Monsieur Eek [Paperback]

The townspeople of this very small and isolated town investigate the wreck and find the sole survivor: Monsieur Eek. Wild accusations regarding this foreigner ensue. The townspeople are delightful characters and of course there is an evil villain. I don't want to reveal anymore except to say, that I was having a very fun time reading it, and after I got a little bit into it, didn't want to put it down. It would be a wonderful book to read aloud. If you are a fan of the Baudelaire Orphans I think you will also like this book.

The tiny but self-important village of MacOongafoondsen (Population: 21) has been experiencing mysterious thefts, right before a strange, seemingly empty ship runs aground on the beach. Emmaline (not "Emma-leen") and her linguistically-gifted friend Flurp (actually "Philip") encounter a small, hairy, odd-looking creature who will only say "Eek," locked in one of the ship's cabins.

The repugnant Bailiff Shmink and stupid Mayor Overbite immediately decide (in a display of hideous logic) that as the ship is foreign, it must be French, and as Monsieur Eek (as the stranger is now called) is a foreigner and has a lot of body hair, he must be a thief and a spy. As the daughter of the late mayor (before Overbite), Emmaline decides to be Eek's lawyer at a fair trial where the verdict has been pre-decided. But the mayor and bailiff manipulate the situation for their own ends...

"Monsieur Eek" is based on a legend, possibly true and possibly not, about a coastal town in England where a chimp was put on trial. Happily, Ives doesn't cling to historical fixings and instead provides a quirky cast of characters, cartoonish situations, and last-minute saves. One example, for instance, is Flurp wearing a baseball cap and eating sandwiches long before everyone else did. The writing style is quick and funny, full of hilarious or chilling situations, and the dialogue is pretty realistic overall.

Emmaline (whose picky pronunciation of her name is a running joke) is a good heroine, with a smotheringly nervous mother and a townfull of people who don't have her clear vision and sense of justice. Readers will feel almost as frustrated as she is. Flurp is a good sidekick, who recognizes what a good friend Emmaline is, and doesn't care how strange the townsfolk think he is. Monsieur Eek (or rather, Samuel) isn't in the book as much as the kids are, and somehow the monkey never becomes quite as lovable as his costars. The villains are stupid, illogical, bigoted, and willing to do anything for themselves -- and readers will hate them.

It's an entertaining little adventure, probably destined to be a favorite among fans of Lemony Snicket, as the writing styles are somewhat similar. The main difference is that "Monsieur Eek" is a more upbeat tale, with definite lights at the end of the tunnel.

Check it out!