Creature of the Night (novel)
Encyclopedia
Creature of the Night is a young adult novel by Kate Thompson
. It was first published by Bodley Head on June 5, 2008. It was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal
and the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize
.
The cottage they are living in is on a path between two fairy forts. The family are warned by the farmer’s wife to put out a bowl of milk every night, but they consider this a mere superstition. Being deprived of the milk, a little old fairy woman comes through the cat flap into the kitchen. Dennis, Bobby's brother, sees and accepts her, but for Bobby it is a baffling and rather frightening mystery.
"conveys extraordinarily well not only Dublin's mean streets but country rhythms, and how city trends are infecting every town in Ireland". The Guardian
comments that in the novel, "all events are true to the characters involved and help to reveal something about them". Bookheads describe Thompson's storytelling as "poetically insightful".
Kate Thompson (author)
Kate Thompson is an award-winning writer for children and adults. Born in Halifax, Yorkshire, she has lived in Ireland, where many of her books are set, since 1981. She is the youngest child of the social historians and peace activists E. P. Thompson and Dorothy Towers...
. It was first published by Bodley Head on June 5, 2008. It was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
and the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize
Booktrust Teenage Prize
The Booktrust Teenage Prize is an annual award given to young adult literature published in the UK. The prize is administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading.-List of Prize Winners:...
.
Plot summary
Bobby, the fourteen-year-old narrator, is a thief and a hooligan. When his mother moves him and his young brother to a cottage in rural Ireland his only thought is how to get back to a life of crime in Dublin. Eventually he steals a Skoda car and goes back, only to find things have changed and he has no place there. He reluctantly returns to the cottage and is given work by a local farmer.The cottage they are living in is on a path between two fairy forts. The family are warned by the farmer’s wife to put out a bowl of milk every night, but they consider this a mere superstition. Being deprived of the milk, a little old fairy woman comes through the cat flap into the kitchen. Dennis, Bobby's brother, sees and accepts her, but for Bobby it is a baffling and rather frightening mystery.
Reception
The Irish Times comments that Kate ThompsonKate Thompson (author)
Kate Thompson is an award-winning writer for children and adults. Born in Halifax, Yorkshire, she has lived in Ireland, where many of her books are set, since 1981. She is the youngest child of the social historians and peace activists E. P. Thompson and Dorothy Towers...
"conveys extraordinarily well not only Dublin's mean streets but country rhythms, and how city trends are infecting every town in Ireland". The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
comments that in the novel, "all events are true to the characters involved and help to reveal something about them". Bookheads describe Thompson's storytelling as "poetically insightful".