Creature of the Night (novel)
 First edition | |
| Author | Kate Thompson |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult |
| Publisher | Bodley Head |
Publication date | 5 June 2008 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 978-0-370-32929-1 |
| OCLC | 213382225 |
Creature of the Night is a young adult novel by Kate Thompson. It was first published by Bodley Head on 5 June 2008.[1] It was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal[2] and the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize.[3]
Plot summary
[edit]Bobby, the fourteen-year-old narrator, is a thief and a hooligan. When his mother moves him and his young brother to a cottage near Ennis in County Clare[4] his only thought is how to get back to a life of crime in Dublin. Eventually he steals a Skoda car and goes back, only to find things have changed and he has no place there. He reluctantly returns to the cottage and is given work by a local farmer.
The cottage they are living in is on a path between two fairy forts. The family is warned by the farmer’s mother to put out a bowl of milk every night, but they consider this a mere superstition. Being deprived of the milk, a little old fairy woman comes through the dog flap into the kitchen. Dennis, Bobby's brother, sees and accepts her, but for Bobby it is a baffling and rather frightening mystery.
Reception
[edit]The Irish Times comments that Kate Thompson "conveys extraordinarily well not only Dublin's mean streets but country rhythms, and how city trends are infecting every town in Ireland".[5] The Guardian comments that in the novel, "all events are true to the characters involved and help to reveal something about them".[4] Bookheads describe Thompson's storytelling as "poetically insightful".[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "Creature of the Night". bodley Head. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
- ^ Walsh, Caroline (14 March 2009). "Loose Leaves". Irish Times. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
- ^ "Teenage Prize". Booktrust Teenage Prize. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
- ^ a b Ardagh, Philip (12 July 2008). "The changeling". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
- ^ MacMonagle, Niall (7 June 2008). "A boy between two worlds". Irish Times. Retrieved 23 April 2009.
- ^ "Review Creature of the Night". Bookheads. Retrieved 23 April 2009.[permanent dead link]
External links
[edit]
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