Thomas Taylor (6)Besprekingen

*I got this book for review from the publisher*

I thought this was adorable sequel to the first book in this series. It was a very different type of book. I loved how it was a very different type of book than the first book but still connected back. I liked how this book really took Herbie out his comfort zone alot. I like how this book had a fun mystery at its heart with new fun creature. I also liked how we learned more about herbie past. I also liked the new characters that we got to meet. It was super fast pace story and I am really excited for book 3.

*I got this book for review and would rate this book 3.5 for review*
This was such a surprising read. I think this is such a fun middle grade adventure/mystery story. I also really did love this eerie little town as well. I also really liked both man characters and found the mystery to be super compelling. I really did think this book was the prefect mix of creepy and eerie but not scary. I found this to be such a fast pace read. I will def be checking out book 2 in the future.

*I got this book for review from the publisher*

I thought this was adorable sequel to the first book in this series. It was a very different type of book. I loved how it was a very different type of book than the first book but still connected back. I liked how this book really took Herbie out his comfort zone alot. I like how this book had a fun mystery at its heart with new fun creature. I also liked how we learned more about herbie past. I also liked the new characters that we got to meet. It was super fast pace story and I am really excited for book 3.

*I got this book for review and would rate this book 3.5 for review*
This was such a surprising read. I think this is such a fun middle grade adventure/mystery story. I also really did love this eerie little town as well. I also really liked both man characters and found the mystery to be super compelling. I really did think this book was the prefect mix of creepy and eerie but not scary. I found this to be such a fast pace read. I will def be checking out book 2 in the future.

Genre
Picture books for children
Subject
Animals
Cupcakes
Helpfulness
Hunger
Mice

If you like the first three you'll probably like this one. Might be getting just a bit stale.½

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/4ApHnjRNkZA

Enjoy!

I loved this book. My daughter also started it and enjoys it as well. Easy to read, keeps you engaged with the mystery and characters. I look forward to more in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Menee taatusti vinkkattavien kirjojen pinoon. Sopivan jännittävä vitosille ja kutosille.

A review I wrote in 2020:

Malamander by Thomas Taylor (4.5 stars)

An atmospheric fantasy mystery adventure. Nobody knows what happened to Violet Parma’s
parents 12 years ago; she was abandoned as a baby, her parents mysteriously disappeared.
Violet is on a quest to find out the truth. Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus
Hotel in Eerie-on-Sea, 12-ish, takes his job very seriously and spends his days trying to reunite
lost objects with owners. When Violet calls on Herbie to help her find her parents, he can’t resist
trying to help.

Does their disappearance have something to do with the legendary sea monster which haunts the
seas of Eerie-on-Sea, particularly in the winter time? Will they find any answers in the Eerie Book
Dispensary? Can the mechanical mermonkey help them? And what about Ermin, the cat…….?

A really good adventure novel, quite dark in places (so caution with younger readers or listeners).
Brilliantly told, with great language, page-turning and with characters you really care about, I
loved it.

Review on my Wrap Up Vlog
https://youtu.be/OOcKZ5f0UWc

I think this might be the best Eerie-On-Sea mystery yet! It had the best pacing and was action packed! I will admit that Gargantua was not my favorite book, so I was worried about this one, but I didn't need to! Herbie and Violet were in fine form, and are a dynamic duo, that I wish I could join and make a terrific threesome. If there are more books to come I will be keeping my eye out for them!

Shadowghast is the third entry in Thomas Taylor's late elementary-middle school series, 'Legends of Eerie-on-Sea'. During the summer, the town is 'Cheerie-on-Sea,' a happy tourist trap. The rest of the year the first two letters fall off the sign and the place truly becomes eerie. It's late October now and the time for Ghastly Night, the local version of Halloween, is near.

Our young amnesiac hero, Herbie Lemon, the current Lost-and-Founder for the town's Grand Nautilus Hotel, is not having a good morning when he first sees famed stage magician, Caliastra, and her entourage at the hotel. As we know from the first two books, hotel manager Mr. Godfrey Mollusc has a grudge against Herbie. Chapter two tells us how low Mollusc is willing to go in the matter of owner Lady Kraken's birthday breakfast.

Caliastra has some surprising news for Herbie. She claims to be his aunt, here to whisk him off to be reared and trained as her assistant -- after she puts on a special show for Ghastly Night. Herbie finds this news a little too good to be true, but Caliastra offers him proof in an unusual way.

In the meantime, cautious Herbie's best friend, the intrepid and intelligent Violet Parma, needs him to find someone lost. Violet is suspicious of Caliastra, which annoys Herbie. Violet is annoyed that Herbie doesn't see Caliastra as she does, and much more annoyed that Herbie is doing what the magician wants instead of helping her. Neither of them like Caliastra's Mr. Mummery, although mimes Rictus and Tristo are interesting.

The legend of the Shadowghast is told to the children through a nicely down shadow play by Dr. Thalassi, who owns the Eerie Museum. Music is provided by local beachcomber, Mrs. Wendy Fossil. (Mrs. Fossil also makes 'manglewicks,' candles and holders that are supposed to protect their owners from the Shadowghast. Dr. Thalassi doesn't know everything about what happened that first Ghastly Night. It was more ghastly than he ever imagined.

Someone is searching the boarded-up house of the late, unlamented writer and thoroughgoing villain, Mr. Sebastian Eels. Violet is certain that mystery is tied up with her own. With the help of Clermit, the clockwork crab introduced in book two, Herbie and Violet investigate. I really like the feature of the house that they learn about.

Erwin the talking cat, as well as the mermonkey device in the Eerie Book Dispensary, are also of assistance. (I think Herbie should really take Violet's advice and read the book the mermonkey found for him. He'll probably want to kick himself for not opening it sooner if he ever does.)

The abandoned town theater makes an excellent scene for the climax, although not nearly as frightening as another town feature we learn about in this book.

Shadowghast offers a menace chilling enough for an adult novel. Don't worry if you're older than the intended audience. There's plenty here to be enjoyed by those of us who like to feel the creeps and be scared in a fictional setting!

Sadly, because mine is an advance reading copy for review purposes, Tom Booth's illustrations range from 'TK' [to come], roughs, and finished work. Luckily, the first illustration of Caliastra is finished. She looks like a femme fatale, reminding me a little of Natasha Fatale from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons.

Shadowghast is a fitting continuation of the Eerie-on-Sea series. Thomas Taylor brings back the witty chills of the first two books as we follow lovable protagonists Herbert Lemon and Violet Parma while they try to uncover the secret of the Shadowghast lantern as their fellow townspeople disappear all around them. This is such a fun middle grade adventure that I’d recommend for the young and young at heart.

Thanks so much to Walker Books US and LibraryThing for sending this copy for review.

Herbert Lemon is the official “Lost-and-Founder” in the town of Eerie-on-Sea. In Shadowghast, third in a series by author Thomas Taylor, Herbert and his best friend Violet investigate mysterious disappearances while the town prepares to observe its annual Ghastly Night. The book will be published in September 2021 by Walker Books US, and I received an advance copy through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. View my video review at https://youtu.be/hmeII53mNhg

I loved Malamander....so had to continue reading this magical middle grade series! Gargantis continues the legend of Eerie-on-Sea, with the awesome quirky characters from the first book! Eerie-on-Sea is a magical place....a place where folklore and legends are part of every day life. Herbie Lemon is at the Grand Nautilus Hotel where he takes pride in being the resident Lost and Founder. Herbie finds things....and keeps them in his Lost & Foundery until claimed. He's joined by his friend Violet in this newest adventure. Something has awoken an ancient, legendary creature -- the Gargantis. The creature seeks its stolen treasure. If anyone can find out who took the treasure and figure out the mystery, it's Herbie and Violet!!

Another magical story in this series! The town, its inhabitants, and its folklore are quirky and wonderful! This tale is just as entertaining and fun as Malamander! The books are written for middle grade children....but as an adult, I love them too! I'm definitely eagerly awaiting the next book!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Candlewick Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Eerie-On-Sea is a seaside town where folklore and legends are just part of every day life. Herbie Lemon at the Great Nautilus Hotel is the local Lost and Founder. He gathers items he finds and keeps them in his Lost and Foundery until owners come to claim them. When a girl slips in a hotel window and begs to be kept hidden from an old man with a hook hand, she asks Herbie to find her missing parents. They went missing on a cold winter's night years before and their disappearance might be related to a local monster tale. And so begins a very magical and awesome children's story!

I read middle grade books all the time as palate cleansers in between heavier adult fiction. This book was a total joy to read! The characters are charming....the story engrossing and entertaining....and the tale just sucked me in from the start! Fun read!

My favorite part of the story is the fact that during the tourist season the town is Cheerie-on-Sea....but when winter rolls around the first two letters on the town sign disappear -- Eerie-On-Sea! Made me laugh! :)

The front cover art is awesome! That monstrous eye peering out at me is what made me want to read this book!!

Wonderful story! I can't wait to read more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Candlewick Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

The continuing adventures of Herbert Lemon and Violet Parma in the seaside town of Eerie-on-Sea.

This is a strong sequel that is as much fun to read as the first one. The town was still as quirky, and still oddly real feeling and the characters are still fun and while I missed some of the characters we spent more time with n the first book, the new cast introduced were an interesting addition and helps flesh out the town even more.
The "monster" this time round, the Gargantis, was fascinating if not as fleshed out and a bit more OP mystical feeling than the Malamander, but it works with the overall magical feeling of the town as a whole.

I had a few more problems with the story this time around than I did with the first one. One may be a factor of my age instead of being an actual problem...this problem was a group of adults who were a bit more willing to bring harm to the children characters for what felt like very poorly set up reasons and adults who did care about them...not looking out for them at all. I know in books like these children at risk and clueless adults are built into the fabric of the genre, it just really bothered me this time around.
Another of my issues was the inclusion of a pop culture reference. It was very jarring and felt out of place for the tone of the book and the timeless feeling the town usually has. I doubt it would bother younger readers, I found it took me out of the story for a few minutes.
My last issue is...Violet and how disrespectful she was to Herbert. I did not like her in this book at all every time she tricked or lied to Herbert, to force him to do things her way despite how he felt about it, or if he was ready for it, I wanted to throw the book against the nearest wall. And the fact that she was rewarded for this at the end instead of being called out for it, angered me at times.
I know I'm taking this way too seriously, but children need to know they have agency, they can say no and that will be respected by the people who say they care about them....deep sigh here. I am letting go...

Getting back to the story. I enjoyed the new mystery, I enjoyed the outcome and felt the build-up to the ending was handled well and was the right amount of exciting, and my issues from above notwithstanding, I did have a lot of fun reading this book and look forward to more adventures with these characters, I just hope they don't continue down this path with Violet because she clearly triggered something deep within me. I really love Eerie-on-Sea and Herbert and want to spend more time with them.

00006872

3,75 ⭐

This book was a bit hard to get into at the beginning, but after a while, its magic and atmosphere captured me completely. It felt like one of those stories I devoured as a child, and it warmed my heart immensely. It was so whimsical, I didn't want to stop reading it.

Violet and Herbert Lemon were both entertaining and compelling characters to follow, they were so funny. I found the antagonist not really intriguing or really cared about him not even in a hate-kind-of-way, he was just.. meh. I also felt a bit disappointed the mystery isn't resolved, but after all it's a series, so it didn't troubled me too much.

I definitely put the sequel on my priority list, I can't wait to see how the story continues.
I do recommend the audio, the narrator is really wonderful. All different kind of accents, but he's also really talented in let you understand what the characters are going through, which is always a plus.

If you want a fun middle grade with a lot of mystery mixed with friendships and family this is the right one to pick up!

Gargantis is the sequel to Malamandar, the first of the Legends-of-Eerie-on-Sea books. I'd enjoyed Malamandar so much that I was very happy to also win an advance copy of book two through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. The book did not disappoint.

This book was great and highly recommended! A perfect sequel to Malamander.

For the rest of my review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog page at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF1CT2sqg73kWUZ-k_rmGxA

Enjoy!

Back again in Eerie-on-Sea where our friendly Lost and Founder hotel employee Herbie Lemon and his friend Violet are knee-deep in storm surge and a troublesome mystery. A series of violent storms plague the small seaside town known to the fisherman as the monster Gargantis and then there is the discovery of a strange fish glass bottle and the arrival of a mysterious stranger. Herbie is charged with deciding who the rightful owner of the bottle is but finding the true owner puts them in all considerable danger. I love this imaginative middle grade series and the quirky but lovable characters of Eerie-on-Sea. For all fans of mythical sea beasties and adventure and what would make a great family group read. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

In this second thrilling adventure set in Eerie on the Sea, Lost and Founder Herbie Lemon and talented mischief maker Violet Parma go on another adventure in one of the most entertaining middle grade books I've read in a while. I lived the expansion of Herbie's world and meeting more strange and creepy characters. It has a fun mystery/adventure plot and I would recommend to everyone, not just it's target middle grade audience.

I received this book as a Early Reviewer on LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I have to stay, I love this series!!
I read the Malamander, the first book set in this wonderful seaside town, and I really liked it, so I was thrilled to receive Gargantis, the next in the series set in Eerie-on-the-Sea. These books do such an amazing job of creating a delicious atmosphere of strange and mysterious with a generous helping of fun. They are humourous and warm-hearted, and are just that little bit of scary... the kind of scary that gives you goosebumps and makes you catch your breath in fear... but still feeling like you are wrapped in the coziest of pajamas. Who is the strange hooded man? Will he come back, and what is in his metal box? And who, or what is the Gargantis? Thomas Taylor has done such a good job of creating a truly unique and interesting place in Eerie-on-the-Sea. It's comes to life in the reader's mind... from the bookstore with a strange electronic monkey that will recommend a book you *need* to read for the price of a quarter, to the Flotsamporium, a wonderful storefront filled with found beach treasures discovered by Eerie's resident diehard beachcomber, Mrs. Fossil, to the wonderful Grand Nautilus Hotel for whom the main protagonist, Herbert Lemon, works as their official Lost-and-Founder. I only wish there really was such a place to visit! It sounds so interesting and wonderful, filled with mysteries and legends of monsters, strange people and even a talking cat! Herbie, himself a mystery, having washed up on the shore of Eerie in a box of lemons as a small child, along with his friend Violet Pram, work together to discover the origins of the sailor stories and rhymes they keep hearing about from the local fishermen. They talk of a giant monster who swims through the air causing severe storms like the kind that Eerie has been experiencing for weeks. When a discovery by Mrs. Fossil unleases an unexpected surprise, it sets Herbie and Violet off on a trail of clues to a young sailor who helps them search for the truth of the legends, so they can try to stop the storm before Eerie ends up washed away into the sea. These books are truly a delight! They just have a magical feel that only the very best children's books have. I can't wait for the next installment, and look forward to visiting Eerie and all its strange and wonderful inhabitants in the future. Highly recommended!