Monsters of Rookhaven – Pádraig Kenny

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was already a huge fan of Pádraig’s writing – Pog and Tin are both beautifully written and I really enjoyed reading them. Monsters of Rookhaven is, for me, my favourite that he has written though. I adored all the different characters (especially Piglet) and the interactions between them all. The villain was also incredibly creepy and made for a really exciting story!

I was really thrilled to be able to have a Q&A with Pádraig himself, to find out more about the book and his writing…

What inspired you to write this book?

I saw an image of two girls holding hands in a dark forest, and I wondered who they were and why they were there. That’s usually how a story starts for me, with a random image. Then I had an image of an old house and I knew there were monsters living in it, but better still I knew there was an even scarier monster in the basement.

Which monster is your favourite?

I love Piglet because he can do so many strange things, and he’s very frightening in his way, but also very innocent too.

If you found a secret house of monsters, what would you do?

I’d probably run as far away in the opposite direction as possible.

If you were a monster, what power would you most like to have and what would you like to accomplish with it?

I’d like to have Odd’s power. In the book he can travel anywhere via his magic portals. I don’t drive, so it would come in very handy.

What message do you think children can rake from Monsters of Rookhaven?

That empathy is important, and we shouldn’t fear or hate other people, and we especially shouldn’t listen to people who try to stoke fear and hate.

Your villain is very creepy! How did you come up with him?

I though of the worst possible monster I could think of, and it was one that lied to and manipulated people to do terrible things on his behalf. I decided he shouldn’t look like a monster, at least at first, and I gave him the most horrible smile.

This was personally my favourite book of yours! Which is yours?

Thank you. It’s hard to choose because I like to make them as different from each other as possible, but if I was pushed I would say this one because I knew I was trying something very unlike anything I’ve tried before.

Final question! If a child loves your books, what would you recommend they read next?

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman for scares and atmosphere. Any of the Rabbits Bad Habits books by Julian Gough and Jim Field because they’re funny and wise. The Skylark’s War by Hilary McKay because she’s just a wonderful storyteller. The Adventures on Trains series by M.G Leonard and Sam Sedgman because they’re filled with pure joyous escapism and adventure.

If you like the sound of this book, buy it here: https://amzn.to/2GpguAv