The Beast and The Bethany

The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips

Release: December 8, 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Aladdin
Source: The Writereads Tours
Find it at: Amazon , Kindle

The most exciting new children’s book of 2020 and a modern classic in the making. The Beast and the Bethany has all the classic macabre humour of Roald Dahl with the warmth and charm of Despicable Me. This book should be on every little monster’s birthday and Christmas list.

Ebenezer Tweezer is a youthful 511-year-old. He keeps a beast in the attic of his mansion. He feeds all manner of things (including performing monkeys, his pet cat and the occasional cactus). In return the beast vomits out presents for Ebenezer, as well as potions which keep him young and beautiful. But the beast grows ever greedier, and soon only a nice, juicy child will do. So when Ebenezer encounters orphan Bethany, it seems like life will go on as normal. But Bethany is not your average orphan …

About the Author:

Jack Meggitt-Phillips is an author, scriptwriter, and playwright whose work has been performed at The Roundhouse and featured on Radio 4. He is scriptwriter and presenter of The History of Advertising podcast. In his mind, Jack is an enormously talented ballroom dancer, however his enthusiasm far surpasses his actual talent. Jack lives in north London where he spends most of his time drinking peculiar teas and reading P.G. Wodehouse novels.

Twitter , Goodreads

The Beast and the Bethany Review:

This is the type of middle grade book that I love to read! A whimsical story with interesting characters and gorgeous illustrations! This book has it all!

I loved the way the author wrote the story. Although it’s a fantasy like novel, the characters are so realistic that you can connect with. As I grow older, I wish I had the luck like Ebenezer to have my wishes granted and stay young forever. Additionally, the author also writes the story in such a whimsical way that you cannot stay mad at any of the characters, including the Beast! In fact, I enjoyed the Beast’s snarky dark humor. The story-line is also interesting and different where you really don’t know how Bethany will help Ebenezer and get rid of the Beast.

Also, I loved the illustrations by Isabelle Follath. I loved her work in the Aggie Morton series, and she brings the characters to life with her gorgeous artwork in this book. In fact, the illustrations make these otherwise dark characters feel friendly, and something that kids would not get scared of.

However, while I loved Ebenezer and Bethany together as they form their friendship, I didn’t really like Bethany as a person. I know she has suffered a lot, but she remains crass and lashes out Ebenezer even after spending time with him. I’m sure Bethany would deem me as a goody two shoes if she was a real person. However, as this story ends in a cliffhanger, I sense more development with the characters in the following book, and I am already excited to read it!

Overall, I thought this was a wonderful debut novel by the author and cannot wait to see how it continues!