, meets Arabella and finds out about the one hundred very hungry orphans that they have rescued and it is that hunger for food which precipitates the events of this book. Creature (three legged and one eyed) and Ivo (one armed) do their best to cook something to calm the frantic children but their efforts leave a lot to be desired so, in desperation, Stitch Head and Arabella decide that they must steal the food from the local town but, to their surprise, they discover that there is a monster even more monstrous than themselves, also stealing food from the town and they set out to find this monster and feed their band of orphans. The book is full of illustrations of the orphans and the monsters, all looking fairly scary and there are lots of references to unspeakable concoctions and more than one vomit-related incident. Children will love the monsters who all, despite their unprepossessing appearance, seem to be well-meaning, while the grossness of the humour will appeal to both boys and girls; Creature and Ivo's attempts to take the orphan's minds off their stomachs by staging a circus act is particularly hilarious. 218 pages / Ages 8+ / Reviewed by June Hughes, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 7+