Kidlit :: Monty’s Island: Scary Mary and the Stripe Spell :: Emily Rodda & Lucinda Gifford

Ok, that blog title might be my longest ever! Tonight I’m sharing my review of Scary Mary and the Stripe Spell, which is the first book in Emily Rodda’s latest series, Monty’s Island.

Monty lives on a perfect island in the middle of a magical sea. Sometimes the sea throws up something interesting … and Monty goes on an amazing adventure!
On a tiny island far away, in a sea that ripples with magic, Monty never knows what he might find…
Monty, Tawny and friends receive some startling news: Scary Mary and her pirate crew are on their way, looking for a new island to call home.
What can they do? There’s no way they can hide – especially when Bunchy accidentally turns the whole island stripy with her new magic wand.
It’s going to take one of Monty’s best ideas to save them!

This was a really sweet and fun book! I love the quirky cast of characters, and there is something really gentle and kind about the way they all interact with eachother – even the resident outcast. I really liked that it is adventurous with out being too scary, and quite funny without relying too much on toilet jokes.

There’s a really good balance of text and illustrations in the book, which I think makes it a great confidence builder for an early/beginner reader. Lucinda Gifford’s illustrations are, of course, absolutely perfect for the story – I feel like they add to the friendliness of the characters and the humour of the story.

The second book in the series, Beady Bold and the Yum-Yams is out already and I think book three isn’t too far away either. I haven’t read Beady Bold and the Yum-Yams yet, but we enjoyed book one so much I bought the second one the same week that it came out – here’s the synopsis

Everyone loves Bring-and-Buy Day, when Trader Jolly visits the Island with all the supplies Monty and his friends need.
But this Bring-and-Buy day is different. Instead of Trader Jolly, there’s a sneaky new trader called Beady Bold. And he’s arrived with a boatload of trouble. The yum-yams are yummy, but they’re hiding a very scary secret.
All seems lost until Monty comes up with a daring plan.

Like I said above, I think these will be great books for early readers who are just making that step up into chapter books, and anyone who is after a sweet adventure story with a fun and friendly cast of characters.

xo Bron
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Monty’s Island: Scary Mary and the Stripe Spell by Emily Rodda and Lucinda Gifford
Out now from Allen and Unwin.
Source: Free copy kindly sent to us by the team at Allen and Unwin (thank you!). All views are my own
Category: Junior reader (age 6-8) adventure fantasy
Format: Illustrated paperback (156 pages)
Australian RRP: $14.99

Find Emily Rodda online here.
Find Lucinda Gifford online here.