One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales [Library Binding]

Garth Nix (Author), Brian Biggs (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up

One beastly beast that's more than meets the eye.

Two aliens with slimy tentacles and too many eyes fixed on adopting a human son.

Three inventors and a sea serpent, a princess, an orphanage, and two ships full of pirates.

Four fantastic tales by renowned fantasy author Garth Nix.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–5—These four gently tongue-in-cheek adventures pit clever youngsters against unusual creatures—pirate rats who steal DVDs, aliens, a mechanical dragon, and a misunderstood sea serpent. Each time, clueless adult authorities ignore or are stymied by the supposed menace, but the hero is able to resolve the situation successfully and nonviolently. There is a strong emphasis on creativity and individual initiative, and a gentle reminder that brains are better than brawn. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations complement the lighthearted tone. The positive message and amusing stories make this a good choice for younger fantasy fans.—Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
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

Nix, best known as the creator of the Old Kingdom series, beginning with Sabriel (1995), and the Keys to the Kingdom series, which starts with Mister Monday (2003), shows his lighter side in an entertaining collection of four fantasy stories. These include "Blackbread sic} the Pirate," in which a boy on his way to the video store shrinks to pint-size and agrees to join a band of swashbuckling rats, and "Serena and the Sea Serpent," in which a girl volunteers to be sacrificed to a sea serpent and discovers the very different advantages of being a know-it-all and of being a penguin. Divided into chapters and fine for reading aloud, the stories feature bright, level-headed children in situations that call for courage in the face of surprising and even fantastic circumstances. Droll ink drawings with gray washes illustrate these fresh, childlike, and engaging stories. Phelan, Carolyn --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Library Binding: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060843209
• ISBN-13: 978-0060843205
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,014,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Garth Nix has worked as a bookseller, book sales representative, publicist, editor, marketing consultant and literary agent. He also spent five years as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. A full-time writer since 2001, more than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world and his work has been translated into 38 languages. Garth's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly (US), The Bookseller(UK), The Australian and The Sunday Times (UK). He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, July 23, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales (Hardcover)

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).

Reviewed by: Mechele R. Dillard

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever & Fun, September 20, 2007

By 

Wantz Upon A Time Reviews (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales (Hardcover)

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
on 09/20/2007

ONE BEASTLY BEAST: TWO ALIENS, THREE INVENTORS, FOUR FANTASTIC TALES is a collection of four short stories by fantasy author Garth Nix.

In "Blackbread the Pirate," DVDs are stolen from Peter by a gang of pirate rats. Yes, pirate rats! One Captain Erasmus Rattus arrives to take Peter to a magical land in hopes of retrieving the DVDs--they are rentals.

In "The Princess and the Beastly Beast," Princess Chlorinda is bored and somewhat ignored. There is no adventure--until she's forced to dive down the throat of a monstrous beast!

In "Bill the Inventor," a baby boy was found in a banana skin with no clue to his parents' whereabouts, and he was sent to an orphanage. Several years later, he is faced with unusual prospects for adoptive parents. Being the smart boy he is, he uses his inventions to avoid adoption, until...

In "Serena and the Sea Serpent," a freak accident embedded Serena with the contents of fifty-seven encyclopedias. As the town know-it-all, she volunteers to solve a small problem: a huge sea serpent is running amok up and down the coast. She may be small, but she is determined!

These stories are clever and fun, sure to be a hit among children who enjoy a bit of fun and fantasy in the everyday world. Illustrator Brian Biggs brings Nix's tales to life with same hilarious fantasy spirit in which they were written.

For parents who worry that sensitive children may be frightened by the aliens, monsters, and such, I feel this is a good selection for reading together. These stories are presented in a fun, not scary, manner. The beauty of reading it with your child is that you can not only gauge their reaction, you can also talk about it and other things that either worry them or make them feel brave.

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book of short stories, but written for a younger audience then his usual, April 16, 2010

By 

J. Holt "redbiker" (ALBUQUERQUE, NM United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One Beastly Beast: Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales (Hardcover)

A good book of short stories from a gifted writer, but written for a younger audience. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone older then twelve. By contrast most of his stories like "Shades Children" and "Sabriel" I wouldn't recommend for anyone less then twelve.
My favorite story was about small video pirates who steal rental videos to make into jewelry.