The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Illustrated by Isabelle Follath
The book this month was a lot of fun to read. Reminiscent of Lemony Snicket, this story takes us on a journey with selfish, awful people who do rotten things. How is that fun, you ask? We all reveled in A Series of Unfortunate Events – that’s how. It feels fresh and original and that’s something to celebrate and read!
From the publisher:
The debut middle grade novel, which has been described as “Lemony Snicket meets Dorian Gray,” is slated for spring 2021. The publisher said the book is about a shallow man named Ebenezer Tweezer “and his friendship with an incredibly naughty girl named Bethany, and the prospect of at least one of them getting eaten by the beast in the attic.”
Beauty comes at a price. And no one knows that better than Ebenezer Tweezer, who has stayed beautiful for 511 years. How, you may wonder? Ebenezer simply has to feed the beast in the attic of his mansion. In return for meals of performing monkeys, statues of Winston Churchill, and the occasional cactus, Ebenezer gets potions that keep him young and beautiful, as well as other presents.
But the beast grows ever greedier with each meal, and one day he announces that he’d like to eat a nice, juicy child next. Ebenezer has never done anything quite this terrible to hold onto his wonderful life. Still, he finds the absolutely snottiest, naughtiest, and most frankly unpleasant child he can and prepares to feed her to the beast.
The child, Bethany, may just be more than Ebenezer bargained for. She’s certainly a really rather rude houseguest, but Ebenezer still finds himself wishing she didn’t have to be gobbled up after all. Could it be Bethany is less meal-worthy and more…friend-worthy?
All of the above description is true: the beast gets fed unique and rare things as Ebenezer stays young, beautiful and rich.
Bethany is entirely unpleasant and absolutely fits in with the appalling pair.
As Ebenezer fattens up Bethany, he grows older and weaker. The two spend more time together and a friendship develops that changes them in ways they never thought possible. Could these two awful people actually not be so awful? Is there a way to destroy the beast and save Bethany?
Definitely worth a read. You’re welcome. LOL
