One Beastly Beast

One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens,
Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales
by Garth Nix

ONE BEASTLY BEAST by

Illustrated by

Category: Fantasy

Age Recommendation: Grades 6+

Release Date: 8/1/07

Publisher: Eos

Reviewed by:

Rating: 5 Stars

Fantasy writer Garth Nix has created a short story collection for the younger set. Exploring the underworld of rat

pirates;

adoptions of Earthlings by odd, tentacled aliens; a princess literally searching the belly of the beast; and a

brainiac solving the

dilemmas of a kindhearted sea serpent, Nix introduces young readers to the possibilities of the

imagination between the

covers of a book.

ONE BEASTLY BEAST is an excellent choice for the reluctant reader. The full manuscript is around 120 pages,

which can

make a RR groan. However, each story is only about a quarter of the book, so readers can actually finish

a single storyline

very quickly. Additionally, illustrator Brian Biggs provides a number of illustrations to kick-start the

imaginations of readers

who might need a little extra motivation to continue to the end.

Possibly the strongest point regarding the construction of this book, however, is that even though it is a collection of

four

short stories, Nix still divides each story into chapters, thus giving young readers a taste of chapter books, as well

as further

dividing the reading challenge into smaller bites for the most reluctant of readers.

For those who are looking for something that will motivate a boy to read, this book will do just that, with pirates, rats,

inventors, and aliens. Nix doesn’t forget about his young female audience, however; they will love the adventure-

seeking

princess, penguinmaids, and the super-smart Serena, who saves the day with her bravery and willingness to

dig deeper and

understand the heart of a vegetarian sea serpent.

Overall, this is a book for every young reader; Nix has scored a fantasy winner with ONE BEASTLY BEAST

(TWO

ALIENS, THREE INVENTORS, FOUR FANTASTIC TALES).