The Monsters of Morley Manor
Description:
When Anthony Walker bought five brass monsters at Morley Manor, he didn’t suspect that they were real—or that thawing them out of their frozen sleep would pull him and his sister, Sarah, into a galaxy spanning adventure. But soon these two brave kids have to deal with monsters, aliens, giant frogs, a tragic angel—and an eerie trip to the land of the dead. Yet for all its madcap weirdness—for all its laughs and spooky thrills—at heart Morley Manor is about the bonds that hold us together as families.
It’s just that some families are stranger than others…
My thoughts:
Amber, my mom and I listened to the full cast unabridged audio recording of this on a car ride last weekend. It lasted just under 5 hours and kept our attention the entire time.
It started off with Anthony and Sarah discovering the monsters and helping them return to their full size. Then comes a twisty, turny, convoluted story of their adventures saving the galaxy. Amber really enjoyed it. She said confusing stories are fun and had to tell her dad, her uncle and her aunt all about it. Of course, they probably looked at her like she was crazy. It’s just that kind of story.
It was a little much for me, though. Too many events and “people” that seemed all tied together with strings of silly putty. And a couple odd lessons thrown into the mix, like we’ve ruined our environment. But, I’m not the audience, Amber is.
Even if it was a little much for you, at least it was something you could listen to together.
You’re smart to realize that your daughter (and peers) are the audience. I get frustrated by some of the books I read aloud to my younger kids, but they love them, so how can I complain!? It’s interesting that she said “confusing stories are fun” … does she like to write/create stories of her own?