Ja siitäpä sitten käynnistyy melkoinen seikkailu. Orvokki tarvitsee apua löytääkseen kadonneet vanhempansa, joiden elämäntyönä on ollut tutkia malamanteriksi kutsuttua kammottavaa merihirviötä. Legendan mukaan hirviön munalla on maagisia ominaisuuksia, ja sellaisen omistava ihminen voi toteuttaa minkä tahansa toiveen. Lapsille käy ilmi, että malamanterista ovat kiinnostuneita monet muutkin tahot (edellämainittu merimies mukaan luettuna), eivätkä nämä myöskään kaihda keinoja saadakseen sellaisen käsiinsä... Eerie-on-Sea has always been a mysteriously chilling place, where strange stories seem to wash up. And it just got stranger… I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this. It feels spooky and dark, with vivid descriptions of the seaside town and its kooky inhabitants. I particularly loved the rather uppity cat and mermonkey, who both live in the library that's not really a library, where the books are prescribed rather than bought. All of the secondary characters feel like funny caricatures, with fun nautical names. Herbert and Violet, our main duo are also a decent enough pairing. They're well enough developed to carry the story, with Violet's mysterious past helping to propel the mystery of the plot forward. Their friendship also feels genuine and well thought out. However, I did find the villain of the story a little one dimensional. Kaybolan ailesini aramak için yolu Tuhaf Deniz Kasabasına düşen Violet Parma ve bu kasabanın otelinde kayıp eşyalar bürosundan sorumlu olan Herbert Limon'un bu gizemi çözerken başlarına gelenleri okuyoruz. Malamander is in many ways the culmination of an ongoing project to turn beachcoming into books. It’s a project I didn’t even know I was pursuing until I was joined on my lonely foreshore walks by a boy called Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, and his curious friend Violet Parma. And with them came Lady Kraken, Mrs Fossil, Dr Thalassi, and all the quirky residents of a mysterious town called Eerie-on-Sea. And behind us all, lurking in the mists, keeping pace with us in the shallows just beyond view, we were followed by a creature out of legend – the unctuous and creeping malamander itself.

Altersempfehlung? Das Buch wird ab 10 Jahren empfohlen und ich finde das wirklich in Ordnung. Die Kapitel sind auch recht kurz, was ich bei Kinderbüchern immer wichtig finde. In a small seaside town that you will not have heard of, Herbert Lemon is the Lost-and-Founder of the Great Nautilus Hotel. If anyone at the hotel loses something, Herbie will find it and keep it safe for them in his Lost-and-Foundery that has existed for many a century and houses a miraculous collection of things long left behind. Güzel ve renkli bir kitaptı. Akıcı ve olayları boldu. Üzülerek belirtmek isterim ki YA zar zor dayanan ben çocuk kitabına nasıl bulaştım bilemem ama katlanılabilir bir unsurdu. On iki yaşında ki iki yavrucak ve yaşadıkları maceralar bende yer yer endişelere sebep oldu. Ve büyüdüğümü fark ettim. Maceradan çok mantığına takıldım 😅 Fantastik bir evren değil ama bariz fantasy unsurları vardı. Günümüz teknolojisi/zamanı yansıtılsa da bazen eskiye yönelik bir okuma hissiyatı içinde buldum kendimi. Bir de bu yavrular nasıl başıboş dolaşıyor ben onu çözemedim 🤣 onlarda akşam ezanı saati eve girme zorunluluğu yok galiba 😁 hoş bunu belirtecek bir yetişkin de yok başlarında. Kerrotaan, että hotelliin hylättiin vauva, että vanhemmat katosivat tietymättömiin, että rannassa nähtiin outoja valoja, että tienoo parveili poliiseja, jotka tarkistivat joka paikan. Että kaksi kenkäparia, miehen ja naisen, löydettiin jätettyinä siististi aallonmurtajalle. Että löydettiin myös jalanjälkiä hiekasta, ja että ne johtivat aallonmurtajalta mereen. [...] Hiekassa oli muitakin jälkiä - hassun muotoisia jälkiä, ikään kuin joku räpylällinen olisi raahautunut merestä rantaan. Mutta vesi nousi ennen kuin niistä saatiin kunnollista valokuvaa, eikä kertomuksen sitä osaa kirjattu rapotteihin." (s. 22-23)Magie? Es gibt den Malamander, dessen Ei einem Wünsch erfüllen kann. Außerdem gibt es einem Geist in dem Buch. This book introduces a diverse new detective duo in Herbie and Violet, and is told with such neat storytelling and surprising phrases it would be a joy to read aloud A quirky, creepy fantasy set in Eerie-on-Sea finds a colorful cast of characters in hot pursuit of a sea monster thought to convey a surprising gift. Each of the characters has been given a great name and they all are unique and bring so much to the plot from the not-quite-so-nice Mr. Eels, to Mrs. Hanniver who runs the Eerie Book Dispensary where you don’t choose the books, they choose you via the help of the mechanical mermonkey.

Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl. No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander. Full of unforgettable characters and brimming with maritime mystery, Malamander is a masterclass in original story-telling. Taylor's magical touch makes you believe in the impossible.' - Catherine Doyle, author of The Storm Keeper's IslandThomas Taylor was born in Norfolk, England in 1973, but grew up in Wales. He attended Norwich Art School in 1991, before going on to specialise in illustration at Anglia University in Cambridge, graduating in 1995. After dabbling in Theatre design he decided to concentrate on children’s books because he prefers the colours. I think of the main reasons I enjoyed this so much, aside from the story, is the audio book narrator Will M. Watt who literally turned this book into a movie via audio! He's an amazing voice actor and now I'm wondering if I should leave the sequel that was kindly sent to me by Walker Books alone until the U.S. audio book comes out lol I want to enjoy the second book with him narrating it so bad. I suppose we will see what I do because I also really want to read book 2 now haha Hei, mitä ihmettä! Mikä tämä on? Jatkoa H.P. Lovecraftin Varjo Innsmouthin yllä -kertomukselle? Ei sentään, vaan Thomas Taylorin "Malamanteri" (WSOY, 2020). Se aloittaa uuden lapsille suunnatun fantasiatrilogian, jossa seikkaillaan Aaverannan (oivallisesti nimetty Eerie-on-Sea) merkillisessä merenrantakaupungissa. If you are a pirate or detective at heart, this is your book. And if something that once belonged to you went missing and you have yet been unable to find it, Eerie-on-the-Sea might be the place to look. Just watch out for the Malamander when you step off the boat. It might bite if you get too close… The front cover art is awesome! That monstrous eye peering out at me is what made me want to read this book!!