Rare Beasts

Edgar & Ellen #1

by Charles Ogden, Rick Carton (Illustrator)

Fire ants. Fraud. Footie pajamas.

Twins Edgar and Ellen live alone -- their parents disappeared years ago, and who can blame them? -- in the quaint, little town of Nod's Limbs, in a grim, gray house overlooking the cemetery and the junkyard. They spend their days avoiding Heimertz, the mysterious accordion-playing caretaker; pestering Pet, a hairy, one-eyed creature of indeterminate species and gender; and wreaking havoc on the hapless citizens of Nod's Limbs.

But wreaking havoc can incur expenses, so the twins come up with a unique fund-raising scheme: They'll nab the pets of Nod's Limbs and transform them into exotic animals they can sell for big bucks. Not a bad plan, if one of the purloined pets wasn't a lethargic python with a raging appetite....

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Juvenile, Humor

111 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Charles Ogden is the pen name used by a collection of authors at Star Farm Productions for the Edgar & Ellen book series for children and young adults. The pen name is credited with nine books (with a tenth upcoming), published by both Tricycle Press, and more recently, Simon & Schuster.

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

The twins, Edgar and Ellen, are detestable, one-dimensional, self-centred, unrepentant, and pathetic characters that spend their time thinking up new ways to be bad and stir up trouble.

Seriously, that's their main driving force in this book. They want to be able to buy materials to flood the city or ruin everyone's day, so they decide to kidnap all the children's pets and disguise them with glitter, glue, and paint, and then try to sell them back to the townspeople for insane prices. This is nothing compared to how they treat their own pet -- an outlet for them to experiment on and try new cruel things. This did nothing to endear them to me, since I detest animal cruelty, but then the way they behave toward each other was repugnant as well.

Edgar and Ellen have one character dimention: NASTY.

The writing is very excellent, and words such as "schadenfreude" are used, which are always a plus. The author doesn't dumb this down or make the plot too simple with gaping plot holes, as I've seen in other children's books. A book for children doesn't have to be sub-par, and Rare Beasts certainly isn't!

The characters and their detestability are what made me give this book such a low ranking. This isn't even a case with a quirky-but-likable weirdo character that nobody understands, but they do what they want and have a cute adventure (à la Ruby Gloom or even Emily the Strange). Edgar and Ellen have no fears, dreams, wishes, hopes for the future, or goals for anything beyond discovering new ways to ruin everyone's day.

It's like Beetlejuice had children and they inherited his nastiness without any of his funny.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you're looking for something similar to the Lemony Snicket books, keep looking. I was hoping that this would be as much fun and as educational, but it didn't come anywhere close.

[LALa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw the animated series years ago, and decided to snag some of the books for fun and to gain some background on the characters and read something "dark" for October. The cartoon makes Edgar & Ellen slightly more enjoyable though as they are far more obnoxious and sadistic in this story than I remembered. I obviously didn't love the first book, but I don't mind having read it, because I did gain some of the info I was seeking. Pet was one of my favorite characters in the series, but it doesn't get much story time in this one. I'd probably read others eventually, but I think I'd be more likely to purchase the cartoon (or rewatch it) than the books. The illustrations were good though and I love the book cover.

Probably not for people who have issues with cruelty/extreme pranksters for the sake of it, although many of their plans don't go accordingly, so at least there is that.

[Kayleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice quick enjoyable read.

Would be a cool cartoon.

Probably won't read anymore but it was fun for an afternoon

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Dark. I love Quirky. But the animal abuse in this one gets a hard pass from me.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have spent two hours trying to remember this exact series. I loved reading these as a kid.

[Zahraa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is darker than what I was expecting but I enjoyed reading it somehow..

[sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a good time but kinda boring and predictable. i can’t really fault it for that tho. love the cover/art

[Barb Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of the Unfortunate Events books, here is a series were the children take charge of events! Edgar and Ellen are twins who live in a mansion with their pet named Pet. Without adult supervision (their parents are away on an extended holiday), the twins wreak havoc on the town of Nod's Limbs. In the first of their adventures, they conspire to kidnap all of the pets of the children who live in their town, transform them through the use of old Christmas ornmanets, paint, and glitter, thus transforming them into "rare beasts" that the townspeople will surely buy for their sad little children. There have been, so far, 8 sequels to Rare Beasts and these books continue the adventures of the twins. The following books are:
#2 Tourist Trap
#3 Under Town
#4 Pet's Revenge
#5 High Wire
#6 Nod's Limbs
#7 Hot Air
#8 Frost Bites
#9 Split Ends

The illustrations for the books are very reminiscent of Edward Gore's, and have a very Addams-family feel to them. Perhaps Edgar and Ellen are lost-lost cousins!

All books are quick reads!

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you know me, you know I love things all creepy. And when they said for lovers of Snicket, I jumped right in and I shouldn't have. Im not saying I hate it, but it could have been so much more.
Creepy twins and scheming. Amazing and then you are let down.
They are abandoned and live alone. They harm each other in every way they can think of. And one day they just get bored. They think of plans and start plotting. But wait... all this needs money.
The way to make money is to sell exotic beasts. They steal a bunch of animals and paint them weirdly. Then try to sell them.
No one trusts those two. Evil twins.

It was cute, but nothing to brag about.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book aloud will help you channel a fake-English, scary, deep voice. Or if not too deep, at least try to sound like Vincent Price. I haven't had this much fun reading out loud in awhile.

The writing style is what makes this book work. Every sentence can be read evilly and gleefully. In my head, I hear the voice of the guy who sings "Mr. Grinch." It's darkly humorous book, but for kids!

As the story winds down the author tries (too hard) to throw in some irony, but it didn't work me.

[Ashley N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of a series, I was hoping for better, a little disappointed. No redeeming qualities whatsoever in Edgar and Ellen, but perhaps that's the point. It almost seemed like a cheap knockoff of better existing books for the same genre. I've got 5 more to read, hope it improves. I did like Pet, hope to see more of him/her?

[Marie the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, creepy and exciting thriller for middle graders!

[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zum Inhalt:
Edgar und Ellen wollen unbedingt Geld verdienen. Doch wie sollen sie das anfangen? Die Zwillinge haben eine supergeniale Idee: Sie eröffnen einen "Exotischen Tierbasar". Aber wer hat schon einmal von Guggumogs gehört, von Mondoraupern, Krachmachern oder Schüffelpupsern? Und wo kommen all diese Wesen her? Seltsam: Alle Nachbarskinder vermissen plötzlich ihre geliebten Hausgenossen ... Ein wahrhaft teuflischer Plan, den Edgar und Ellen da ausgeheckt haben!

Cover:
Ehrlich gesagt hab ich zuerst gedacht dass es sich bei dem Buch um eine Zombiegeschichte handelt, weil die Figuren auf dem Cover echt unnatürlich fies aussehen. Ein Blick auf den verriet mir, dass dem nicht so ist, es sich aber durchaus um echt fiese Figuren handelt. Das machte natürlich neugierig und so landete das Buch im Einkaufswagen. Richtig durfte finde ich im Übrigen das Fellknäuel oben auf dem Cover, sein Auge ist in das Cover eingeklebt und hat eine Wackelbildfunktion, sodass es aussieht als würde das Fellknäuel jemanden beobachten. Schon irgendwie creepy. An sich hab ich also wirklich eine Gruselgeschichte erwartet, dem war dann aber auch nicht so.

Eigener Eindruck:
In einer sehr idyllischen Stadt, in der sich einfach alle Bewohner pudelwohl fühlen und jeder zusieht, dass es seinem Nachbarn gut geht und der Vorgarten mustermäßig gepflegt ist, abseits in einer gepflasterten, holprigen Straße leben die Zwillinge Edgar und Ellen ganz allein ohne Eltern. Die beiden Zwillinge sind bekannt dafür nur Schlechtes im Sinn zu haben und lassen keine Gelegenheit aus, um ihrer Umwelt einen Streich zu spielen. Lediglich vor dem alten Hausmeister Knorzmann haben sie einen Heidenrespekt, denn selbst der ist den Zwillingen einfach nicht geheuer. Doch wenn man so alleine lebt, dann hat man aber trotzdem Träume. Zum Beispiel, wie man die schöne Stadt weiter verunstalten kann oder was man sich leisten müsste, um den Nachbarn weitere Streiche zu spielen. Eins ist klar, das Geld ist knapp. Doch als die beiden ihren felligen Mitbewohner Strupps dabei beobachten, wie er eine Dokumentation über seltene Tiere sieht, da kommt den Zwillingen die zündende Idee. Sie werden ebenfalls reich, indem sie seltene und exklusive Tiere in der Stadt verkaufen. Doch ab wann ist ein Tier selten oder gar exklusiv? Die beiden hecken einen perfiden Plan aus. Und plötzlich verschwinden immer mehr Haustiere in der Stadt...

Eins muss man dem Autor lassen, die Idee zu dem Buch ist einmalig. Jedoch bin ich nicht der Meinung, dass diese Geschichte sich unbedingt für Kinder eignet. Es gibt so viele versteckte Stellen an denen man nur mit einer ordentlichen Portion schwarzen Humor lachen kann. Kinder verstehen das alles noch nicht wirklich und um das Ganze am Exempel zu statuieren, habe ich das Buch der Tochter einer Freundin gegeben - 13 Jahre, heillos mit der Story überfordert.
Die Schreibweise des Autors ist zu Beginn sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig, wenn man sich aber eine Weile in die Geschichte eingefuchst hat, dann macht sie jedoch Sinn - einzig bei den Bezeichnungen der exotischen Tiere bin selbst ich dann ordentlich ins schleudern geraten und auch die Spannungskurve in der Geschichte war mehr auf dem absteigenden Ast, als alles andere, was ich im Verlauf wirklich richtig schade fand.
Zeitweise war mir die Geschichte auch zu sprunghaft. Mir hat einfach an so vielen stellen das gewisse Etwas gefehlt, seien es nun Details oder einfach richtige, greifbare Emotionen gewesen. Irgendwie hat man beim Lesen immer wieder das Gefühl, dass das Buch einfach noch nicht fertig ist, was ich einfach schade finde.

Fazit:
Empfehlen möchte ich das Buch lediglich Erwachsenen, welche sarkastisch denken oder mit einem guten schwarzen Humor ausgestattet sind. Ansonsten wird das Buch für euch einfach nur quälend langweilig oder eben für junge Leser einfach unverständlich. Schade eigentlich.

Idee: 5/5
Humor: 4/5
Logik/Verständnis: 3/5
Charaktere: 3/5
Spannung: 3/5

Gesamt: 3/5

[Audrey Light And Smell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dans ce premier tome, nous découvrons les jumeaux Edgar et Ellen, cette dernière étant l’aînée même si née seulement quelques minutes avant son frère. C’est peut-être un détail pour vous, mais pour elle, ça veut dire beaucoup… Ces enfants, que n’envierait aucun parent, à moins de s’appeler Morticia et Gomez on s’entend, sont plutôt du style à aimer fomenter des mauvais coups biens mauvais et à ériger l’art de la bagarre en sport de haut niveau. Il faut d’ailleurs leur reconnaître une certaine originalité voire un certain talent pour avoir des idées complètement tordues destinées à enlaidir leurs journées et à tromper leur ennui.

Difficile face à ces deux petits monstres, plus habitués à porter un pyjama de bagnard qu’une tenue Disney, de condamner leurs parents qui ont préféré prendre la poudre d’escampette ou, officiellement, partir en vacances à durée indéterminée. Privés de leurs parents, Ellen et Edgar vont alors devoir se débrouiller comme ils le peuvent pour récolter de l’argent et ainsi avoir les fonds nécessaires pour gâcher la journée de chacun.

C’est dans ce contexte, et après avoir visionné une vidéo, que leur est venue une brillante idée : kidnapper les animaux de compagnie des habitants de leur charmante petite ville, et les transformer en animaux exotiques avant de les vendre à des prix exorbitants. Vous la voyez venir l’idée foireuse à des kilomètres à la ronde ? Moi oui, vous aussi, mais eux, pas vraiment… Certains du machiavélisme de leur plan, ils seront quelque peu surpris quand rien ne se passera comme prévu. Eh oui, croyez-le ou non, personne n’est prêt à mettre le prix pour les créatures très particulières et surtout très laides dont les jumeaux veulent faire commerce…

Vous aurez compris que l’histoire est complètement farfelue et qu’il est difficile de ne pas sourire devant les bêtises de ces deux garnements à l’imagination débordante. En tant qu’adulte, on comprend très vite les limites de leur plan, mais les enfants devraient, quant à eux, surtout savourer leurs péripéties.

Si les jumeaux sont plus que turbulents et plutôt malfaisants, ils n’en demeurent pas moins étrangement attachants. On en viendrait presque à leur souhaiter bonne chance dans leur tentative saugrenue de gagner de l’argent pour pouvoir enquiquiner tout le monde.

Pour les parents qui auraient peur de donner un mauvais exemple à leurs enfants, je vous rassure, l’auteur a veillé à donner une petite leçon aux jumeaux et une morale à son histoire. Je dis une morale, mais je pourrais plutôt dire deux morales : l’une étant que, suivant le précepte de « tel est pris qui croyait prendre », les mauvaises actions finissent toujours par être découvertes et sanctionnées, et l’autre, que l’on a souvent sous les yeux ce que l’on cherche.

Mention spéciale à l’animal de compagnie des enfants complètement bizarre (peut-être pas autant que La chose de la Famille Addams ceci dit) qui devrait vous réserver une surprise. Pour ma part, c’est le genre de personnage étrange auquel je m’attache quasiment d’emblée et tant pis, s’il ressemble plus à une serpillière qu’à un animal prêt à vous faire des papouilles.

En conclusion, j’ai beaucoup aimé découvrir Edgar & Ellen, deux jumeaux diaboliques dont on suit les péripéties le sourire aux lèvres. Facile à lire et parfait pour un moment de détente sans prise de tête, ce roman devrait plaire autant aux enfants qu’à leurs parents. Pour ma part, c’est avec un plaisir certain que je lirai les autres tomes de la série.

[Artichoke Spectre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to read the main E&E series every year for their ease of reading and…silly-yet-dark humor? It always reminded me of the video game Don’t Starve for its dark fantasy-meets-steampunk sort of vibe, if that paints a better picture. That being said, take this review with an Italian pinch of salt, since I am past due on my annual reading by, like, 15 months.

If you’re looking to start the series, I’d say go for it and read this book without hesitation! If you’re looking for a standalone book in the series that explores the setting, feeling, and characters at their best, I’d tell you to read Pet’s Revenge. (Oh, the way I could gush about that book…) Looking at the series as a whole, the characters are wonderful, the humor was more subtle and enjoyable than I expected from a kids’ book, and the plot is charmingly whimsical. The dialogue really shines to me; the character exchanges are unique and pretty snappy, despite some gratuitous dialogue tags that I expected for the intended audience (along with occasional songs/poems where the twins discuss the progress of their mischievous plot).

It is interesting to see the series balance slice-of-life stories with an overarching story, and past the second book it feels natural to see part important plot, part whatever silly thing is going on in that particular book. That being said, the first novel is primarily a standalone story. It introduces the characters, and setting—and, perhaps, foreshadows the importance of strange creatures for later on—but is not as memorable or narratively important as the rest. The humor and characters develop more in subsequent novels as well. Edgar and Ellen are coordinated as the twin trope can get, but I enjoy how they still have their distinct interests and motivations…though I don’t remember how much that shines at this point in the series. The creature designs and the first glimpse of the town paints a good picture of how the twins contrast with the rest of the world as well. The humor at times falls a little flat compared to what comes next, and some of the door-to-door scenes drag on a little too much.

Overall, it’s a fine start to a series that progressively improves—though, to be honest, it might be a little more fun to start with the second novel. But, come on, you can read 105 small pages. If you can’t give yourself permission to read for 90 minutes about twins decorating animals to swindle their spoiled neighbors, what other joyous moments are you keeping from yourself?

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I figured, since they seem to be a pun on Edgar Allan Poe, that this would be a series about spooky kids, like the Addams Family children. Instead, they're just two horrible twins who go around making trouble, because their parents just up and left, and there's literally nothing stopping them from being horrible to each other and everyone else.

Ugh.

I spent the entire book regretting my choice of finishing it, but I really couldn't believe they would get away with stealing everyone's pets and trying to sell them back as "exotic" animals with paint and weird things glued to them (though how all the pets didn't starve or make messes of themselves everywhere, I don't know). Luckily, this is still the type of book that allows villain protagonists but doesn't let them succeed.

Doesn't mean I like it, though, especially since Ellen in particular kind of creeps me out since her eyelids? eyebrows? go OVER her eyes without actually doing so in a way that makes sense. It's not even a glasses thing, since she's not wearing any!

I don't know. I guess it's good for letting young readers experience being bad without ACTUALLY being bad themselves, but I still don't like it. Just short of "hate" it, though, since I reserve "hate" for absolutely unredeemable books.

[Kelsey Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like "Edgar & Ellen" as much as I wanted to or thought I would. This series was EVERYWHERE when I was a kid, back in the mid 2000s. Advertisements were all over the dang place, and this even had a cartoon. So I almost felt pressured to pick it up. I'll give it points for effort and decently Gorey-esque illustrations, but even so I couldn't read the whole thing as a kid. I found it dull then, and dull now. The characters are also horribly mean spirited, and while this works for a character like Christina Ricci's Wednesday Addams, in which society is so messed up that you want to see them tortured, it doesn't fit with Edgar and Ellen. The citizens are just your basic level of corruption. I'll say I also read, I believe, books 2 and 3, but the fact that I barely remember them says enough.

[mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, Rare Beasts. It is quite the book, Edgar and Ellen are Twins, and they live all alone in their house in Nod's limbs. Unfortunately their parents disappeared. They all of the sudden have taxes, so they need to come up with a way to get the money. And they find just the way. They plan on stealing common pets and making them into exotic animals, to sell and make the big bucks!

The thing I did not like most about this book, was I think it was too easy for me. I do think its a creative book though. Very creative.

I would recommend this book to people in grade school. from 4th to 6th grade. It is not that long either. Only about 108 pages. Pretty easy read.

[Amanda Wilkerson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this Addams Family-like set of twins, but ultimately I found nothing to like in this story. The main characters are beyond unlike-able and I spent the whole book wondering if the author meant me to root for them, hope for their failure, or laugh at their malicious money making schemes. On top of their general nastiness, the main characters also criminally mistreat animals. There's no underlying message that this is wrong on principle; instead, the author describes these animals as if they were just inanimate objects and not living things.

[LordSlaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Rare Beasts Edgar and Ellen, a parentless brother and sister who live in a house overlooking a cemetery, enjoy wreaking havoc, doing mischief, pulling pranks, and being mischievous and naughty. But being bad can be expensive, so they come up with a moneymaking scheme: create and sell a menagerie of exotic, weird animals for beaucoup bucks. An amusing read with some delightful illustrations.

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 1 out of 5]

A friend of mine is going through the process of UnHauling some of their books. They were kind enough to forward 10 of them to me, including this one. I was hoping this was a Poe-inspired tale of woe, but unfortunately it fell short.

If you share my enjoyment of all things delightfully dark and weird, I highly recommend "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories" by Tim Burton.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of my "books I owned & read as a kid and kept into adulthood" rereads.

As an adult, I realize how problematic a lot of these kids' actions are, but as a kid, I just enjoyed the mischief they got into. It's definitely on the darker side, a mix of Addams Family and the Unfortunate Events series.

[jenna ellis]

Fun and not very thought provoking. I have had an itch to reread the Series of Unfortunate Events books that this one didn’t scratch, but it felt nostalgic in the way only a series I read as a small child at my grandparents’ house while they were napping but couldn’t have remembered if my grandma hadn’t pulled the old books out of storage. Fine use of an hour this morning

[ANNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story made me laugh so many times. Listened to it during my commutes. The narrator is fabulous. Her voices suit the characters perfectly. Once I'm through with books 1-3, I'll look for more books she's narrated. I'm hooked.

[Emily C. H. Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightfully dastardly characters that you will definitely despise. A fairly predictable but fun story, Rare Beasts is a solid series intro. The antics are especially worth it for the final three paragraphs.

[Brent Byron · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd little book with a few chuckles here and there. A couple of mischievous kids with hair-brained plots involving modified pets. I do like Pet, their little one-eyed creature.
Good for younger readers that like twisted humor. Comparable to the Addam's family and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I ear read this. It had a decent narrative arc and was internally consistent. But the only character I remotely cared about was Pet. And I got mad at the classist discussion in Chapter 1 of the wrong side of town. And the rare beasts were not treated well.

[Raphy D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like this book. I just don’t like this sort of mischief stories. If you like mischief then you should try this.

didn’t like the characters but the imagery was ok.

I was actually scared at the ending but I don’t want to say why because I would be spoiling it.

[neen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I re-read this novel because I remember somewhat liking it as a child and, per the reviews, is very much like a series of unfortunate events. I…. Decidedly disagree. Throughout the re-reading process I remembered I actually did hate this novel and was more disturbed on the animals account rather than tickled by the antics of these Tim Burton bastard children.