Friday 27 March 2020

Monster Slayer - A Beowulf Tale

Now I'll admit, what first drew me to this book was the fact that it was illustrated by Chris Riddell.

However once I read the blurb I became even more intrigued/excited.

monster-slayer-beowulf-tale

One dark night, the sound of music and singing wakes a terrible monster from his sleep in a foul swamp ...

Warrior after warrior comes to slay the monster but no one can outwit Grendel. Only the great hero Beowulf stands a chance, but even he is not prepared for the horror that lies in wait.

Monster Slayer - A Beowulf Tale is a great re-telling of an already fantastic tale.


It has been well and truly bought to life for a wider audience (because the book is super readable) by award-winning author Brian Patten.

The fantastical tale of Beowulf brought to life for even more readers.


Originally an Old English poem, this is a text studied by many - I did so with my year 5 class last year. 

I guess that you could say that this story is legendary.

Broken down into shorty, snappy chapters, we follow the goings on of the dreaded monster Grendel.

So many fear the monster, and after Grendel committed a horrific crime - with much blood shed - some warriors tried to defeat it but no one succeeded, until perhaps Beowulf ....

What really makes this book is the blending of words and illustrations.

Both work seamlessly together to give this story a new lease of life.

This is a book that could get even the most reluctant of people reading, no matter their age.

Monster Slayer is a tale of adventure, bravery and of course monsters. Ideal for young readers aged eight and upwards.

Can you handle the horror that lies in wait?

2 comments:

  1. I don't remember the Beowulf story but I can imagine that Chris Riddell's illustrations are perfect for folktale retellings :o)

    #ReadWithMe

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  2. It's good to hear about a book to excite and inspire reluctant readers, but this wouldn't have appealed to me or my kids. We all like our reading to be a bit more realistic!

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