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The Monsters at the End of the World: An astonishing debut about friendship and survival
Brought to you by Penguin.
Sunny waited until her mother was asleep before she went back for the monster . . .
All her life, Sunny has known three truths about the creatures that prowl the seas off her tiny coastal town. They are dangerous. They are violent. They are monsters.
But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected connection, Sunny discovers just how wrong she has been. The monster she meets – Mo – is intelligent, gentle, and searching for his lost brother.
Sunny desperately wants to help, and to keep her new friend a secret. But other people are keeping secrets too. And as hunger grips the town, new truths will emerge about the real monsters in Seawaren . . .
An astonishing debut novel about friendship, trust and survival, perfect for fans of Skellig.
'A powerful tale of compassion and understanding' – Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear.
'A spectacular debut, full of adventure and bravery. Sunny and Mo have stolen a piece of my heart' – Clare Harlow, author of The Many Faces of Ista Flit.
Rebecca Orwin 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
Sunny waited until her mother was asleep before she went back for the monster . . .
All her life, Sunny has known three truths about the creatures that prowl the seas off her tiny coastal town. They are dangerous. They are violent. They are monsters.
But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected connection, Sunny discovers just how wrong she has been. The monster she meets – Mo – is intelligent, gentle, and searching for his lost brother.
Sunny desperately wants to help, and to keep her new friend a secret. But other people are keeping secrets too. And as hunger grips the town, new truths will emerge about the real monsters in Seawaren . . .
An astonishing debut novel about friendship, trust and survival, perfect for fans of Skellig.
'A powerful tale of compassion and understanding' – Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear.
'A spectacular debut, full of adventure and bravery. Sunny and Mo have stolen a piece of my heart' – Clare Harlow, author of The Many Faces of Ista Flit.
Rebecca Orwin 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
Audible Audio
Published January 8, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 19, 2026
Read this as part of a Book Club and it did take a while to get into or to piece together what is happening. The narrative becomes clear towards the middle and the second half on the book had me gripped.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pre-release of this absolutely stunning children's fantasy novel. It highlights simply beautifully the power and importance of empathy, compassion and understanding. This is so important now, arguably, more than ever, for children to read about and engage with. The character of Sunny was a true heroine, and her and Mo are a model of kindness and friendship in unlikely circumstances. The illustrations are also a stunning companion. I will be recommending this book to all the younger Secondary school students that I teach and their parents. What a stunning debut by a talented woman.
March 18, 2026
The way the title is displayed on the cover of this novel is intentional for several reasons. Yes, there are Monsters. Yes, it seems as if this is the End of the World.
It's 200 years into our future, and at least where our characters live, it's pretty grim. The small seaside village of Seawaren is almost surrounded by land that is either poisoned and unable to bear anything edible, or it's land they call Burnt Land, because the only thing left after the poisoning is grey ash. If you breathe in this ash, touch any water within these death fields or try to eat anything that struggles to grow, you will probably die.
Seawaren is a village in trouble with ever encroaching poisoned fields and smaller and smaller catches by their fishing boats every day. Sometimes they bring in nothing at all. They blame the Monsters for their fates, believing that they are the problem. After all, the Monsters take all the fish or attack their boats. The Monsters can grow incredibly big, making it impossible to fight back.
One girl in Seawaren isn't scared of the Monsters. Even after they are blamed for sinking her father's fishing boat and killing him and many of crew. Her name is Sunny, and she's always been fascinated by them, wanting to see one up close. They blame her lack of alarm about the Monster that attacked the boat that day.
Now, out with her friends early one morning, they discover a small Monster in a trap. There is no way she can leave it in pain, frightened and alone. Her friends warn her to leave it be, but she has other ideas.
Breaking the rules once again, she gets to know this so called Monster. This threatens her friendships, and her very place in the community. She is too different for many, but it is her differences that might just save their village.
What begins as a creature / human friendship tale, (Think E.T, How to Train your Dragon, The One and Only Ivan, or The Never Ending Story), The Monsters at the End of the World is essentially a tale of Misconceptions, Prejudice, Friendship, Understanding and even Environmental Warning.
One girl imagines more than she has been raised to believe. She sees past the mantras of her life - "Monsters are dangerous." "Monsters are evil." "Monsters are to blame for everything." Sunny's nature is like her name, believing in a more positive outcome between humans and the strange creatures they share the sea with.
As in real life there are stubborn attitudes to overcome, some who bellow louder to drown out any other point of view, and some who will even use force. Monsters at the End of the World is ultimately a hopeful story of listening, co-operating and planning a possible new future.
Age - 10+
It's 200 years into our future, and at least where our characters live, it's pretty grim. The small seaside village of Seawaren is almost surrounded by land that is either poisoned and unable to bear anything edible, or it's land they call Burnt Land, because the only thing left after the poisoning is grey ash. If you breathe in this ash, touch any water within these death fields or try to eat anything that struggles to grow, you will probably die.
Seawaren is a village in trouble with ever encroaching poisoned fields and smaller and smaller catches by their fishing boats every day. Sometimes they bring in nothing at all. They blame the Monsters for their fates, believing that they are the problem. After all, the Monsters take all the fish or attack their boats. The Monsters can grow incredibly big, making it impossible to fight back.
One girl in Seawaren isn't scared of the Monsters. Even after they are blamed for sinking her father's fishing boat and killing him and many of crew. Her name is Sunny, and she's always been fascinated by them, wanting to see one up close. They blame her lack of alarm about the Monster that attacked the boat that day.
Now, out with her friends early one morning, they discover a small Monster in a trap. There is no way she can leave it in pain, frightened and alone. Her friends warn her to leave it be, but she has other ideas.
Breaking the rules once again, she gets to know this so called Monster. This threatens her friendships, and her very place in the community. She is too different for many, but it is her differences that might just save their village.
What begins as a creature / human friendship tale, (Think E.T, How to Train your Dragon, The One and Only Ivan, or The Never Ending Story), The Monsters at the End of the World is essentially a tale of Misconceptions, Prejudice, Friendship, Understanding and even Environmental Warning.
One girl imagines more than she has been raised to believe. She sees past the mantras of her life - "Monsters are dangerous." "Monsters are evil." "Monsters are to blame for everything." Sunny's nature is like her name, believing in a more positive outcome between humans and the strange creatures they share the sea with.
As in real life there are stubborn attitudes to overcome, some who bellow louder to drown out any other point of view, and some who will even use force. Monsters at the End of the World is ultimately a hopeful story of listening, co-operating and planning a possible new future.
Age - 10+
January 24, 2026
I really loved this book and honestly think it’s the best book you’ve sent me. From the very beginning, it pulled me in and made me want to keep reading. It’s about a girl named Sunny who lives in a village where difficult and mysterious things start happening. Sunny is a bit of a troublemaker, so not everyone trusts her, but she’s also brave, adventurous and has a really kind heart. There are lots of secrets, and they keep building up, which made the story exciting.
One of the biggest reasons I liked this book is because every chapter ended on a cliffhanger. Every time I finished one, I felt like I had to read just one more. The author’s writing is amazing because she uses really strong descriptive language. Sometimes the words were a bit hard, and I needed help from my dad, but they created such clear pictures in my head that I felt like I was actually inside the story, watching everything happen.
The characters were another reason I loved it. Sunny is a great main character, and Mo is really interesting too. He doesn’t always understand Sunny at first, but he’s kind and important to the story. Sunny’s friends, Taran, Nea, and Dev, also made the book better and showed how important friendship can be.
When something sad happened, it actually made me feel sad too. The way the characters talked and reacted felt very real, and I think the author is especially good at making readers feel like they are in the moment.
The main theme of the book is friendship. Even when characters argue or make mistakes, they don’t give up on each other, and that’s something I really liked. It made the story feel hopeful.
None of my friends really like reading, so I’m not sure if they would choose this book on their own, but I’m definitely going to encourage different people to try reading it. I would give this book a million stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes adventure and mystery.
I know it is different, but sorry I have to say it. It is better than Lottie Brooks and I literally do not know what I’m going to read next. I just hope the next book comes out soon.
One of the biggest reasons I liked this book is because every chapter ended on a cliffhanger. Every time I finished one, I felt like I had to read just one more. The author’s writing is amazing because she uses really strong descriptive language. Sometimes the words were a bit hard, and I needed help from my dad, but they created such clear pictures in my head that I felt like I was actually inside the story, watching everything happen.
The characters were another reason I loved it. Sunny is a great main character, and Mo is really interesting too. He doesn’t always understand Sunny at first, but he’s kind and important to the story. Sunny’s friends, Taran, Nea, and Dev, also made the book better and showed how important friendship can be.
When something sad happened, it actually made me feel sad too. The way the characters talked and reacted felt very real, and I think the author is especially good at making readers feel like they are in the moment.
The main theme of the book is friendship. Even when characters argue or make mistakes, they don’t give up on each other, and that’s something I really liked. It made the story feel hopeful.
None of my friends really like reading, so I’m not sure if they would choose this book on their own, but I’m definitely going to encourage different people to try reading it. I would give this book a million stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes adventure and mystery.
I know it is different, but sorry I have to say it. It is better than Lottie Brooks and I literally do not know what I’m going to read next. I just hope the next book comes out soon.
March 14, 2026
Great characters and setting. Lots of humour and page turning moments but with plenty of heart. Sunny and her friends are struggling to come to terms with growing up in a dangerous, difficult environment where it’s hard for kids to be kids. Yet they still have adventures, battles of wills, fall outs and making ups. The story of a post apocalyptic world is sensitively drawn to both engage and challenge young readers. But the strongest relationship of all is between Sunny and Mo the monster. And it’s this that makes the story more than just an adventure; it has a message we all need to hear. Brilliantly read on Audible by Jessie Elland.
January 17, 2026
Fabulous book, beautifully written and illustrated. Bought for a friend's granddaughter who loved it, so I thought I would listen to the audio book and also loved it even though Well outside the age range 😁.
Characters have real depth and emotion and a story that you want to keep listening .
All in all delightful book that I would thoroughly recommend . 5 Stars +
Characters have real depth and emotion and a story that you want to keep listening .
All in all delightful book that I would thoroughly recommend . 5 Stars +
January 17, 2026
The best fantasy book that can be found on a shelf.
March 1, 2026
A very predictable story - basically the same story as the How to train your dragon movie. Good if you want an easy, nice, sweet read, but no surprises or anything amazing.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews