The Ribbajack: and Other Curious Yarns [Hardcover]

Brian Jacques (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

What if revenge were a monster of your own creation? If all you needed to summon this monster was enough hatred and enough imagination? Which of you would really be the monster? One boy is about to find out.

The New York Times bestselling author Brian Jacques (Loamhedge; The Angel's Command) spins six all-new tales of horror and suspense. Read on, but be careful of what brews in your heart. You may just find yourself the next victim of the Ribbajack. . . .:

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Self-described "scalawag" Brian Jacques (venerable author of the beloved Redwall series ) sets out to spook young readers with six scary (but, of course, not too scary) tales, steeped in a mulligan stew of folk fables, ancient myths, and horror-flick fiends.

The star of the sextet is undoubtedly Jacques' eccentric style--his diction, humor, and unmistakable brogue--which (in context) shouldn't give young readers too much trouble, and often makes for very-fun reading besides: "No, sir, I h'arrived too late. But I knows me rats, sir. If the h'Oriental chap says that's wot 'appened, then I'll back 'im h'all the way." Kids, of course, figure prominently in each story, too--whether as protagonists or as more scurrilous lads and lasses getting their well-deserved comeuppance. One such schoolboy causes much mayhem in the book's first (and by far best) story, in which an aspiring scoundrel named Archibald Smifft summons an occult creature, the Ribbajack, to do his evil bidding. Other stories riff off various other creepy creatures, from werewolves to ghosts to even Medusa, usually with some winking moral woven in by Jacques.

Some of the tales (the title story and "Miggy Mags and the Malabar Sailor," in particular) pack more punch than others, but there's more than enough fun here for a few late-night, flashlight reads. (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Jacques offers six original ghost stories to follow up on Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales (Putnam, 1991). The title story is more grotesque than scary, and the ghost in "A Smile and a Wave" is inexplicably evil, existing only to scare the main character into wearing her detested coat. The most satisfying selections are "Miggy Mags and the Malabar Sailor," in which a mongoose champions a young girl against her abusive uncle, and "Rosie's Pet," a preadolescent werewolf love story. The heavy northern English dialect used in the tellings would work well in an audio book, but may deter some readers. While this is an acceptable addition to general collections, true fans of the scary and strange will find more satisfaction in the short-story collections by Australian writer Paul Jennings, such as Unreal! (Formac, 1992).
Farida S. Dowler, formerly at Bellevue Regional Library, WA
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Philomel (May 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399242201
• ISBN-13: 978-0399242205
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.8 x 5.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,585,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A well-known radio personality in his native Liverpool--as well as an actor, stand-up comic, and playwright--Brian Jacques (1939-2011) was the host of "Jakestown" on BBC Radio Merseyside. Ever the performer, Jacques was well-known for applying his acting and entertainment background to his lively presentations to legions of young fans at schools across the United States and England. Brian Jacques was born in Liverpool, England on June 15th, 1939. Along with forty percent of the population of Liverpool, his ancestral roots are in Ireland, County Cork to be exact. He grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks. His interest in adventure stories began at an early age with reading the books of: Daniel Defoe, Sir Henry Rider Haggard, Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Thomas Malory, Robert Michael Ballantyne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Kenneth Grahame. He attended St. John's School, an inner city school that had its playground on the roof. On his first day at St. John's, at the age of ten, he had an experience that marked his potential as a writer. When given an assignment of writing a story about animals, he wrote about the bird that cleaned a crocodile's teeth. The teacher could not, and would not, believe that a ten year old could write that well. When young Brian refused to falsely say that he had copied the story, he was caned as "a liar". He had always loved to write, but it was only then, that he realized that he had a talent for writing. "My favourite teacher was Mr. Austin Thomas. He looked like Lee Marvin. Big Man. A Captain in World War II. He came to school on a big bush bike with the haversack on back. He was a man's man. Always fair. I was fourteen at the time when Mr. Thomas introduced the class to poetry and Greek literature. (Because of him, I saved seven shillings and sixpence to buy The Iliad and The Odyssey at this dusty used book shop.)" This interest in poetry extended to Wordsworth, Tennyson, and Goldsmith. It was also at St. John's that Brian met a teacher, Alan Durband (who also taught two Beatles, Paul McCartney and George Harrison), who, more than thirty years later would bring about a major change in his life. After Brian finished school at fifteen, he set out to find adventure as a merchant seaman. He travelled to many far away ports, including New York, Valparaiso, San Francisco, and Yokohama. Tiring of the lonely life of a sailor, he returned to Liverpool where he worked as a railway fireman, a longshoreman, a long-distance truck driver, a bus driver, a boxer, a bobby (Police Constable 216D), a postmaster, and a stand-up comic. Jacques passed away in February of 2011 at the age of 71.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A master of short stories as well!, December 8, 2004

By 

Pete Vere (Ottawa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ribbajack: and Other Curious Yarns (Hardcover)

I'm normally not a fan of the short story, especially when it comes to the adolescent light horror genre. I thought I would give this book a try, however, since the author is one of my favorites. He did not disappoint.

While the setting for most of the stories is modern, each of these is told in the tradition of the old folk tales. In other words, it is not just stories for the sake of chills, but rather each story has its own moral to share.

My favorite among the stories concerns the graffiti artist who decides to deface a museum that happens to be hosting a visiting display from Egypt. You can pretty much guess who the characters are gonna be, however, Jacques brings a fresh twist to the story that I wasn't expecting.

Another great story concerns the thugish kid who, on a dare, visits the local graveyard at midnight. Again, while the concept is old, Jacques manages to bring a new twist to the story. There are several other good stories.

I recommend this book as great for campfires in the summer, or sitting around the fireplace during the winter. And, as usual with Jacques, he keeps things clean so each of these stories can be told in the family, church groups, scout outings, and other organized youth activities.