The Moonlight Statue

The Hounds of Penhallow Hall #1

by Holly Webb, Jason Cockcroft (Illustrator)

For Polly, moving to Penhallow Hall is the fresh start she's been longing for since the death of her father. Her mum has got a job managing the stately home and once the last of the visitors leave for the day the place is all theirs! One night, Polly sleepwalks into the garden and wakes to find her hand on the head of one of the stone dogs that guard the steps down to the lawn. Then she feels him lick her cheek! The dog introduces himself as Rex, an Irish Wolfhound who lived at Penhallow many hundreds of years earlier. And he is not the only resident ghost - Polly has also glimpsed a strange boy around the place. With Rex's help she finds herself unravelling the story of his beloved master, William Penhallow, who was killed in the First World War aged only 17.

Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Childrens, Middle Grade, Dogs, Historical, Audiobook

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Holly Webb is one of Britain's best-loved children's writers. She has written over a hundred books for children, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages. Holly lives in Tilehurst, just outside of Reading, Berkshire, with her husband, three children and several cats.

Reviews

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

To było zaskakująco fajne! Za dzieciaka uwielbiałam takie historie i cóż, w sumie nic się nie zmieniło. Totalny komfort. Jestem psiarą, więc historia dziewczynki, która ożywia posąg w kształcie wilczarza i zyskuje psiego przyjaciela nie mogła mi się nie spodobać. Mam straszną ochotę na kolejne tomy, szkoda, że na Legimi nie ma ebooków, bo ciężko poprzestać na jednym.

No i ten niesamowity klimat Kornwalii i starego domostwa!

[Alexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how the opening gives a back story of why only Polly has a mum because of her dad's death.

I like how she is the only child for years at Penhallow.
Also I like that you get to know about Polly and that her mum is worried because of her sleep walking that something might break or she get hurt.

I like how fascinated Polly is about dogs and starts talking to the statue and can feel the dog statue changing into a real dog.

I like that as the statue turned into a dog it can talk which contrast the normality of a dog. I also like that Polly is able to tell the dog how she really feels being at Penhallow.

I like how the house portrays Polly mood and since being with Rex it has changed from a silver gloom.

I like chapter 5 as it was inquisitive and got to find more information about Rex. I also like there are others like Magness.

I like the back story that Penhallow is for the dogs and the dogs are for Penhallow. I also like that the reason Rex is a statue because he had no family until Polly.

I like the back story of Rex and Magness is slowly being releases rather than all at once. I like how Polly has seen a boy with a dog that looks like Magness.

I like how the boy Polly had seen was a ghost of William Penhallow who died in the war. I like that Rex isn't the only ghost of penhallow.

I like that William is accepting Polly and accepted that she is staying at the hall.
This is shown when Polly is on the beach and in the water struggling to keep above the water and William,Rex and Magness came to help her.

I also like that Polly became more interest in her mums work and find more out about William and that he was 16 when he died.

[Mags Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this children’s story about a girl Polly and her Mum moving to Cornwall from London after her father died. Her mum has a job at Penhallow Hall and Polly thinks that the house has only her and her mum staying there. A stone wolf hound comes to life and befriends her and he is not the only ghost. Many years ago a young boy went off to war and never came back - that’s why Penhallow Hall is a trust as the owners left it after he died. At the end it leaves it so that there may be other books to come.

[Kleri _reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know I am not the target group for this book but, honestly, that was not the problem. I actually found it an entertaining read and I liked the story idea. For me, the problem was that this book felt very unfinished. And, yes, I understand that this is part of a series... but still...I feel that there should be some basic structure...like an inciting incident, a climax and some sort of resolution. In this book nothing new happens other than what we already know from the book description!
On the positive side, the illustrations are beautiful!

[Ewelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Przyjemna w odbiorze, dobrze napisana i ciekawa opowieść o stracie, nowym początku, samotności i szukaniu przyjaciół. Przeprowadzka do wielkiego zamku to nie tylko rozpoczęcie nowego rozdziału po śmierci ojca dla głównej bohaterki i jej mamy, ale także przygoda, gdyż w ogromnej posiadłości dzieją się rzeczy wykraczające poza racjonalny świat. Autorka w ciepły, ale i niepozbawiony emocji sposób opowiada historię, w której przeszłość splata się z teraźniejszością, a główne skrzypce grają dzieci i psy.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5*
I didn't like the fact that the ghost of the boy actually died as a man but prefers to appear as a boy/be a boy again, but is then befriended by the young main character. So it just felt creepy until you find out he was 16. But still, I just didn't like that part. And I'm generally not a fan of ghost stories for kids (though it isn't done in a Halloweeny way, so that was good), and the story just needed a bit more fun and a bit more going on.

But the relationship between the MC and the dog was lovely.

[Christina Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, fun read which will appeal to lower KS2 readers (aged 6/7+) who like a bit of mystery, history and dogs -so many dogs!
First in a series so lots of loose ends, but I loved the setting at Penhallow Hall, Polly's relationship with her mother and Rex and the hints of history added into the narrative.

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was supposed to be my last read for Believathon in November, but after all, I only finished it on December 1. It wasn't as good as the other book by Holly Webb I read before, but I think it will be an enjoyable read for kids. I did love the setting though :)

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Midnight Statue was a nice read for younger readers. The mystery and ghost dogs will definitely keep them reading and they will fall in love with Rex, the big, stone wolfhound that befriends Polly.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

KS2 ghost story. I enjoyed this but found it rather formulaic and the characters rather one dimensional. Looks at mother and daughter coming to terms with death of father.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery, mystery-ish,

[Lovebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining fast read. The detailed illustrations really added to the story. Closer to 4.5 stars.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great middle grade mystery/scary story read.

[Daniella · Rating 3 out of 5]

RTC - audiobook

[James Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little book for younger readers. There is a bit of mystery and adventure. Part of a series.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ciekawy pomysł na opowiadanie

[Paulina · Rating 3 out of 5]

mega fajna książka dla dzieci
polecam

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book, because I love fantasy story’s and dogs!

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book expecting a light-hearted story about a magical dog. I certainly didn’t expect to be kicked right in the feels with heavier topics of grief and loneliness and striving to belong!

In the very first chapter we learn that Polly’s father had died in a car crash, so she tries to find a way to cope with his sudden death. The move into the Penhallow Hall, where her mother is going to work, is both a blessing for Polly, as it takes her away from their old home and so many memories, and a challenge, as she adapts to her new surroundings. Moreover, Polly is the only child in Penhallow, so she feels very lonely, and sadness and desire to find a friend is what mostly defines her.

Then things begin to get more and more mysterious – there are strange footsteps heard in the empty rooms and a statue disappears from its dais. And when Polly meets Rex, the statue of a dog that can come to life, it’s not even the most extraordinary event in the estate, because it seems that there’s a real ghost in the house. Since this is a story aimed at younger readers, the plot isn’t very complicated, though it was entertaining to investigate the mysteries at Penhallow together with Polly and Rex, and the characters were likable enough. It’s impossible not to fall in love with the spirit hounds; Rex is just a huge playful puppy both in attitude and behavior, but it’s Magnus, another living statue, that became my favourite. Magnus appears to be gruff and grumpy, but he is actually a gentle giant who’s very devoted to his friends, and I just love such characters.

That being said, the book is not without a fault. I still have no idea how magic in this world works and what rules Rex has to obey. We also never find out what’s so special about Polly that she was able to awaken Rex, and the other guardian spirits mentioned by Rex never appear. I suppose that some of these threads were left undisclosed so they could be picked up in the sequel, but as a result, the first book feels unfinished and can’t well stand on its own. There are both inner challenges, like Polly accepting the changes in her life, as well as outer conflicts, like the discovery of the truth of William’s story, but they aren’t monumental enough to stand out as the main conflict, so the final feels inconsistent, as if it had lost its focus.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl moves to an old country estate, makes some unusual friends and learns about the past.

The writing and illustrations were reasonable‎ but the story seemed a bit thin except for the end (which seemed to have all the plot).

[Bunia · Rating 4 out of 5]

KOCHAM TO
cudny sposób pisania
Postacie w których sie zakochałam
Ciekawa fabuła
Będę ta książkę wciskała każdemu by ta książka była bardziej znana

[Nayuleska · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seriously hate giving a book from one of my favourite authors a less than perfect grade. But for me it wasn't perfect. I adore Holly's stories, it's just unfortunate I found this one a bit creepy. It doesn't help that I'm afraid of the dark and big dark coloured dogs frighten me, so a lot of what Polly does at night & during the day wasn't something I could lose myself in. Oh and the war theme (something I try to avoid reading about as it's upsetting)

However, there is still Holly's magic in how she phrases things, in the love Polly's mum gives her, the way that Polly has an incredible adventure when she needs company the most. I liked how the story of the boy was woven in, introducing the reader to historical situations, making them more interesting by being in a story. From the title I think this may be a series, but I'll need breaks before reading the next title.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review on my blog Nayu's Reading Corner http://nayusreadingcorner.blogspot.co...