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The Boggart and the Monster by Susan Cooper — book cover

The Boggart and the Monster

by Susan Cooper, Omar Rayyan
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Overview

He's back — and up to his old tricks!

It's been two years since Emily and Jess Volnik visited ancient Castle Keep in Scotland and made the acquaintance of the Boggart, a mischievous shape-shifting spirit who has lived in the castle for centuries. Now they've returned for another Scottish adventure, joining their old friend Tommy and Mr. Maconochie, the new owner of Castle keep, on a trip to Loch Ness, where a new expedition is determined to find the fabled monster.

Of course, the fun-loving Boggart comes along for the ride, and wherever the Bogart goes, things are bound to get lively. But this time the Boggart has a serious mission. His cousin Nessie is trapped in the monster shape he assumed long ago, and it's up to the Boggart to keep Nessie from being discovered by the expedition's high-tech equipment. Is modern science any match for the Boggart's ancient magic?

In this companion volume to The Boggart, the invisible and mischievous spirit living in the Scottish Castle Keep sets out to help save Nessie the Loch Ness Monster, one of its few remaining cousins.

Synopsis


He's back -- and up to his old tricks!

It's been two years since Emily and Jess Volnik visited ancient Castle Keep in Scotland and made the acquaintance of the Boggart, a mischievous shape-shifting spirit who has lived in the castle for centuries. Now they've returned for another Scottish adventure, joining their old friend Tommy and Mr. Maconochie, the new owner of Castle keep, on a trip to Loch Ness, where a new expedition is determined to find the fabled monster.

Of course, the fun-loving Boggart comes along for the ride, and wherever the Bogart goes, things are bound to get lively. But this time the Boggart has a serious mission. His cousin Nessie is trapped in the monster shape he assumed long ago, and it's up to the Boggart to keep Nessie from being discovered by the expedition's high-tech equipment. Is modern science any match for the Boggart's ancient magic?

Publishers Weekly

This follow-up to The Boggart teams the invisible sprite with the Loch Ness Monster. In a starred review, PW said, "Cooper adroitly incorporates ancient lore into a contemporary setting while producing an imaginative and compelling tale." Ages 8-12. (Aug.)

About the Author, Susan Cooper


Susan Cooper, one of today's most distinguished children's book writers, won a Newbery Medal and a Newbery Honor for books in her fantasy sequence, The Dark is Rising. She is also the author of King of Shadows, a Boston Globe -- Horn Book Honor Book, and Green Boy, which was called "an intriguing and truly lovely book" by the New York Times Book Review. She lives in Fairfield, Connecticut, and her Web site is at www.thelostland.com.

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Editorials

The New York Times Book Review

"Swiftly plotted and densely populated, zipping along with the speed of a video game."

From the Publisher

New York Times Book Review Swiftly plotted and densely populated, zipping along with the speed of a video game.

Publishers Weekly, starred review Cooper adroitly incorporates ancient lore into a contemporary setting while producing an imaginative and compelling tale.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The invisible sprite featured in The Boggart has all but forgotten his Canadian friends, Emily Volnik and her younger brother Jessup, until the two children revisit their Scottish ancestral estate, Castle Keep, and its present occupant, "Mr. Mac." When Mr. Mac takes them on a camping trip, Boggart, accidentally packed in their gear, finds himself on the shore of Loch Ness, where his cousin, the infamous Loch Ness Monster, broods at the bottom of murky waters, unable to return to his proper boggart shape. While the campers and other spectators (including a news reporter and a scientist) try to track the beast, Boggart is busy trying to raise Nessie's spirits and convince him to leave the loch for his own safety. Wrought with a slightly more somber tone than its predecessor, this sequel brings such human characteristics as compassion, empathy, determination and even speech to trickster Boggart. His and his cousin's conflicts take center stage once the children and Mr. Mac discover the monster's true identity, and readers will have fun with the book's outlandish and suspenseful plot. Again, Cooper adroitly incorporates ancient lore into a contemporary setting while producing an imaginative and compelling tale. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This follow-up to The Boggart teams the invisible sprite with the Loch Ness Monster. In a starred review, PW said, "Cooper adroitly incorporates ancient lore into a contemporary setting while producing an imaginative and compelling tale." Ages 8-12. (Aug.)

Children's Literature - Rebecca Joseph

In this excellent sequel to her earlier novel The Boggart, Susan Cooper once again features her mischievous shape-shifting spirit character, The Boggart. In this novel, Emily and her younger brother, Jessup, return to Scotland to visit Mr. Maconochie, a lawyer who purchased their family's castle. While visiting, Emily, Jessup along with their host Mr. Mac, and Tommy, a local young boy, must help The Boggart rescue his long-lost cousin Nessie from detection in Loch Ness. Nessie, depressed by the destruction of his own castle and family, has forgotten how to change shapes and remains in the huge monster form he long ago took while sleeping at the bottom of Loch Ness. With a scientific group about to detect Nessie, the group bravely helps Nessie leave the Loch. Filled with action, fantasy, humor, and interesting characters, this novel is a real treat.

Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman

Cooper has crafted a funny yet sometimes scary story of a spirit caught out of his time zone. Like the Volniks, who unknowingly packed the Boggart in a desk they were shipping to Toronto from the family castle in Scotland, you will laugh at the mishaps, then become impatient with this spirit. You'll soon abhor his tricks, and finally, you'll begin to understand his motives and come to love him. What makes this tale so rich are the details of folkloric magic combined with 20th century technology and the author's talent for depicting very real and believable characters.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6Actor David Rintoul's Scottish brogue grabs listeners from the very beginning as he hints of a past tragedy and describes something large and peculiar that has been sleeping under the water, on and off, for 300 years. The Boggart and the Monster (S&S Childrens, 1997) is the sequel to Susan Cooper's popular The Boggart (McElderry, 1993). The story is well suited to an audio production, especially since the Boggart occasionally speaks in Gaelic, and it is wonderful to hear these phrases aloud. The Gaelic phrases are then translated as part of the storyline. In this story, Jessup and Emily Volnik return to Castle Keep to visit the Boggart, a mischievous house spirit, they met in the first book. When they go on a camping trip to Loch Ness, the Boggart accidentally stows away in their camping equipment. In Loch Ness, they find an expedition using submersible remotely operated vehicles to search for the infamous monster. The Boggart finds Nessie, his boggart cousin, who has lost his ability to change his shape and is trapped in the form of a huge monster. The Boggart and the children race against time and technology to save Nessie from capture and to help him change his life. This excellent production will be enjoyed in public and school libraries.Stephanie Miller, Boulder City Library, NV

Book Details

Published
May 1, 2004
Publisher
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages
192
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780689869310

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