Thomas Taylor is an award-winning author-illustrator for
children. He illustrated the cover for the very first British
edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and has since
gone on to write and illustrate several picture books and young
novels, most recently the graphic novel Scarlett Hart: Monster
Hunter by Marcus Sedgwick. He lives on the south coast of
England.
Art director by day and author-illustrator by night, Tom
Booth is a maker of acclaimed children’s books, including Don't
Blink!, This Is Christmas, and Who Wins? He made his earliest marks
— sometimes on his parents’ antique kitchen table — growing up in
Pennsylvania. Now living in Brooklyn, New York, he is currently at
work on several children’s books on a table all his own.
Taylor assembles the sort of supporting cast that makes anything
seem possible...Odd encounters and narrow escapes set in motion by
the arrival of Violet Parma, searching for parents who had
disappeared on the beach 12 years before, lead her and half
reluctant young Herbert Lemon, who had himself washed up as a baby
in a crate of lemons, to a desperate climactic struggle. A lack of
firm resolution hints at future visits to this winningly strange
town.
—Booklist (starred review)
Herbie makes an excellent narrator, well versed in Eerie-on-Sea’s
strangeness but, ironically, clueless when it comes to Violet, and
he manages both wit and vulnerability. Booth’s black and white art
gives full life to the characters, and fans of Lemony Snicket or
Pseudonymous Bosch will find their next adventure here.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
This creepy, quirky debut trilogy opener—think H.P. Lovecraft
crossed with John Bellairs—is dank, misty fun.
—Kirkus Reviews
In Malamander, Thomas Taylor casts a spell over his readers as he
welcomes us into the mysterious mist-covered town of Eerie-on-Sea,
where magic infuses the air, monster legends haunt the shore, and
secrets lurk in the shadows. Filled with humor, adventure, and
wonderful strangeness, this book is a treat.
—Anne Ursu, author of The Lost Girl
Malamander is the kind of book I dreamed about as a kid: a magical
blend of oddball folklore and humor about two peculiar and plucky
kids who puzzle out some local secrets in a town that is a
character in its own right. And everything is wrapped in the
off-season mystery of the seaside when the tourists have gone. This
book is so much fun, I’m already dreaming of my next visit to
Eerie-on-Sea.
—Kate Milford, best-selling author of the Greenglass House
series
In this endearingly strange middle grade adventure set against the
backdrop of a seaside resort town during the off-season, two
orphans are caught up in a local legend...Taylor (Haunters)
combines atmospheric descriptions with tongue-in-cheek humor,
off-kilter concepts (a mechanical mermonkey that “prescribes”
books), and quirky characters to create an unusual series opener.
Meanwhile, exaggerated, stylized illustrations from Booth (This Is
Christmas) bring both cast and setting to life, capturing the feel
of this fantastical, energetic mystery.
—Publishers Weekly
The fast-paced narrative includes subtle humor, clever plays on
words, and rich cinematic details augmented by black-and-white
illustrations and a map. Colorful characters, palpable atmosphere,
close calls and some deliberately unanswered questions (how did
little Herbie get washed up onshore in a lemon crate, and just what
did happen to Violet’s parents when they took a rowboat out to sea
to find her?) will hook readers on this new British series and
leave them eager for more. A crowd-pleasing fantasy.
—School Library Journal
A wonderfully imaginative and atmospheric adventure, rich in myth
and legend, and with a delicious gothic edge. . . . Malamander
confirms [Taylor] as a ferociously talented writer. . . . This
really is one that deserves all the buzz.
—The Bookseller
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