Nutmeg Children's Book Award - Monsters of Morley Manor

The Monsters of Morley Manor: a madcap adventure

By Bruce Coville

BOOKTALK

Sixth-grader Anthony and his little sister, Sarah, find a box of small brass figurines at the estate sale of Morley Manor and buy it at the urging of an “old man”. When the figurines get wet, they come alive as the Morleskievich family that includes a werehuman, a vampire, and a gorgeous snaky-haired siren. The Morleys, as they are now named, have a history that includes science, magic, time travel and ghosts. The children learn they have dispelled the monsters from a 50 year slumber and must now help defeat the unfriendly foes, the Flinduvians, who plan to steal the spiritual power of human ghosts to power up their weapons of war.
Each chapter ends with a cliffhanging comment, making it hard to put down!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Did the sci-fi and fantasy elements seem realistic?

There were four different fantasy settings in the story—the Morley’s haunted house, the visit to the Land of the Dead, the underwater scene with the Queen Frog and the final battle with the Flinduvians. Which was the scariest to you and which was the most interesting?

Do you remember some of the humorous details of the story?

What was the message the story was attempting to display about the two families—the Morleys and the Walkers?

Submitted by: Meg Lerchen / Fairfield Public Library

Last updated on: 18 September, 2008

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