Insomnia: Or, the Devil at Large [Hardcover]

Henry, Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1974

When Tim is followed home by a dog on the street, he's determined to find out who the friendly stray belongs to. But with a little investigating, Tim discovers that Grk's owners don't live in his town, or even in his country. Max and Natascha Raffifi, Grk's owners, have been kidnapped with their ambassador parents by the evil Colonel Zinfandel and taken to a prison in Eastern Europe! Tim knows he's about to undertake a mission his parents wouldn't exactly approve of. He sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night with Grk, catches a taxi to the airport, then hops a plane to Stanislavia. Together he and Grk will have to break into a high-security prison, pilot a helicopter, and make a nail-biting run for the border in this high-octane, international adventure.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–7—Grk, a small white dog with black eyes, finds Tim Malt near Tim's London home, setting into motion a series of fantastic, heroic, often fast-paced and sometimes humorous adventures. Grk belonged to Natascha Raffifi, the daughter of Stanislavia's ambassador to England. When a cruel dictator takes control of this small, mountainous country in Eastern Europe, the Raffifis are arrested and returned to their homeland. Tim's parents will not let him keep the dog, and so he sets out to find its owner. His ingenuity gets him from England to Stanislavia, where he is propelled into action that ultimately reunites Grk with Natascha and her brother, Max, and results in their escape from prison. Some characters are caricatures; many are likable and move the events quickly if implausibly to a satisfying resolution. Max, in particular, is used to insert occasional political commentary that seems to foreshadow his future. By novel's end, the children and Grk settle in with the Malts in London, with the promise of another adventure in which the murder of Max and Natascha's parents will be avenged.—Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

With workaholic parents, 12-year-old Tim Malt is often alone in his London home playing computer games. Then he finds Grk, the dog that belongs to the Stanislavian ambassador's family. Tim soon learns that the family has returned to its county, which is now under the rule of a despot. Taking brave but drastic action, Tim flies with Grk to Stanislavia and learns the ambassador and his wife are dead and the children, Natascha and Max, are in prison. Soon Tim is embroiled in wild events and political chaos. Despite some stock characters, this is fast paced and entertaining. The author-narrator maintains a presence a la Lemony Snicket, interjecting satiric, sometimes thought-provoking commentary on politics and economic privelege, along with warnings of dire events to come. Occasionally implausible and sometimes violent, the novel is still exciting enough to have kids cheering on Tim and Grk. An author interview is appended. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (November 1974)
• ISBN-10: 0385002556
• ISBN-13: 978-0385002554
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,594,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun AND intelligent!, February 2, 2009

By 

J. Vargo "bibliophile" (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Dog Called Grk (The Grk Books) (Paperback)

Grk is one of those rare books that doesn't treat kids like dumbies.

Tim's adventure is fun, interprising, intelligent, whimsical and very satisfying. It's a really good, inventive story, not just a rehashing of Harry Potter or just another depressing magic/vampire/unhappy homelife book. He relies on himself, his own emotional and intellectual resources, and has an adventure 10 times more fun than any vampire has ever had.

Scary stuff happens, but real scary stuff, not stuff made up of darkness and magic. And it's all stuff Tim handles with typical Brit wit and composure, which makes the story even more humorous and exciting.

If your kid is ready for something fun AND intelligent, this is the book for him/her!

5.0 out of 5 stars great kid's adventure, December 28, 2008

By 

JuanaBNana "just who I am" (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Dog Called Grk (The Grk Books) (Paperback)

My son loves this series. It has a lot of adventure, and he is learning a little geography along the way (shhh don't tell!)

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Middle school grades will appreciate the blend of humor and action which goes beyond the usual dog bonding story, July 9, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dog Called Grk (The Grk Books) (Hardcover)

Tim is followed home by a stray dog and decides to find the owner of the friendly pup - which leds him to an adventure packed with car chases, mystery, and espionage in Joshua Doder's A DOG CALLED GRK. Middle school grades will appreciate the blend of humor and action which goes beyond the usual dog bonding story and enters into the realm of action and adventure.