Monstrous Devices

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An ingenious tale… an array of menacing miniature machines equipped with whirling blades; a mystery that it takes the whole book to gradually unravel…and a properly apocalyptic Christmas finale” – BOOKS FOR KEEPS This grandad and grandson adventure has all the hallmarks of a whopping kids’ thriller.' The Big Issue, Kids’ Books of the year

Monstrous Devices – Damien Love – Heath Books Monstrous Devices – Damien Love – Heath Books

I can definitely see children enjoying this fantastical story a lot - goosebumps and all! It helps how the events keep following one another so you barely have room for a breather and.. I think that's exactly what this age group needs in books? I might be wrong, but.. I can imagine some kids needing a book that grabs and holds their attention because event after event after event happens. Monstrous Devices from Damien Love is aimed directly at the young teen reader market and as the contents of the storyline are almost too real at times, making this one very scary book; a little judicious direction from parents could be considered as very helpful, especially if the child is one that still occasionally finds monsters under the bed! Don’t we all at times. What fun! An evil villain, a host of scary robots, big and small, and a hero with commendably bad personal habits. Loved it!”— John Flanagan, New York Times bestselling author of the Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband series Prague has a rich, beautiful, and fearful history at times. This is hinted at and could be employed fully to really explore why the Golem is there, what role the Charles Bridge plays, along with the other important (and perhaps magical) buildings and locations.An odd, busy, mechanical little tune, to go along with some odd, busy, mechanical little goings-on. A pioneer of DIY electronica, Maddalena Fagandini was part of the BBC’s legendary Radiophonic Workshop, and made this as an “interval tune” for the Beeb. She later reworked it as a single with Beatles producer George Martin. My novel Monstrous Devices (a strange adventure for readers aged 9-99, stuffed with magic, mystery, derring-do and generally ill-advised behaviour) is available in the USA from Penguin Random House, and in the UK from Oneworld. Interweaving the Czech origin of the word ‘robot’ (meaning ‘forced labour’ and derived from Karel Čapek’s ‘RUR’ play), and Prague’s 16th century legend of the golem (a man made from clay created to protect the city’s Jewish Quarter) with contemporary pace and punch, this feels at once timeless and of the 21st century.

Seven (not too) scary books for 8-12 year olds | BookTrust

This book is a fabulous choice for teachers! It serves as the springboard for numerous lesson ideas. A science unit in which students learn about the five simple machines then employ that knowledge by designing and constructing their own robots. Mathematical concepts obviously will be needed in conjunction with the construction as well as in determining the distance traveled by the novel's young protagonist, Alex, and his grandfather as they trek across Europe. That adventure easily lends itself to a unit on geography. History comes into play by studying the invention and different applications of robots over the years. (You could even debate the merits of automation of jobs.) Language arts lessons are seemingly endless; rewriting the ending, writing the story from one of the robots' points of view, changing the setting, etc. Vocabulary, spelling, you name it, this book is a gold mine!It seems they're fighting against time and the wild legends are very much present and growing in danger. An excellent read, simply fabulous. A delightful dachshund is the star of the splendidly comic and atmospheric Paolo, Emperor of Rome (Abrams), by Mac Barnett and Claire Keane. Bored by his imprisonment in an upmarket salon, Paolo seizes his chance to escape, exploring Rome’s landmarks, art and opera and outfacing wild cats and street dogs as he refuses to be shut up even by the pope: “Paolo’s wild spirit was boundless. He could not be contained.” The toy robot accompanies Alex and Grandpa to Paris and as the story unfolds we discover its history and why the evil villains in the story will stop at nothing to get it. But Alex’s robot isn’t the only robot, there are also armies of toy robots, life sized robots and fliers (drone like robots). Time and time again Alex and his grandfather have to defend themselves from the robots and the girl who unleashes them. The mystery leads Alex and his grandfather to Prague in the Czech Republic, just as the city is preparing for Christmas. This local hymn is something that might be overheard coming from an old church as they go hurrying through the Old Town. Director Chris Sivertson takes the monster movie to a new, more sophisticated level in Monstrous. The movie's creature is likely to freak out young teens, who may not appreciate the movie's upside-down story. But parents will not only appreciate the plot; they're also the ones who will feel their hearts ripped out as the film, and Laura, unspools.

Monstrous Devices by Damien Love · Story Snug Blog tour: Monstrous Devices by Damien Love · Story Snug

Tea Cooper has woven an engaging tale around the life story of Francis Greenaway and his wife Mary. Her research and understanding of the times […] I did have a good time reading the adventure story, but I feel that some things were not as well-solved by the end of the novel as I'd like. I don't know if this is the first of a series, but I felt some of the plot points could be cleared up more. The resolution hardly felt resolved, and some of the characters ... they fell a bit flat. Alex's grandfather was funny at times, but other times, his 'uh's' and other hesitations seemed overdrawn. Less charming and more annoying. I felt bad for Alex most of the time - I understand the point of keeping some things for later in the book, but the kid is so caught up in a mess that nobody understands completely. Not even the people fighting seem to have the clearest idea of who or what they're on about. He just randomly fights against these vague "evil" forces without understanding the real history behind the bad guys. Who is that girl? Who is the tall man? Why are they all scarred up and how are the robots controlled by them? The little bits that are uncovered leave more questions.This was a bit more muddled than the first book, a little slow to ramp up, and not quite as finely done as the first. Still, a decent sequel, and the author left an opening for a third book. Hugely original, exciting debut novel... a fantastical but entirely believable world with scary killer robots oiled to perfection with automaton history, surprising characters and dry humour... Get hold of a copy, wind it up and let yourself go.' The Times