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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
“The Beast and Bethany” is an entertaining tale featuring a Ebenezer Tweezer, a vain and shallow man, Bethany - an ill behaved orphan and a beast with an extraordinary appetite.
For at least 500 years, Ebenezer and the Beast have had a deal - if Ebenezer brings the beast whatever he wants to eat, be it talking birds, diamonds or chandeliers, it will give him a potion to keep him young and handsome. It’s an arrangement that works well until the beast decides it wants to eat a child.
I read “The Beast and Bethany” to my kids at bedtime and each night they always wanted me to read a bit more before I kissed them goodnight. The book manages to be really funny and engaging whilst subtlety imparting wisdom and life lessons as both Bethany and Ebenezer’s characters develop during the plot. It’s uplifting with a satisfying ending and enough intrigue left for you to grab the second book as soon as it’s released.
For at least 500 years, Ebenezer and the Beast have had a deal - if Ebenezer brings the beast whatever he wants to eat, be it talking birds, diamonds or chandeliers, it will give him a potion to keep him young and handsome. It’s an arrangement that works well until the beast decides it wants to eat a child.
I read “The Beast and Bethany” to my kids at bedtime and each night they always wanted me to read a bit more before I kissed them goodnight. The book manages to be really funny and engaging whilst subtlety imparting wisdom and life lessons as both Bethany and Ebenezer’s characters develop during the plot. It’s uplifting with a satisfying ending and enough intrigue left for you to grab the second book as soon as it’s released.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
This was great!! The writing just flows forward and the story is very captivating.
I like this concept we have. Story about good and bad, right and wrong. The beast being actual beast. Funny moments, great characters.
Leaves wanting more for sure.
I like this concept we have. Story about good and bad, right and wrong. The beast being actual beast. Funny moments, great characters.
Leaves wanting more for sure.
Kerrassaan mainio lastenkirja. Sopivan jännittävä, jossa oli hieman kaikuja vanhoista lastensaduista, muttei kuitenkaan liian pelottava. Tarina ystävyyden voimasta, itsensä kehittämisestä sekä ahneudesta sopivan lapsekkaalla tavalla ja huumorilla höystettynä. Lapset pitivät tästä valtavasti, peittojen alta kuului tyytyväistä hörähtelyä, mutta myös polttavia kysymyksiä hirviöstä, joka söi surutta kaikkea mahdollista ilman minkäänlaista moraalikäsitystä. Ihan pienille en tätä lukisi, omat kuulijani ovat jo kouluikäisiä ja heille tämä oli ihan sopiva, mutta alle kouluikäisille en suosittelisi.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would’ve adored this book as a kid. It really is a good mix of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl. As an adult I really like it but it does skew pretty young for a middle grade. At first I found it difficult to connect to Bethany but it got better as the book went on. I really loved that this felt like a children’s version of The Picture of Dorian Grey
I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you so much to the blog tour organiser, the author, the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
This is a middle grade fantasy with a really dark and sometimes quite sad atmosphere. We first meet the two main characters in a bird shop, where Ebenezer, a 511-year-old man has gone to buy a bird to feed to his beast. His beast isn't a normal beast, it's a magic beast and asks Ebenezer for special meals in exchange for presents and a serum he takes yearly to stay young and beautiful. This year, the beast has asked for something special to eat, and Ebenezer doesn't hesitate to go off in search of this meal and doesn't think anything of it, that is until he meets her.
This was my first time reading a book that was this dark and sometimes sad, but that also had such cruel, mean, badly behaved, morally grey characters and I loved it so much because of the evolution and growth throughout the book. Ebenezer is quite cruel and morally grey, the beast is downright evil and Bethany is very badly behaved. Bethany, our second main character is an orphan and is the worst behaved child you might read about, however, there is a lot more to his misbehaviour than you would expect. I really loved reading all about these characters and see them grow, most importantly, see them become better together.
This book has a really dark atmosphere and a lot of bad and cruel things happen, but there are also some very important and meaningful messages in this book and those are what really made this book special to me. Ebenezer has become cruel over the years, you could say he doesn't even have a heart or an ounce of decency and he has let himself be influenced by the beast for over 5 centuries, but Bethany's arrival changes everything and even his thoughts about right and wrong. This book also touches very importantly on themes such as the death of a parent, grief, greed, bad behaviour, and cruelty. It also shows that whatever bad you've done, it can be amended if you apologise and the wheel is constantly turning, so good will always win.
I loved the whole structure of this book and the illustrations in this book were just great and so much fun. It was so well-written, it was dark, it was even sad, but it was also funny, and snarky and had proper humour. I think that this was an absolutely great book, and I can't wait for book two.
I gave this book 5 stars, I loved it from start to finish and was hooked. I loved to see the characters evolve, the side characters were also hilarious and the house in which Ebenezer lives was so intriguing to me. I loved seeing how everything happened, the plot was so unique and great. I would highly recommend this book to children and adults alike, as long as you are aware of the cruel, sad and dark atmosphere at times!
This is a middle grade fantasy with a really dark and sometimes quite sad atmosphere. We first meet the two main characters in a bird shop, where Ebenezer, a 511-year-old man has gone to buy a bird to feed to his beast. His beast isn't a normal beast, it's a magic beast and asks Ebenezer for special meals in exchange for presents and a serum he takes yearly to stay young and beautiful. This year, the beast has asked for something special to eat, and Ebenezer doesn't hesitate to go off in search of this meal and doesn't think anything of it, that is until he meets her.
This was my first time reading a book that was this dark and sometimes sad, but that also had such cruel, mean, badly behaved, morally grey characters and I loved it so much because of the evolution and growth throughout the book. Ebenezer is quite cruel and morally grey, the beast is downright evil and Bethany is very badly behaved. Bethany, our second main character is an orphan and is the worst behaved child you might read about, however, there is a lot more to his misbehaviour than you would expect. I really loved reading all about these characters and see them grow, most importantly, see them become better together.
This book has a really dark atmosphere and a lot of bad and cruel things happen, but there are also some very important and meaningful messages in this book and those are what really made this book special to me. Ebenezer has become cruel over the years, you could say he doesn't even have a heart or an ounce of decency and he has let himself be influenced by the beast for over 5 centuries, but Bethany's arrival changes everything and even his thoughts about right and wrong. This book also touches very importantly on themes such as the death of a parent, grief, greed, bad behaviour, and cruelty. It also shows that whatever bad you've done, it can be amended if you apologise and the wheel is constantly turning, so good will always win.
I loved the whole structure of this book and the illustrations in this book were just great and so much fun. It was so well-written, it was dark, it was even sad, but it was also funny, and snarky and had proper humour. I think that this was an absolutely great book, and I can't wait for book two.
I gave this book 5 stars, I loved it from start to finish and was hooked. I loved to see the characters evolve, the side characters were also hilarious and the house in which Ebenezer lives was so intriguing to me. I loved seeing how everything happened, the plot was so unique and great. I would highly recommend this book to children and adults alike, as long as you are aware of the cruel, sad and dark atmosphere at times!
This book was absolutely delightful and laugh out loud funny! I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did and I am recommending it to all old and young! This will be a great read aloud.
Book 1 of 15 for 2022-2023 SSYRA
I found this to be fun. It has a couple rough topics, parental death might be a big one for some children, but overall the read is one I think kids will enjoy!
I found this to be fun. It has a couple rough topics, parental death might be a big one for some children, but overall the read is one I think kids will enjoy!
Thank you to TheWriteReads for giving me a place on the blog tour! All opinions are my own unbiased views.
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Bethany reminds me of that scene from the first Nanny McPhee film were the children are always pranking the adults. Yeah, you know the ones.
However, there is more to Bethany than being the prankster she is. It’s known pretty much since our first encounter with her that she is currently living in an orphanage -- I appreciate the representation and the depiction that not all children have a conventional family. We later learn that her parents died in a fire when she was still a baby so she can’t remember.
Although, I will have to say that I didn’t find the book particular gripping, which is why I gave this book three stars. Don’t get me wrong, the plot flows well and it’s interesting to see how Bethany’s and Ebenezer’s relationship developed and what they learned from each other. But I wasn’t intrigued; I could pretty much guess what was going to occur.
To conclude, The Beast and the Bethany is something that I would recommend to the right audience. The illustrations add an extra essence of life to the narrative, which is the perfect feature for the middle grade readership it’s aimed at.
---
Bethany reminds me of that scene from the first Nanny McPhee film were the children are always pranking the adults. Yeah, you know the ones.
However, there is more to Bethany than being the prankster she is. It’s known pretty much since our first encounter with her that she is currently living in an orphanage -- I appreciate the representation and the depiction that not all children have a conventional family. We later learn that her parents died in a fire when she was still a baby so she can’t remember.
Although, I will have to say that I didn’t find the book particular gripping, which is why I gave this book three stars. Don’t get me wrong, the plot flows well and it’s interesting to see how Bethany’s and Ebenezer’s relationship developed and what they learned from each other. But I wasn’t intrigued; I could pretty much guess what was going to occur.
To conclude, The Beast and the Bethany is something that I would recommend to the right audience. The illustrations add an extra essence of life to the narrative, which is the perfect feature for the middle grade readership it’s aimed at.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ebenezer Tweezer is 511 years old, but you'd never know it to look at him. He lives in a great big house, surrounded by exciting treasures and artifacts and all of this is possible because of the hideous beast he keep in his attic. In return for Ebenezer feading it interesting things, the Beast gives him potions once a year that keep Ebenezer young and beautiful. It's also given him all the special things in his house. However, the Beast is greedy and grows more demanding with each passing year. It only wants to eat things it's never tried before, which in 511 years you can imagine isn't that long a list. The Beast has decided that it wants to eat a nice, juicy child, which may be a line not even Ebenezer will cross.
Of course, if the Beast withholds Ebenezer's potions, he'll start aging at a rapid pace, and after a day or two of feeling the effects of age creeping up on him, Ebenezer starts pondering solutions. If he were to feed a really bad child to the Beast, would that really be such a terrible thing? At first, Ebenezer tries to steal a child from the zoo, but all the children there seem terribly well protected by parents. Then he's told about the local orphanage and goes there to find a child that will do instead. However, Ebenezer isn't expecting to get so charmed by so many of the children. Then he encounters Bethany, a very surly and unpleasant little girl, and she seems to be the solution to all of his problems. Then, when Bethany actually meets the Beast, she insults it so gravely it almost refuses to even consider eating her, which would very much be counter to Ebenezer's plans.
He decides to take Bethany away and try to fatten her up a bit (she's terribly skinny), while also trying to persuade the Beast that Bethany is in fact exactly the sort of plump and succulent child it has demanded. Completely contrary to Ebenezer's plans, however, is how he starts to warm to her and see actual improvement in her behaviour after a few days together. The longer the two spend together, the more like friends they become, and soon, Ebenezer can no longer live with the idea of feeding Bethany to the Beast. He is aging rather rapidly, though, and the Beast really doesn't like to be told it can't have what it wants. It's up to Bethina to come up with a solution that gets rid of the Beast once and for all, so she and Ebenezer can live happily ever after.
This is delightful middle grade book which I very much look forward to my own son reading at some point in the future. I suspect readers of Roald Dahl, A Series of Unfortunate Events or fans of Despicable Me would find it very entertaining. The book is illustrated throughout with beautiful and very funny pictures by Isabelle Folath, and it was a very quick read in a month when I otherwise managed to complete very few books. I know that there is now a sequel, so I suppose I should see if my local library has a copy. I wouldn't mind spending some more time with Bethany and Ebenezer.
Judging a book by its cover: I pretty much adore this cover. The almost neon green to draw your eye in (on my copy, the endpapers are sprayed the same lurid colour!), the fang-tastic maw and the no-nonsense little girl in the middle. I wanted to read this the first time I saw it on a library shelf.
Of course, if the Beast withholds Ebenezer's potions, he'll start aging at a rapid pace, and after a day or two of feeling the effects of age creeping up on him, Ebenezer starts pondering solutions. If he were to feed a really bad child to the Beast, would that really be such a terrible thing? At first, Ebenezer tries to steal a child from the zoo, but all the children there seem terribly well protected by parents. Then he's told about the local orphanage and goes there to find a child that will do instead. However, Ebenezer isn't expecting to get so charmed by so many of the children. Then he encounters Bethany, a very surly and unpleasant little girl, and she seems to be the solution to all of his problems. Then, when Bethany actually meets the Beast, she insults it so gravely it almost refuses to even consider eating her, which would very much be counter to Ebenezer's plans.
He decides to take Bethany away and try to fatten her up a bit (she's terribly skinny), while also trying to persuade the Beast that Bethany is in fact exactly the sort of plump and succulent child it has demanded. Completely contrary to Ebenezer's plans, however, is how he starts to warm to her and see actual improvement in her behaviour after a few days together. The longer the two spend together, the more like friends they become, and soon, Ebenezer can no longer live with the idea of feeding Bethany to the Beast. He is aging rather rapidly, though, and the Beast really doesn't like to be told it can't have what it wants. It's up to Bethina to come up with a solution that gets rid of the Beast once and for all, so she and Ebenezer can live happily ever after.
This is delightful middle grade book which I very much look forward to my own son reading at some point in the future. I suspect readers of Roald Dahl, A Series of Unfortunate Events or fans of Despicable Me would find it very entertaining. The book is illustrated throughout with beautiful and very funny pictures by Isabelle Folath, and it was a very quick read in a month when I otherwise managed to complete very few books. I know that there is now a sequel, so I suppose I should see if my local library has a copy. I wouldn't mind spending some more time with Bethany and Ebenezer.
Judging a book by its cover: I pretty much adore this cover. The almost neon green to draw your eye in (on my copy, the endpapers are sprayed the same lurid colour!), the fang-tastic maw and the no-nonsense little girl in the middle. I wanted to read this the first time I saw it on a library shelf.