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Media: Paperback Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Features:
Illustrated
Editorial 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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
what a winner! I have a problem where I tend to go for the pictures before the words, and this was no exception. At the time i discovered this absolute marvel of a book I was just learning about the illustrations of Dave McKean, and this was the first time I had ever come across Neil Gaiman...but what a combination!
For those of us who could never quite get enough of Roald Dahls wit, colour or sheer scope of imagination, Neil Gaiman fills that void for young and old, with just a little more quirkyness. What I really... more info
Dark and Very Funny This is one of those very rare books which manages to satisfy every reader. It's a picture book, which is great to read to smaller children (ones who like being frightened I might add). It has a sophisticated text, and the pictures are really detailed, which makes it great for older readers, and it's hilarious, well written and nicely tense, which makes it perfect for parents. The artwork is more reminiscent of a graphic novel than the usual standard of illustration in kids' books. It adds a real air... more info
Dark & disturbing, just how kids (might) like it. The prospect of exposing my 5 and 8 year-olds to the writing of Gaiman and the graphical beauty of McKean was one that was far too good to miss, so I bought this book, despite the protestations of my son who was really wanting a book about robots instead. I'm extremely glad I stuck to my guns, though not for the reasons I first intended.
In many ways this book is more of a parent's choice than a kid's choice, as the quality of the artwork is almost too good for children, with Dave McKean's stunning... more info
Wolves in the Walls Neil Gaiman is fantastic at imagination. This fascinating tale is perfect for children or adults who appreciate graphic novels. It is also very dark, and so I would not recommend it for sensitive children who may find it disturbing, however for any adult/less sensitive child it is an absolute delight.
