The Beasties [Hardcover]

William Sleator (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997 | Age Level: 10 and up

The master of suspense delivers a hard-core horror story to thrill and chill. Fans will get more than goose bumps from this terrifying tour de force by William Sleator. The nightmare begins when Doug's family moves to the desolate northern woods; soon he and his little sister, Colette, become caught up in a war between the area's loggers and a dying race of woodland creatures who depend on human body parts for their survival. Tunnels, tunnels, leading everywhere...even right into Doug and Colette's basement. But who built them? Could the rumors about the mysterious, bloodthirsty kidnappers called the Beasties possibly be true? Skeptical Doug doesn't buy it at first, even if an unusual number of the local inhabitants seem to be missing important pieces of their anatomies. But once he and his sister stumble into a cavernous opening and meet the Beastie scout named Fingers, Doug is forced to become a believer. Colette soon is indoctrinated into the society of the Family, an underground civilization of slimy, pale beings with crudely stitched-together body parts. Doug desperately hopes to remain an outsider, but it seems he has no choice. In fact, the Family needs him to make the biggest sacrifice of all. If he tries to escape, he faces an awful truth (one that readers, too, will learn): Once you have met the Beasties, you will never be safe again. Hailed by R. L. Stine as "one of my favorite young-adult writers,"

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Strange creatures whose existence is threatened by loggers require human donors to survive. PW said that this novel "may well leave readers with some soul-searching questions." Ages 8-12. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-5?Doug and his precocious younger sister move to a deep forest when their botanist father has the opportunity to study a rare fungus. Before they leave, Doug's friend warns him to stay away from the shadowy woods or the "beasties" will get him. It's not long before the siblings are lured into an underground passage and meet up with the creatures. At this point, the hairs on readers' arms will start to rise and the plot takes the bizarre twist so familiar in Sleator's titles. Doug, presented with several dilemmas, is forced to make uncomfortable decisions without really understanding his choices. Using his trademark techniques, Sleator sets the scene within everyday situations, introduces unusual plot elements with vivid description, develops the story line by leading readers though a labyrinth, and builds to an explosive ending with a message. The Beasties follows this format and includes sibling rivalry, forest conservation, respect for those who are less valued or understood, choices and decisions, friendship, and a healthy dose of the creepy. This is a quick read, with lots of suspense, but its real effectiveness lies in the way it introduces and explores issues of human choice and compassion, and the lingering questions after the reading is complete. The Beasties invites discussion as it delves into issues for which there are no easy answers. Sure to be popular with the author's many fans and a good choice to introduce his work to others.?Molly S. Kinney, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525455981
• ISBN-13: 978-0525455981
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #423,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jennifer's reveiw for The Beasties., March 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Beasties (Mass Market Paperback)

I think that William Sleator is a very zestfull writer. William Sleator wrote a book about animals that lived underground. These animals are called " Beasties." The Things I like about this book are, the way he discribed the setting and character's. He used some very disciptive words like, "very precocious" as he discribed a character named Colette. I also liked the way the story was well organized. The author did an excellent job of creating suspense. The only things I did not like about this storywas, the ending and the way the loggers treated the beasties. The book is unreal, but the end was not what I thought it was going to be.The loggers cut down trees where the beasties lived. I would recommend this book to any teen, kid, or adult who likes action packed and suspensful books. This book is for all ages. What I learned is " it's not whats on the outside, it's what's on the inside." In this story the kids became friends with these life-forms, then so can we. HAVE FUN READING!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very thirlling, April 19, 2005

By 

D. Seymour (Germany, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beasties (Mass Market Paperback)

Even as an adult I enjoyed this book. There were parts that got my heart to beating fast and a few times I even jumped when someone started talking to me or I heard a loud noise. Towards the end of the book I thought the book got a bit long and started to trail off a bit differently than I had expected but non-the-less it was a great read. I encouraged my husband to read it too because I found it to be so engrossing. He too really enjoyed it and for years we have both tried to remember the name or author so we could buy it to reread and let our teenager enjoy. Finally I came across it and ordered it right away.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER disappointment in the horror genre, April 12, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Beasties (Mass Market Paperback)

I found this one in the local library where I live. All I can say is thank god I did not buy this at some bookstore! When I was reading the description on the back, it sounded like a good, scary, nasty horror book---just what I like. But no. Just like a lot of horror books, whose authors I won't name---the actual story is waaaaaaaaaay different than the cover or description makes you think. This book turned out to be quite gory at some times, but the plot was one of those look-how-humans-are-ruining-the-world-guilt books. I didn't want a moral, I wanted a monster horror book--which i thought it was in the first place. The ending was bitter sweet to me, but that couldn't save the book much in my opinion. One postive thing i could say is--there was some great detail in the beasties themselves and their homes, and the few gory parts scattered around. Avoid if you want a typical monster horror story. If you don't like that kinda thing, I say, go ahead and rent it out of the library or a discount book store and save your money.