Measle and the Wrathmonk [Paperback]

Ian Ogilvy (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Colossal Adventures in a miniature world

Measle Stubbs lives with Basil Tramplebone, his dreary, horrible guardian. His life is miserable, and gets worse when Measle finds himself on the wrong end of one of Basil's evil spells. Now he's half an inch tall and trapped in a toy train set. But when Measle joins up with Basil's other victims, he becomes more than just a smelly little orphan. Suddenly he's a hero ... with a plan!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Measle Stubbs lives in a vile house with his hateful guardian, Basil Tramplebone. Basil, who is a "Wrathmonk," a warlock gone mad, has one pleasure, his amazingly elaborate model train set, and one day he reduces Measle to a tiny size and sets him down within it. Before long, Measle discovers six other small humans and a dog, and together they must figure out how to survive in a hostile environment where the only food (donut crumbs left by Basil) will turn them slowly into plastic, avoid the hungry bat that stalks them, and find a way to vanquish Basil. This is a fine premise, but the farfetched methods through which the companions accomplish these goals are forced and unsatisfying. Why do carrots provide an antidote to the magic donuts? Could a half-inch-tall boy really outrun a four-inch-long cockroach? The characters are one-dimensional and uninteresting, and some of them seem to have been created solely for their necessary abilities. Good triumphs over evil, the tiny people are returned to their normal size, and Measle even gets his long-lost parents back, but the tone remains muted to the end.–Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles 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

Gr. 3-7. Ten-year-old Measle Stubbs is a scrappy orphan who lives with horrible, sinister guardian Basil Tramplebone. Basil is a Wrathmonk, a wicked wizard. When he discovers Measle playing with his cherished miniature railway, Basil casts an evil spell that shrinks Measle to tiny proportions and imprisons him in the world of the train set. This, of course, puts Measle in all sorts of fantastic predicaments, including his memorable escapes from hungry bats and roaches. The story ends with the suggestion of a sequel. This entertaining, fast-paced novel has moments of humor and suspense, but its characters and plot are derivative of such popular fantasy stories as the Harry Potter series and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Still, fans of those tales will no doubt find appeal in Ogilvy's quirky characters and their bizarre adventures. Ed Sullivan
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

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060586877
• ISBN-13: 978-0060586874
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,874,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter and I really liked this book., January 13, 2006

By 

Peter W. Shor (Wellesley, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Measle and the Wrathmonk (Hardcover)

Don't pay any attention to the School Library Journal review. While some of the means our heros use to defeat the villain do seem relatively far-fetched (one of the review's complaints), the book is very entertaining anyway. I've suspected for a while that some of the reviews Amazon finds, like this one, are by people who merely skimmed the book, and I believe this review proves it. Contrary to the review, a half-inch boy never outruns a four-inch cockroach in this book. Or rather, he does, but he has a real big headstart. In fact, it's clear from reading the book that the cockroach actually can run much faster than our hero, so he has to outwit him instead.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get infected with this Measle!, April 1, 2005

By 

S. Hendricks "Six Million Dollar Man" (Los Angeles area, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Measle and the Wrathmonk (Hardcover)

This is a thoroughly entertaining children's book. For children there is just enough "scary" tension to have them worried about what could happen to Measle. The book demonstrates that even at a young age one is capable of facing fear and rising to confront adversity. It also shows that teamwork is important. It's a fun story despite the horrible situation Measle finds himself in. It's a great adventure for the age group it was written for.

If you have no objections to magic and wizardry, and you think that Harry Potter is not appropriate for your child, this could fill the bill. In fact, I think I enjoyed this as much as Harry Potter, if not more. (But I really hate comparing it to Harry Potter because the targeted age group is different, and I think this book stands on its own merits.)

I can't wait for the next "outbreak" of Measle`s predicaments.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Dash of Action, a Pinch of Fantasy...., August 30, 2004

By 

M. Carpenter "OpheliaXE" (Pheonxiville, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Measle and the Wrathmonk (Hardcover)

Any 4-6 grader who loves action and/or fantasy will love this book! Ogilvy writes an exciting story encompassing everything from a tortured orphan to a bat-like beast, from a mysterious train set to a giant cocroach, and thrilling chase scenes to tunneling through a table! It is highly imaginative, and his excellent understanding of action pushes the reader through the well written scenes with little effort. Aside from a slightly contrived twist at the end, this is a well written and easily read book for any young person.