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A review by bookoffimreading
The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips
4.0
I really enjoyed this story and it was great to be able to read a book to my eight-year-old daughter that kept us both entertained, but in different ways. I could appreciate the depth of the plot while my daughter was swept away with the humour and gore of the story.
As the blurb explains, Ebeneezer has to feed the beast in his attic all sorts of things and in return the beast vomits out (yes gross, but the kids love it) various items that Ebeneezer wants, including a potion that keeps him forever young. But he has essentially created a monster to feed his own selfish desires, and when the beast demands a child to eat, Ebeneezer is in two minds. He knows that this is probably a step too far, but his vanity and greed gets the better of him and he sets out to find a child for the beast. Ebeneezer eases his conscience by finding the most horrible child he can, but will his plan be as straightforward as he thinks?
Jack Meggitt-Phillips’ writing style is intelligent, witty and enthralling and it draws you into Ebeneezer’s strange little world. The descriptions are so imaginative and appealing to young children, for instance ‘the house was as wide as a dozen elephants’. You can imagine the picture this conjures up, and they will love the gruesome descriptions of the smelly beast and his eating habits. There are also references that might go over a child’s head, but which made me laugh, such as the little suitcase that Bethany finds, I won’t give anything away, but I thought that was genius.
The characterisation is brilliant. Ebeneezer is eccentric and posh while Bethany is feisty and brattish. Both are flawed characters that you just can’t help but like, and it was wonderful to see how the characters grow emotionally and how their relationship evolves throughout the book.
Aside from all the fun and silliness, the story will evoke empathy in children as orphaned Bethany has a very sad backstory, but this is hugely important for a child’s emotional development and why reading with children is so important.
The illustrations are superb and they fit perfectly with the quirky and dark nature of the book. My daughter loved studying them so much that it took a while to get back to reading at times!
The story keeps a great pace all the way through, right up until the exciting ending that will have children on the edge of their seats. This is a fabulously dark and amusing book that kids will love. My daughter and I are looking forward to the release of the movie, as well as the sequel to this book – The Beast and the Bethany 2 – Uncaged!
As the blurb explains, Ebeneezer has to feed the beast in his attic all sorts of things and in return the beast vomits out (yes gross, but the kids love it) various items that Ebeneezer wants, including a potion that keeps him forever young. But he has essentially created a monster to feed his own selfish desires, and when the beast demands a child to eat, Ebeneezer is in two minds. He knows that this is probably a step too far, but his vanity and greed gets the better of him and he sets out to find a child for the beast. Ebeneezer eases his conscience by finding the most horrible child he can, but will his plan be as straightforward as he thinks?
Jack Meggitt-Phillips’ writing style is intelligent, witty and enthralling and it draws you into Ebeneezer’s strange little world. The descriptions are so imaginative and appealing to young children, for instance ‘the house was as wide as a dozen elephants’. You can imagine the picture this conjures up, and they will love the gruesome descriptions of the smelly beast and his eating habits. There are also references that might go over a child’s head, but which made me laugh, such as the little suitcase that Bethany finds, I won’t give anything away, but I thought that was genius.
The characterisation is brilliant. Ebeneezer is eccentric and posh while Bethany is feisty and brattish. Both are flawed characters that you just can’t help but like, and it was wonderful to see how the characters grow emotionally and how their relationship evolves throughout the book.
Aside from all the fun and silliness, the story will evoke empathy in children as orphaned Bethany has a very sad backstory, but this is hugely important for a child’s emotional development and why reading with children is so important.
The illustrations are superb and they fit perfectly with the quirky and dark nature of the book. My daughter loved studying them so much that it took a while to get back to reading at times!
The story keeps a great pace all the way through, right up until the exciting ending that will have children on the edge of their seats. This is a fabulously dark and amusing book that kids will love. My daughter and I are looking forward to the release of the movie, as well as the sequel to this book – The Beast and the Bethany 2 – Uncaged!