Stitch
In this Frankenstein-inspired tale about a boy who was made by Professor Hardacre, Stitch has a naive but positive outlook on the world – a world that he has only seen outside the window of the castle in which he and his friend Henry Oaf live. He soon discovers that not everyone sees him as someone they can trust and sets out to show others that everyone is different and should not be simply judged by how they look. Along the way, Stitch has to come to terms with who he is, and with the help of the professor’s new assistant, Alice, he leaves the castle for the first time.
As in The Monsters of Rookhaven, Pádraig Kenny writes these strange characters as heartwarming personalities, with a creepy atmosphere always lurking in the background. In this case, the atmosphere is created through the Frankenstein-alike laboratory that only works in a lightning storm and by the mysterious hooded man who brings supplies. This book is packed with exciting incidents, from experiments in the castle to adventures in the nearby forest. Kenny’s clever use of language shines in Stitch’s vocabulary, which is populated with amusing embellished language, with words like ‘horribubble’ and ‘scientificacious’ popping off the page.
Pádraig Kenny is a master at creating these worlds of fantastical characters that the reader will grow attached to. Stitch is another great addition, showing the importance of taking a second look and not judging others on first appearances.
