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Stitch Head #6
The Monster Hunter
He’s back! Join Stitch Head, a mad professor’s forgotten creation, as he steps out of the shadows into the adventure of an almost-lifetime…
When an unexpected visitor crash-lands on top of Castle Grotteskew, Stitch Head knows it can only mean trouble. Eccentric explorer, Dotty Dauntless, has bet her fortune on delivering a monster to the Venture Club – the problem is, all the castle’s monsters are as meek as kittens…
When an unexpected visitor crash-lands on top of Castle Grotteskew, Stitch Head knows it can only mean trouble. Eccentric explorer, Dotty Dauntless, has bet her fortune on delivering a monster to the Venture Club – the problem is, all the castle’s monsters are as meek as kittens…
- GenresChildrens
224 pages, Paperback
Published February 4, 2025
90 people want to read
About the author
Guy Bass
72 books48 followersGuy is an award-winning author whose children's books series include Stitch Head, Skeleton Keys, Dinkin Dings, Spynosaur, The Legend of Frog and Atomic! In 2010 Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things won the Blue Peter Award for Most Fun Book with Pictures.
Guy's has also written plays for both adults and children. He has previously been a theatre producer, illustrator, temp, gerbil whisperer and has acted his way out of several paper bags.
Guy spent his childhood reading comics and hoping one day to become a superhero. He spends his adulthood in more or less the same way.
Guy lives in London with his wife and no dog - yet.
Guy's has also written plays for both adults and children. He has previously been a theatre producer, illustrator, temp, gerbil whisperer and has acted his way out of several paper bags.
Guy spent his childhood reading comics and hoping one day to become a superhero. He spends his adulthood in more or less the same way.
Guy lives in London with his wife and no dog - yet.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 6, 2025
What worked:
Stitch Head is the mad professor’s first creation although the professor forgets about his “monsters” as soon as he makes them. Stitch Head is like the caretaker guardian of Castle Grotteskew as he sees to the welfare of all creations. As the first creation, he develops a potion to tame all the monstrous beasts Mad Professor Erasmus invents. There are now over three hundred creations in the castle who are the tamest, gentlest creatures you can find. Stitch Head has protected them, and the professor, from all kinds of dangers and challenges in previous books, and this one brings the series to a satisfying conclusion.
There are two main humans in this book who present contrasting characters. Arabelle has been part of the series since the beginning and has been looking for adventure all her life. Stitch Head offered her a home in the castle after her grandmother died so she’s been unwaveringly loyal to him ever since. However, she has a temper and threatens to kick anyone who makes her angry. Even the largest and most fierce-looking creations are terrified of being kicked by her big boots. Dotty Dauntless shares Arabelle’s love of adventure but she comes to Castle Grotteskew looking for a monster to capture. She’s determined and pushy so she often gets what she wants before anyone else knows what’s happening. She fills the role of antagonist when she targets Creature as the monster she’ll haul away. Creature has been a popular character throughout the books so faithful readers will become emotionally involved.
The chapters are very short which will appeal to young or reluctant readers. The abundant black-and-white illustrations enhance the story and help readers visualize the events and characters. The pictures have a Gothic feel which fits perfectly in a story about monsters. Every chapter begins with a quotation although they come from various sources this time. Of course, Mad Professor Erasmus is the author of many of them and they’re often zany. Some of the quotations come from Dotty’s diary and mostly share some of her background story. There are even some words this time from the Creations of Grotteskew.
What didn’t work as well:
There’s a level of silliness to the book that readers must accept. When the story opens, the creations are competing to see who can be the most monstrous, and a tiny, doll-like creation named Ivo wins. The professor’s attitude toward creations is “Why add an arm, when you can add three? And some tentacles and a tail.” This quotation gives you an idea of the mad professor’s cast of characters.
The final verdict:
This book ends the charming adventure of Stitch Head, Arabella, and their creation friends. The plot is clear and dramatic and builds to an unexpected conclusion. Readers who enjoy friendly monsters with a bit of humor and suspense will love this book and I recommend you give it a shot.
Stitch Head is the mad professor’s first creation although the professor forgets about his “monsters” as soon as he makes them. Stitch Head is like the caretaker guardian of Castle Grotteskew as he sees to the welfare of all creations. As the first creation, he develops a potion to tame all the monstrous beasts Mad Professor Erasmus invents. There are now over three hundred creations in the castle who are the tamest, gentlest creatures you can find. Stitch Head has protected them, and the professor, from all kinds of dangers and challenges in previous books, and this one brings the series to a satisfying conclusion.
There are two main humans in this book who present contrasting characters. Arabelle has been part of the series since the beginning and has been looking for adventure all her life. Stitch Head offered her a home in the castle after her grandmother died so she’s been unwaveringly loyal to him ever since. However, she has a temper and threatens to kick anyone who makes her angry. Even the largest and most fierce-looking creations are terrified of being kicked by her big boots. Dotty Dauntless shares Arabelle’s love of adventure but she comes to Castle Grotteskew looking for a monster to capture. She’s determined and pushy so she often gets what she wants before anyone else knows what’s happening. She fills the role of antagonist when she targets Creature as the monster she’ll haul away. Creature has been a popular character throughout the books so faithful readers will become emotionally involved.
The chapters are very short which will appeal to young or reluctant readers. The abundant black-and-white illustrations enhance the story and help readers visualize the events and characters. The pictures have a Gothic feel which fits perfectly in a story about monsters. Every chapter begins with a quotation although they come from various sources this time. Of course, Mad Professor Erasmus is the author of many of them and they’re often zany. Some of the quotations come from Dotty’s diary and mostly share some of her background story. There are even some words this time from the Creations of Grotteskew.
What didn’t work as well:
There’s a level of silliness to the book that readers must accept. When the story opens, the creations are competing to see who can be the most monstrous, and a tiny, doll-like creation named Ivo wins. The professor’s attitude toward creations is “Why add an arm, when you can add three? And some tentacles and a tail.” This quotation gives you an idea of the mad professor’s cast of characters.
The final verdict:
This book ends the charming adventure of Stitch Head, Arabella, and their creation friends. The plot is clear and dramatic and builds to an unexpected conclusion. Readers who enjoy friendly monsters with a bit of humor and suspense will love this book and I recommend you give it a shot.
July 18, 2017
Нов нарушител, ново приключение
(Цялото ревю е тук: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)
Е, това беше… Последната книжка за Кърпена глава е прочетена. Малкият и чудноват герой ми влезе сериозно в главата за няколко месеца, въпреки че би трябвало да му се радват само хлапетата. Когато видя страхотни детски истории, не ме свърта на едно място и веднага ги прочитам. В детската литература трудно може да се промъкне нещо недостойно за въображението на малките човеци, а понякога се появяват и истински попадения. Тази поредица от шест книжки е прекрасен пример, че страшните истории също могат да бъдат достойна част от хилядите вече наложили се като детска класика. Само аз си знам на какво приятно вълнение ме подложиха. 🙂 Няма хък-мък, почвайте ги! 😀 Сега да погледнем и в „На лов за чудовища“ („Фют“, 2017, с превод на Ирина Борисова Манушева)
(Продължава в блога: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)
(Цялото ревю е тук: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)
Е, това беше… Последната книжка за Кърпена глава е прочетена. Малкият и чудноват герой ми влезе сериозно в главата за няколко месеца, въпреки че би трябвало да му се радват само хлапетата. Когато видя страхотни детски истории, не ме свърта на едно място и веднага ги прочитам. В детската литература трудно може да се промъкне нещо недостойно за въображението на малките човеци, а понякога се появяват и истински попадения. Тази поредица от шест книжки е прекрасен пример, че страшните истории също могат да бъдат достойна част от хилядите вече наложили се като детска класика. Само аз си знам на какво приятно вълнение ме подложиха. 🙂 Няма хък-мък, почвайте ги! 😀 Сега да погледнем и в „На лов за чудовища“ („Фют“, 2017, с превод на Ирина Борисова Манушева)
(Продължава в блога: https://knijenpetar.wordpress.com/201...)
April 22, 2025
Thank you for the ARC. I didn’t realize this was a chapter book or a series. I haven’t read any of the others but this is a good book for older kids. It has short chapters and pictures to hold the young readers attention. I actually enjoyed this book and look forward to reading others in the series.
April 1, 2023
Séria dospela ku koncu, som aj rada, lebo viac kníh by sa mi asi čítať nechcelo. Z nejakého dôvodu túto sériu chceli deti, aby som im čítala a hoci je to fajná séria a rodiča nenudí, predsa len 6 je tak akurát dosť.
March 27, 2021
Stitch Head is a protagonist very much in the mold of Warren the 13th.
May 19, 2022
We love all books for Stitched head!
Incredibly sweet creation, which you can grow his confidence more and more with each book. Just lovely!
Incredibly sweet creation, which you can grow his confidence more and more with each book. Just lovely!
March 17, 2023
Another cute little adventure and the ending was so sweet!
August 31, 2025
Just not my type of book-some kids will love it I’m sure though!
January 2, 2016
The Adventure Continues for Stitch Head
This is the sixth book in the Stitch Head series. You could start here if you like; the author does an excellent job of slipping enough backstory into the first few chapters that you will be up to speed in no time. But, the first book in the series covers Stitch Head's origins and history, and to me it is the most charming of the books. Books two through six serve to continue and elaborate on Stitch Head's adventures, but you do miss the fun of first meeting him and of following his discovery of who and what he is.
That said, this book has the same puckish good humor, silliness, and briskly paced narrative that are signatures of the entire series. (Stitch Head invented a potion that he uses to gentle monsters as the mad professor creates them, which is why the monsters in the books are all silly fun. But here's a joke - the name of the potion is the "Psycho Path of Enlightenment". If you think that's exceptionally clever, then you'll like these books.)
This time around, a hyper explorer shows up at the castle to collect a monster on a bet and the gang has to foil the kidnapping/monsternapping attempt. There are some tricky and unexpected twists and turns, but they are all telegraphed and laid out clearly so that a younger reader can get what's going on and enjoy the satisfaction of following such a cleverly plotted story. As always, there is a complete book length story arc and some contributions to the overarching series arc, which mostly turns on Stitch Head's growth as a character.
I've been thinking about this series and about Stitch Head, and what it is that makes me so fond of him and that convinces me that he's a great hero for a young middle grade series. I think I most like the fact that, despite being stitched together out of odd parts by a professor who doesn't even remember he exists, he's a good guy. He's smart and resourceful and brave when the situation demands. But mostly he spends his time trying to understand and calm the chaos around him. He is a deeply sound character, with a few strikes against him but loaded with virtue, decency and resolve. How can that not be a great kid hero?
Anyway, though, the book is at the very least a funny, entertaining and satisfying read. Any of the Stitch Head books would be a nice addition to the family shelf.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
This is the sixth book in the Stitch Head series. You could start here if you like; the author does an excellent job of slipping enough backstory into the first few chapters that you will be up to speed in no time. But, the first book in the series covers Stitch Head's origins and history, and to me it is the most charming of the books. Books two through six serve to continue and elaborate on Stitch Head's adventures, but you do miss the fun of first meeting him and of following his discovery of who and what he is.
That said, this book has the same puckish good humor, silliness, and briskly paced narrative that are signatures of the entire series. (Stitch Head invented a potion that he uses to gentle monsters as the mad professor creates them, which is why the monsters in the books are all silly fun. But here's a joke - the name of the potion is the "Psycho Path of Enlightenment". If you think that's exceptionally clever, then you'll like these books.)
This time around, a hyper explorer shows up at the castle to collect a monster on a bet and the gang has to foil the kidnapping/monsternapping attempt. There are some tricky and unexpected twists and turns, but they are all telegraphed and laid out clearly so that a younger reader can get what's going on and enjoy the satisfaction of following such a cleverly plotted story. As always, there is a complete book length story arc and some contributions to the overarching series arc, which mostly turns on Stitch Head's growth as a character.
I've been thinking about this series and about Stitch Head, and what it is that makes me so fond of him and that convinces me that he's a great hero for a young middle grade series. I think I most like the fact that, despite being stitched together out of odd parts by a professor who doesn't even remember he exists, he's a good guy. He's smart and resourceful and brave when the situation demands. But mostly he spends his time trying to understand and calm the chaos around him. He is a deeply sound character, with a few strikes against him but loaded with virtue, decency and resolve. How can that not be a great kid hero?
Anyway, though, the book is at the very least a funny, entertaining and satisfying read. Any of the Stitch Head books would be a nice addition to the family shelf.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
April 23, 2016
***The publisher sent me this book free of charge in order to provide an honest review***
The boys love it when they get a book to review and couldn't wait to start this as their bedtime story for the week, I was a little apprehensive as it was book 6 of a series and I do like to start a series at book one, however as it happened it did not impact at all on the enjoyment of the story and everything made sense!
This is the story of stitch head a friendly monster living in a castle with a professor who makes very scary monsters with something called "beast yeast" stitch head adores his master but spends all of his time using his "least beast" potion to make the monsters less scary.
This story focus's on the dramas which unfold when the explorer Dotty Dauntless turns up to bag herself a scary monster.
This is a chapter book but has some absolutely fantastic illustrations which really add to the story.
The boys love it when they get a book to review and couldn't wait to start this as their bedtime story for the week, I was a little apprehensive as it was book 6 of a series and I do like to start a series at book one, however as it happened it did not impact at all on the enjoyment of the story and everything made sense!
This is the story of stitch head a friendly monster living in a castle with a professor who makes very scary monsters with something called "beast yeast" stitch head adores his master but spends all of his time using his "least beast" potion to make the monsters less scary.
This story focus's on the dramas which unfold when the explorer Dotty Dauntless turns up to bag herself a scary monster.
This is a chapter book but has some absolutely fantastic illustrations which really add to the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2016
My favorite little hero is at it again. Protecting his mad professor (creator) & his castle full of the professor's creatures that Stitch Head used his lotion to make kind. This is the 3rd Stitch Head book that I have read and I love all of them.
As in the other books, the story is packed with humor and action, as well as some bad guy trying to ruin the happy, strange home Stitch Head has maintained for himself and the other creatures ~ monsters turned good. As usual, someone is trying to move in on his family ~ friends and it is up to Stitch Head and his one human friend to save the castle and it's inhabitants.
Full of fun, excitement, creativity, kindness, and lots of fun. Completely love the illustrations and fun, quirky personalities of the characters. I was provided this book free of charge in order to provide an honest review.
As in the other books, the story is packed with humor and action, as well as some bad guy trying to ruin the happy, strange home Stitch Head has maintained for himself and the other creatures ~ monsters turned good. As usual, someone is trying to move in on his family ~ friends and it is up to Stitch Head and his one human friend to save the castle and it's inhabitants.
Full of fun, excitement, creativity, kindness, and lots of fun. Completely love the illustrations and fun, quirky personalities of the characters. I was provided this book free of charge in order to provide an honest review.
August 29, 2016
I received this as an e-galley through Netgalley. This series featuring the lovable Stitch Head is part of a funny and quirky series for newly confident readers. it centres around the castle and the group of assorted monsters who have made it their home; when a monster hunter comes searching they have to find a way to save themselves and the castle. This is a brilliant read for both reluctant readers and those who are more comfortable with it.
September 12, 2016
Absolutely love this series. A great addition to Grubbers Nubbin
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews