Published By: Walker Books
Pages: 208
Released On: 04/01/2024
Reading Age: 8-11
Stitch is not a monster – he’s a creation.
He and his friend Henry Oaf were brought to life by the genius Professor Hardacre, and have spent all their days in a castle deep in the woods, far from humankind. But when the Professor dies and his pompous nephew comes to take over the laboratory, they soon find out that his sights are set not on scientific discovery, but personal glory. And Henry is his next experiment.
Can Stitch and Henry escape his clutches and make their way in a world they were never built for – and may never be ready for them?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Walker Books for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I haven’t made a secret before of my general dislike of adaptations, as I don’t always see the point of them. But this isn’t an exact like-for-like adaptation, this is its own story that takes elements from the classic Frankenstein. This is also obviously a children’s book whereas the original was definitely not.
This has less about the professor and the creation of Frankenstein’s monster, and more about what happens when the ‘monster’ becomes more human. Where is the line between human and non-human, and who are we to decide where it is.
There is such an innocence in this book which is reflected in Mary Shelley’s own work. This innocence that we have as children but lose as we get old, which is a shame, as it’s nice to have a bit of naivety sometimes. And Stitch is just adorable. He’s nothing special as such. He’s a creation that should or should not have been created, and he’s just trying to find his way through his new life. And Henry…he’s less developed than Stitch, more of a creation than a human, but he has human qualities and characteristics that I think qualify him as a sentient being, and not solely an experiment.
For a children’s book, it has so much depth, so much heart. It doesn’t beat around the bush, it shows humanity in its best and worse forms, and really asks questions of the reader that those of a younger age may not have considered before.
I wonder if in the finished book there will be illustrations. There weren’t any in my digital version – not that it promised any – and I think it would really work even better with some illustrations to go alongside it. It would help bring the story to life a bit more, and appeal to the younger end of the reading age.
It is very moving. I wasn’t expecting it to be so. Which seems odd, as I found the original moving so of course this would be too. It’s sad at times, several times in fact, btu there’s also friendship and love and joy and hope – it’s about being secure with your differences.
A very enjoyable read, and it’s made me want to reread the original Frankenstein now.
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