Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow

Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow
Release Date: 2005
Publisher: Antheneum Books For Young Readers
Age Group: Independent Reader
Pages: 529
Source: Unknown
Buy the Book: Amazon

Rating: 2/5

"SKULDUGGERY IS AFOOT!

Welcome to Ratbridge.  But beware - for there is skulduggery afoot.  Young Arthur has fallen foul of the appalling outlaw, Snatcher, and is trapped alone in the town with every way home sealed.  Meanwhile Snatcher and his men are working tirelessly in secret on a fiendish and dastardly plan to take over - and destroy - the entire town.  With the help of Willbury Nibble, QC; some friendly boxtrolls and cabbageheads; Marjorie the frustrated inventor; and the rats and pirates from the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry, can Arthur thwart Snatcher's evil plans - and find his way home?"

     I've had this book for a couple years now.  I remember buying at Borders back in either 2005 or 2006 when I was 9 and read probably twice as much as I do now.  I also remember never being able to finish this book.  There was something about it.  Maybe I just didn't find it interesting then or maybe it was the 500 page length of the book.  Whatever it was, I could never finish it.

     I couple days ago I found this book on my bookshelf and decided to give it another read.  I still didn't like it.  The main problem I found was the extremely slow pacing of the book.  I bet I could write the same book in which the same thing happened in, at most, 200 pages.  Another problem was the non-human characters.  They just weren't interesting.  Boxtrolls where simply people who wore boxes instead of clothes.  Cabbageheads, people with cabbages attached to their heads.  It wasn't enough to keep my enthralled.

     Even with all that negative stuff I will probably keep the book.  Why?  The illustrations.  Alan Snow, who wrote the book, also illustrated it.  You might know his work from How Dogs Really Work!, one of my favorite books from my childhood.  His illustrations grace every page and are the only reason I could complete this book.