The Ribbajack: and Other Curious Yarns - Hardcover

Jacques, Brian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399242201 ISBN 13: 9780399242205

Publisher: Philomel, 2004

Synopsis

A collection of six short stories features a variety of monstrous creatures by the best-selling author of the Redwall series.

About this title

Review:

Self-described "scalawag" Brian Jacques (venerable author of the beloved Redwall series ) sets out to spook young readers with six scary (but, of course, not too scary) tales, steeped in a mulligan stew of folk fables, ancient myths, and horror-flick fiends.

The star of the sextet is undoubtedly Jacques' eccentric style--his diction, humor, and unmistakable brogue--which (in context) shouldn't give young readers too much trouble, and often makes for very-fun reading besides: "No, sir, I h'arrived too late. But I knows me rats, sir. If the h'Oriental chap says that's wot 'appened, then I'll back 'im h'all the way." Kids, of course, figure prominently in each story, too--whether as protagonists or as more scurrilous lads and lasses getting their well-deserved comeuppance. One such schoolboy causes much mayhem in the book's first (and by far best) story, in which an aspiring scoundrel named Archibald Smifft summons an occult creature, the Ribbajack, to do his evil bidding. Other stories riff off various other creepy creatures, from werewolves to ghosts to even Medusa, usually with some winking moral woven in by Jacques.

Some of the tales (the title story and "Miggy Mags and the Malabar Sailor," in particular) pack more punch than others, but there's more than enough fun here for a few late-night, flashlight reads. (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-Jacques offers six original ghost stories to follow up on Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales (Putnam, 1991). The title story is more grotesque than scary, and the ghost in "A Smile and a Wave" is inexplicably evil, existing only to scare the main character into wearing her detested coat. The most satisfying selections are "Miggy Mags and the Malabar Sailor," in which a mongoose champions a young girl against her abusive uncle, and "Rosie's Pet," a preadolescent werewolf love story. The heavy northern English dialect used in the tellings would work well in an audio book, but may deter some readers. While this is an acceptable addition to general collections, true fans of the scary and strange will find more satisfaction in the short-story collections by Australian writer Paul Jennings, such as Unreal! (Formac, 1992).
Farida S. Dowler, formerly at Bellevue Regional Library, WA
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About this edition

• Publisher: Philomel
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0399242201
• ISBN 13: 9780399242205
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128