- Paperback: 56 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; New edition edition (4 Oct 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0747574723
- ISBN-13: 978-0747574729
- Product Dimensions: 25 x 24.8 x 0.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 130,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Truth be told, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's picture book The Wolves in the Walls is terrifying. Sure, the story is fairytale-like and presented in a jaunty, casually nonsensical way, but it is absolutely the stuff of nightmares. Lucy hears wolves hustling, bustling, crinkling and crackling in the walls of the old house where her family lives, but no one believes her. Her mother says it's mice, her brother says bats, and her father says what everyone seems to say: "If the wolves come out of the walls, it's all over." Lucy remains convinced, as is her beloved pig-puppet, and her worst fears are confirmed when the wolves actually do come out of the walls.
Up to this point, McKean's illustrations are spectacular, sinister collages awash in golden sepia tones evocative of the creepy beauty in The City of Lost Children. The wolves explode into the story in scratchy pen-and-ink, all jaws and eyes. The family flees to the cold, moonlit garden, where they ponder their future. Her brother suggests they escape to outer space where there's "nothing but foozles and squossucks for billions of miles". Lucy wants to live in her own house...and she wants the pig-puppet she left behind.
Eventually she talks her family into moving back into the once-wolfish walls, where they peek out at the wolves who are watching their television and spilling popcorn on slices of toast and jam, dashing up the stairs and wearing their clothes. When the family can't stand it anymore, they burst forth from the walls, scaring the wolves, who shout "And when the people come out of the walls, it's all over!" The wolves flee and everything goes back to normal...until the tidy ending when Lucy hears "a noise that sounded exactly like an elephant trying not to sneeze". Adult fans of this talented pair will revel in the quirky story and its darkly gorgeous, deliciously shadowy trappings, but the young or faint of heart, beware. The book is recommended for ages nine and above. --Karin Snelson, Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
When Lucy hears noises from behind the wall she tries to warn her parents that there are wolves banging about. But her parents don't listen. When the wolves finally take over the house and Lucy and her family are evicted to live in the garden her parents realise perhaps they should have listened. But Lucy is no shrinking violet and pretty soon she has the wolves out and the family back in the house. So what was that noise Lucy heard coming from behind the wall...? A brilliant, witty and inventive picture book with cutting-edge art, which is sure to be a hit with existing fans of Neil Gaiman as well as young readers.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scary and oh-so-neatly put together,
By
This review is from: The Wolves in the Walls (Hardcover)
Perhaps an even better plot than Gaiman's wonderful "Coraline" - not a single word wasted or idea which isn't used more than once. Very funny, great positive heroine and other characters, wonderful internal logic and a couple of excellent twists. And its scary too.Dave McKean seems to have added a new depth to his illustrations, adding a richer feel to his near-perfect synergy with Neil Gaiman's texts. He echoes the economy of the words, with a small number of key images defining the world perfectly with no superfluous crowding - this is not to say it is sparse - the place is vidily rich - with hints of wolves and perhaps even an elephant if you look hard enough. The typography is also wonderful for young readers because it virtually scores how to read the text out loud, it is near impossible to read without moving your lips. The plot is firmly in the world of make-up stories with kids - a ordinary (ish) family in a real house . . . and a little turn of phrase that comes to transform their world. Once you've said "everyone knows that when the Wolves come out of the walls . . . " everything that follows makes perfect sense and generates heaps of giggles too.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightfully scary,
By School M'am (Norfolk, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Wolves in the Walls (Book & CD) (Paperback)
I am the headteacher of a primary school. I passed the door of the assembly hall as this book was being read to the school by one of the teachers. I could see the children were transfixed, sitting with mouths open in disbelief as the disturbing story unfolded. I crept in to join them and was immediately caught up in the story of the family, driven from their house by the wolf yobs appearing from the walls and helping themselves to clothing, musical instruments and jam sandwiches. They took over the house like a gang of hungry teenagers, whilst the family skulked in the garden. Lucy, the feisty young daughter, was determined to reclaim her beloved pig puppet and her house. She led the family back through the walls of the house, from where they all charged to chase the wolves away. There is a wonderful twist at the end of the story that had the older children laughing and clapping and left the younger ones slightly worried. All seemed to be resolved until Lucy thought she heard elephants in the walls and found squashed jam sandwiches left around the house.
All 115 of us in the hall loved the book. It was frightening, funny and full of surprises. The illustrations were beautiful; dark and slightly threatening but also full of humour, for those who could uncover their eyes and look.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark fun,
By
This review is from: The Wolves in the Walls (Hardcover)
I bought this for my new born son to one day enjoy. Dark and funny, he will have to pry it from my cold dead hands. Dave's art is as hot as it has ever been and Neil's writting will give children well earnt nightmares for years to come.A fantasy family tale with wicked undertones, it will enthrall and entertain ALL family members. The final few frames had me laughing like a drain.
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