Starred Review In Almond's beautiful novel Skellig (1999), a boy finds a fragile angel-like creature in his garden shed, but in this book the magical realism goes much further. The author sets a Frankenstein monster story in a small, contemporary English town. Mischievous altar boy Davie explains how a strange new kid, Stephen, convinces him to steal the body and blood of Christ from church, which the boys use to create a huge clay monster that obeys their wishes. Should the boys send Clay to kill Mouldy, the vicious local bully? When Mouldy falls to his death in the local quarry, Davie wonders if Clay is responsible. Is the monster reading his thoughts? How much of Davie is in the monster? The scary monster-come-to-town story raises big issues about God, creativity, and evil, but Davie's first-person narrative is never preachy. Discussions about art ("our passion to create goes with our passion to destroy") and religion (Has God abandoned us because we created nuclear bombs and gas chambers?) are beautifully handled, as is the portrait of Davie's happy family. Rooted in the ordinariness of a community and in one boy's chance to play God, this story will grab readers with its gripping action and its important ideas.

Perhaps the most unsettling of Almond's supernatural novels (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Skellig; <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Kit's Wilderness) this eerie tale shows the disastrous effects of two boys attempting to play God. At his priest's request, altar boy David befriends a new member of the parish, Stephen, who has come to live with his "crazy" Aunt Mary after his father dies suddenly and his mother becomes mentally ill. It becomes immediately apparent to David, who narrates, that Stephen, who has left the school where he was studying to be a priest, is different from other boys. Stephen claims to have communicated with an angel, yet questions the existence of God. He also appears to be blessed with a remarkable talent for molding figures out of clay. Most amazing of all, he possesses the ability to bring his creations to life. David raises provocative issues as he grapples with the meaning of these events ("Do you think... that an artist is a kind of God?" he asks his art teacher). Stephen believes that with David's help, he can create a life-size being that will "stand up and walk beside us and protect us." Only after the two succeed in constructing a "monster" out of clay does David discover that the act of creation can lead to destruction—and that Stephen is not what he appears to be. Almond's story contains chilling images of temptation, mind control and corruption. Readers will remain on the edge of their seats to find out if the good in David can overcome unleashed evil. Ages 12-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(July)

Davie is an ordinary altar boy; Stephen Rose is a little bit older and highly mysterious. Together the two make a giant golem animated by their will and stolen consecrated Hosts. The creature fascinates and repels Davie; its creation leads to mayhem and murder. Rich in regional detail, this is a creepy musing on the nexus between faith and reality, good and evil.

What if your wish for revenge against a bully could come true? Stephen Rose, an odd boy with a strange past, comes to town and befriends Davie, and in his skill with clay comes a salvation of sorts against Mouldy and his gang. With a kinship to the Golem of Jewish legend, Frankenstein and Dracula, comes a creature created out of clay, representing the human paradox in its capacity for good or evil. The tale represents our twin passions for creation and destruction and the world we have of angels, devils and monsters, of God, and of humans acting like gods. Fans of Almond's work will enjoy contemplating such ideas and finding parallels with his other novels. The haunting tone, philosophical depth and beautifully crafted prose are what readers have come to expect of a work by this master. A memorable tale that raises provocative questions. (Fiction. 12+)

Gr 7 Up-As in Kit's Wilderness (2000) and The Fire-Eaters (2004, both Delacorte), Almond revisits the English north country of his youth to spin this metaphysical tale of boys in conflict. Davie and his friend Geordie are altar boys, but are beginning to doubt the value of their long-held religious beliefs. They live in fear of the bullying Mouldy, a hulking, drunken lout from a neighboring village whom they're sure is out to kill them. Enter Stephen, a slightly older boy whose father is dead, whose mother is mad, and who was reputedly kicked out of priestly training for some kind of trouble related to devil worship and performing a Black Mass. A talented sculptor, he proceeds to scare Davie silly with his talk of creating life, of creating, in fact, a monster that will wreak revenge on Mouldy. Davie sees Stephen's clay figures move. Is it hypnotism, faith, or madness? Whatever, their monster is eventually made real. Mouldy may have been killed by it in a fall from a cliff, and Davie wrestles with his guilt until he ultimately destroys it. This is a Catholic ghost story, a sort of "Secret Life of Boys" with which many readers, should they persevere through the heavily nuanced language, will identify. While the look of the book is deceptively simple, the weighty content of the plot and its accompanying themes are chilling, indeed.-Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Junior High School, Iowa City, IA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

This is Davie's story of the time when Stephen Rose came to town. Davie and Geordie, fourteen-year-old altar boys and best mates, are busy getting into minor scrapes, smoking the occasional stolen cigarette, and trying to avoid Mouldy, the town bully. When Stephen arrives everything changes. His father has died and his mother gone insane, so he has been sent to live with his aunt, Crazy Mary. From the start, there is something off about Stephen. But Davie makes friends with him, partly because the town priest and Mary both hope he will be a good influence. Stephen Rose believes that he has the power to create life, and eventually he persuades Davie to believe it too. Stephen creates a "monster" out of clay, and one night, together, they bring clay to life. Davie immediately runs home in terror, and the next morning he wakes to the news that Mouldy died during the night. He is wracked with guilt, fearing that Clay was involved. This dark, creepy story examines many heavy questions in a context that lends them some appeal to middle readers. Does evil exist? If one believes in God, must one believe in evil too? Does a creator look after his creation or leave it on its own? Is God looking after humankind or has he abandoned us because of our wickedness? Although this title might not have widespread appeal, fans of Almond's work will appreciate the excellent writing and the perfect portrayal of young teenage boys and their shifting alliances and worries.-Angela Carstensen.