A Monster Call: a Novel by Patrick Ness

As the Lone Star Reading List for 2012 arrived, I could hardly wait to read some of the selections. I recently finished A Monster Calls: a Novel by Patrick Ness, Inspired by an idea by Siobhan Dowd. Wow! The story and the sketches are powerful and beautiful! The story begins as Conor shares some of the details of his recurring nightmare and details of his mother's battle with cancer. His life at school isn't much better, as he must deal with constant bullying by classmates. When things couldn't get worse, Conor is visited one night by a real monster in the form of a yew tree. The tree monster shares three stories with Conor and makes Conor promise that he will share his own story at the end of the three tales. To find out the truth about Conor and his mother, check out A Monster Calls: a Novel. You'll be hooked!