The Creature Department - Hardcover

Weston, Robert Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1595146857 ISBN 13: 9781595146854

Publisher: Razorbill, 2013

Synopsis

“Stunning...a bit like if you took Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Monsters Inc. and shoved them in a TARDIS.” --Buzzfeed
 It’s a tentacled, inventive, gooey, world in there. . . .

Elliot Von Doppler and his friend Leslie think nothing ever happens in Bickleburgh, except inside the gleaming headquarters of DENKi-3000—the world’s eighth-largest electronics factory.
 
Beneath the glass towers and glittering skywalks, there's a rambling old mansion from which all the company’s amazing inventions spring forth. And no one except Uncle Archie knows what’s behind the second-to-last door at the end of the hall.

Until Elliot and Leslie are invited to take a glimpse inside.

They find stooped, troll-like creatures with jutting jaws and broken teeth. Tiny winged things that sparkle as they fly. And huge, hulking, hairy nonhumans (with horns). It is unlike anything they’ve ever seen.

But when Chuck Brickweather threatens to shut down the DENKi-3000 factory if a new product isn’t presented soon, the creatures know they are in danger. And when Uncle Archie vanishes, it’s up to Elliot, Leslie, and every one of the unusual, er, “employees” to create an invention so astonishing it will save the Creature Department.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert Paul Weston lives in London, England, in a crumbling old building, hidden behind shiny glass towers. He isn't sure if this is where the idea for DENKi-3000 Headquarters came from, but it's certainly possible. In 2008, he published his first novel-in-verse, Zorgamazoo, recipient of the California Young Reader’s Medal, the Silver Birch Award, the Children’s Choice Award, and an E.B. White Read Aloud Honor. His second novel was the hardboiled fairy tale, Dust City, which was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. In February 2013, he published Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff. Although he writes all of his books with a mechanical pencil, it's not electric and doesn't come with a telescopic lens. To learn even more about him, go to: www.robertpaulweston.com or follow him on Twitter @RPWeston.

Framestore is a visual effects studio based in London, New York, Los Angeles, and most recently Montreal. Their work can be seen in all eight of the Harry Potter films, Where the Wild Things, War Horse, and The Golden Compass, for which they won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. In New York, they recently worked on Ben Stiller’s new version of Walter Mitty. In London, they worked on Paddington Bear; Gravity, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock; the samurai epic 47 Ronin, starring Keanu Reeves; and Jupiter Ascending by The Wachowskis. Iron Man 3 and Robocop were produced in Montreal. For more information, go to www.framestore.com

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old Elliott and his friend Leslie discover the secret behind a corporation's amazing inventions: all of the products were created by a group of fantastical "creatures" that include a security guard with a face that's "part walrus, part English bulldog," a tiny batlike fellow with a French accent, and other intriguing personalities. The children quickly befriend the creatures and join in on their invention projects. Meanwhile, the clandestine inventors are menaced by the evil schemes of corporate raiders in league with a much-less-friendly brand of monster. The premise of the mysterious creatures has solid appeal; so do the descriptions of their personalities and physical features, aided strongly by plentiful black-and-white illustrations. Full-page cartoon drawings open each of the 31 chapters, plus dozens of smaller images sprinkled throughout, lending extra life and humor to the characters, especially the creatures themselves, and the mystery behind what's threatening them isn't strongly compelling, but does include a couple of neat twists. Evil schemes and battle scenes are more funny than perilous, peppered with wisecracks and bits of amusing grossness, such as shots of giant snot globs. As lead characters, Elliott and Leslie are disappointingly ordinary; they are chosen to help the creatures by Elliott's scientist uncle, but neither one seems particularly interesting or unique. The creatures are the main appeal, though, and their antics, coupled with the strong visuals, will attract readers who enjoy imaginative, slightly silly fantasies.-Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, ORα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journal. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Razorbill
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1595146857
• ISBN 13: 9781595146854
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336
• Illustrator: Framestore