A Monster Calls/Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness; young adult; 214 pages

Thirteen-year-old Conor lives with his divorced mom in England. His father lives on the other side of the Atlantic, and his grandmother is his polar opposite, so Conor's mom is pretty much his only family--and she's slowly dying of cancer. When Conor wakes one night to find a monster outside his room, he's surprised it's not the monster from his recurring nightmares about losing his mom. Instead, this monster offers to tell him three true stories, and in return, Conor must tell him a fourth, and it must be the truth.

I read this book fairly quickly, but it's by no means a light or easy read. Conor grows up a lot over the few days covered in the book, and the emotional range Ness covers is huge. The illustrations are perfect: dark and brooding and totally fitting the mood of the book. Highly, highly recommended, not as a fantasy or horror story, but as a realistic look at grief and loss.