A Monster Calls

by Patrick Ness

Conor's dad left him and his mom and now lives across the Atlantic with his new family. He and his grandma don't get along at all. And his mom is sick with cancer. There's a yew tree outside his window, and one night, it turns into a monster, but Conor's not scared. He's seen worse. The monster wants to tell him three stories. Conor listens, but he doesn't get the point of the tales, or understand why the monster is visiting him. Until it's time for him to tell his story.

This book is based on an idea by author Siobhan Dowd. Sadly, she passed away from cancer at the age of 47 before she could turn the idea into a book. Patrick Ness, out of a desire to honor this fine author, took the idea and developed it into A Monster Calls. While the monster is mildly scary, don't expect this to be a horror novel, despite its creepy title and cover. It's really a story about grief, loss, and coming to terms with your own deepest, darkest thoughts and secrets. A touching story, with black and white illustrations throughout that add to the dark atmosphere. It was so sad, though, that I don't even really feel like I can say I "liked" it. Beautiful and emotional, but gut-wrenching.