Monstrous Devices
By Mary Cosola,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Toy robots come to life in fun, creepy European adventure.
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Based on 4 parent reviews
Scary for a 9 year old
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Good for kids
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What's the Story?
In MONSTROUS DEVICES, tin toy robots are anything but toys and a boy's trip to Europe with his granddad is anything but a vacation. Alex lives a quiet life in a British suburb with his mother, going to school and putting up with vicious attacks from bullies. He has a small collection of old tin, wind-up robots from his grandfather, his dead father's father. One day, he receives another robot in the mail, with a note telling him this particular one is very special. Little does he know that this small toy is about to set off a series of chases, battles, and investigations into old legends across France and Prague. Danger lurks around every corner in the form of a mysterious, violent gang and toy robots come to life. While on the run from (and sometimes straight into) perilous situations, Alex tries to unravel his grandfather's secrets, the true story of his father's death, and the mystery around his own early health issues. He learns he's stronger and more resilient than he ever imagined.
Is It Any Good?
In this fun, fast-paced adventure story, 13-year-old Alex gets way more than he bargained for when he receives a small toy robot from his grandfather. The robots in Monstrous Devices are just that: monstrous. Many come to life and are used as weapons by a mysterious crew hunting Alex and his grandfather in pursuit of Alex's latest robot, which possibly holds the secret to a powerful legend. Author Damien Love creates a wonderful duo in Alex and his grandfather. Alex is a nice, sensible, relatable character, and his grandfather is funny, dashing, and brave. The imagery throughout the book is beautiful. Like the creepy toy robots in the story, the places and unusual characters come alive on the page, putting the reader right in the action with the characters.
The story itself is structured as a series of chase scenes and fights held together with a golem legend and mysteries around Alex's father and grandfather. The excitement in the various battles is well executed and fun, but some of the action gets repetitive after a while. When it comes to many of the questions involving Alex's dad and grandfather threaded throughout the action, the book leaves a little too much hanging. In fact, there's so much left unresolved, it seems a Book 2 must be in the works.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way book and movie characters easily fall into dangerous adventures in fantasies like Monstrous Devices. Why do you think these types of stories are so popular? Can you imagine yourself just going along on a dangerous escapade?
Do legends and myths interest you? Do you think any are based in reality? Why do you think some legends stick around for so long?
What do you think of Alex's growth as a character in the book? What qualities of his shine through the most?
Book Details
- Author: Damien Love
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: October 16, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 352
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: December 14, 2018
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