Malamander (An Eerie-on-Sea Mystery)

Product Information

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this. It feels spooky and dark, with vivid descriptions of the seaside town and its kooky inhabitants. I particularly loved the rather uppity cat and mermonkey, who both live in the library that's not really a library, where the books are prescribed rather than bought. All of the secondary characters feel like funny caricatures, with fun nautical names. Herbert and Violet, our main duo are also a decent enough pairing. They're well enough developed to carry the story, with Violet's mysterious past helping to propel the mystery of the plot forward. Their friendship also feels genuine and well thought out. However, I did find the villain of the story a little one dimensional. I think of the main reasons I enjoyed this so much, aside from the story, is the audio book narrator Will M. Watt who literally turned this book into a movie via audio! He's an amazing voice actor and now I'm wondering if I should leave the sequel that was kindly sent to me by Walker Books alone until the U.S. audio book comes out lol I want to enjoy the second book with him narrating it so bad. I suppose we will see what I do because I also really want to read book 2 now haha Each of the characters has been given a great name and they all are unique and bring so much to the plot from the not-quite-so-nice Mr. Eels, to Mrs. Hanniver who runs the Eerie Book Dispensary where you don’t choose the books, they choose you via the help of the mechanical mermonkey. When Violet Parma stumbles into the Hotel, closely followed by a mysterious and scary man with a hook for a hand, she asks Herbie to help her find her parents who went missing in a long and wintery night many years ago.

As winter approaches the seaside town of Cheerie On Sea, the summer warmth begins to evaporate, the bustle of tourists has disappeared and the first two letters on the welcome sign disintegrate and the harbour side town becomes Eerie On Sea, a township thriving on folklore and intrigue. Herbert Lemon is the lost and founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, a centuries old tradition of returning lost items to their owners and finding objects that have been lost. When a wild eyed young girl stumbles into Herbert's cellar of lost treasures, adventure awaits. Malamander held that promise. It’s a compelling book told in a funny and magical fashion. Thomas Taylor created a beautiful little universe with Eerie-on-the-Sea that has everything a bookworm could wish for: A set of original characters ranging from the formidable hotel owner to the collector of shiny pebbles and other mysteries that can be found on beaches, fascinating objects like the so-called Cameraluna and a glowing pink egg, and, of course, there is a library that will get you exactly the book you need, whether you want it or not.Violet Parma stumbles through the window of the lost and found department at the Grand Nautilus Hotel in Eerie-On-Sea where Herbert Lemon is working. She tells Herbert he needs to hide her and fast. Soon afterward the manager of the hotel, Mr. Mollusc arrives with an old man who has a boat hook for a hand. He wants to know where Violet is, but Herbert tells them he hasn’t seen any girl. Herbert Sitrus -niminen kaksitoistavuotias kaveri toimii Hotelli Nautilluksen löytötavaratoimiston hoitajana, jonka ikkunasta kömpii eräänä päivänä samanikäinen Orvokki. "Piilota minut, ole kiltti", toteaa yllätysvieras - eikä syyttä, sillä tämän kannoilla on kammottava merimies, jonka toisen käden paikalla on puoshaka*. Ja siitäpä sitten käynnistyy melkoinen seikkailu. Orvokki tarvitsee apua löytääkseen kadonneet vanhempansa, joiden elämäntyönä on ollut tutkia malamanteriksi kutsuttua kammottavaa merihirviötä. Legendan mukaan hirviön munalla on maagisia ominaisuuksia, ja sellaisen omistava ihminen voi toteuttaa minkä tahansa toiveen. Lapsille käy ilmi, että malamanterista ovat kiinnostuneita monet muutkin tahot (edellämainittu merimies mukaan luettuna), eivätkä nämä myöskään kaihda keinoja saadakseen sellaisen käsiinsä...

If you are a pirate or detective at heart, this is your book. And if something that once belonged to you went missing and you have yet been unable to find it, Eerie-on-the-Sea might be the place to look. Just watch out for the Malamander when you step off the boat. It might bite if you get too close… Herbie and Violet have a whirlwind friendship. Though they stumble under the weight of a misunderstanding, the reliance and trust they develop in one another never wavers. Herbie’s grounded sense of caution balances Violet’s head-strong drive to find the truth behind her parent’s disappearance. The support they provide one another amidst endless perils is as glittering and authentic as the Malamander’s dazzling egg. Filled with interesting characters and set in a town where folklore comes to life, Malamander is the perfect choice when you need a middle grade fantasy book that is different than wizards and magic.I do not read a lot of Middle-Grade books, but ever since I first heard of Malamander, I knew I could not miss out on this one. Everything about it grabbed my attention: the atmospheric seaside setting, the dreamy old small town with its odd but adorable inhabitants, and the promise of a fantastic adventure. In a small seaside town that you will not have heard of, Herbert Lemon is the Lost-and-Founder of the Great Nautilus Hotel. If anyone at the hotel loses something, Herbie will find it and keep it safe for them in his Lost-and-Foundery that has existed for many a century and houses a miraculous collection of things long left behind.

The book takes place in Eerie-on-the-Sea, and I adored how Taylor vividly brought that strange town to life. From the shops - the Eerie Book Dispensary with its Sea Monkey – to its characters - Mrs. Fossil looking for washed-up treasures on the beach: they all are colourful and enchanting. Everything in this town tells a story. Herbie and Violet are going to uncover one secret or another that has been hiding in Eerie-on-the-Sea, and for some reason, they all seem connected to the legend of a sea-monster. And Herbert and Parma should hope that this monster stays a legend, too.

Plot: What's the story about?

Kaybolan ailesini aramak için yolu Tuhaf Deniz Kasabasına düşen Violet Parma ve bu kasabanın otelinde kayıp eşyalar bürosundan sorumlu olan Herbert Limon'un bu gizemi çözerken başlarına gelenleri okuyoruz. In Malamander, Thomas Taylor casts a spell over his readers as he welcomes us into the mysterious mist-covered town of Eerie-on-Sea, where magic infuses the air, monster legends haunt the shore, and secrets lurk in the shadows. Filled with humor, adventure, and wonderful strangeness, this book is a treat. It is believed they went looking for the mysterious and legendary Malamander, a vicious sea monster that is said to swim in the sea and lay a magical egg that can make your wishes come true. What actually happened that fateful night, no-one knows. A quirky, creepy fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea finds a colorful cast of characters in hot pursuit of a sea monster thought to convey a surprising gift. Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl. No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander. Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up. And it just got stranger…