Monstrous Devices from Damien Love is aimed directly at the young teen reader market and as the contents of the storyline are almost too real at times, making this one very scary book; a little judicious direction from parents could be considered as very helpful, especially if the child is one that still occasionally finds monsters under the bed! Don’t we all at times.

Monstrous Devices | Damien Love

Damien Love was born in Scotland and lives in Glasgow, where, even as you read these words, it is raining. He is the author of several books on film and filmmakers, and is the TV critic for Scotland’s broadsheet, the Sunday Herald. He has the ability to talk to cats, but there is no evidence that they understand him.This book is a fabulous choice for teachers! It serves as the springboard for numerous lesson ideas. A science unit in which students learn about the five simple machines then employ that knowledge by designing and constructing their own robots. Mathematical concepts obviously will be needed in conjunction with the construction as well as in determining the distance traveled by the novel's young protagonist, Alex, and his grandfather as they trek across Europe. That adventure easily lends itself to a unit on geography. History comes into play by studying the invention and different applications of robots over the years. (You could even debate the merits of automation of jobs.) Language arts lessons are seemingly endless; rewriting the ending, writing the story from one of the robots' points of view, changing the setting, etc. Vocabulary, spelling, you name it, this book is a gold mine! What a heart-stopping adventure...With twists and turns, thrills, suspense and secrets, this is captivating.' * Harry, aged 13 * One of the most acclaimed, exciting new children’s series in years…a hugely appealing adventure for all ages, which seems almost certain to be adapted for the screen one day.” – THE HERALD What fun! An evil villain, a host of scary robots, big and small, and a hero with commendably bad personal habits. Loved it!' * John Flanagan, New York Times bestselling author of the Ranger's Apprentice series * An ingenious tale, the familiar fights and flight scenario kept interesting by the figure of grandfather, a kind of ageing James Bond.' * Books for Keeps *

Monstrous Devices: THE TIMES CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE WEEK

An odd, busy, mechanical little tune, to go along with some odd, busy, mechanical little goings-on. A pioneer of DIY electronica, Maddalena Fagandini was part of the BBC’s legendary Radiophonic Workshop, and made this as an “interval tune” for the Beeb. She later reworked it as a single with Beatles producer George Martin. LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives.A great read. The descriptive writing really created an incredible image in my mind of what was happening. Can't wait for the sequel.' * Max, aged 14 *

Goodreads The Shadow Arts by Damien Love | Goodreads

For fans of the first book and readers who enjoy action mixed in with their supernatural…Though there is still plenty of action to be found in car chases, heists, and kidnappings, the characters have matured…and are willing to make big decisions.” – SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNALPublished today by OneWorld Publications, Glasgow-based writer Damien Love’s MONSTROUS DEVICES is a wild, weird and spookily magical children’s adventure (featuring killer robots) highly recommended for readers aged 9–99! Don’t just take our word for it – ask The Times, who gave the book a rave review this week.

Monstrous Devices by Damien Love - LoveReading4Kids

Families can talk about fantasy adventure stories like The Shadow Arts that feature lots of scary chases and fights. Why do you think this makes the story more fun? How much is too much? Is supernatural violence more or less scary to you than realistic violence? This is an incredible series for older secondary school readers. The plot is deliciously dark and elaborate, and the settings across Europe beautifully painted. As soon as I started reading, I was absorbed into Love’s world of robots and powerful, horrible magic – it really doesn’t shy away from the gruesome or frightening. It also gives us one of the best grandfather/grandson relationships I’ve ever come across in fiction. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Goroge This was a bit more muddled than the first book, a little slow to ramp up, and not quite as finely done as the first. Still, a decent sequel, and the author left an opening for a third book.I have even talked the head into a little revamp of the library so that we can display them properly! What fun! An evil villain, a host of scary robots, big and small, and a hero with commendably bad personal habits. Loved it!” – JOHN FLANAGAN, New York Times bestselling author of the Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband series Families can talk about why "monsters" scare us, whether we're kids who think something is under the bed or we're watching a movie with a clearly fictional creature. What monster movies have you seen? Smoking. Drinking, including at work. Driving under the influence. References to prescription drugs. Accusation of substance abuse.