A Monster Calls

Thirteen-year-old English schoolboy Conor's mother has been sick for the past year but she is getting treatments, and Conor won't let himself think that she might not get better. Until the night the monster comes. Although Conor feels a surprising lack of fear of the giant walking tree, the monster warns him that he will be afraid before the end, and this warning hangs over the book as readers get to know Conor. At school, Conor has been marked as "the kid whose mother is dying," and as such he feels invisible, except to the boys who bully him. At home, Conor does his best to appear strong and capable to his mother. His father lives in America with his new family, and Conor dreads the times when his strict grandmother comes to help his mother. The monster's visits give Conor the means to vent his anger and unhappiness over what's happening and to allow himself, finally, to become visible.