Curse of the Werewolf Boy

Maudlin Towers #1

by Chris Priestley (Author/Illustrator)

Mildew and Sponge don’t think much of Maudlin Towers, the blackened, gloom­laden, gargoyle-infested monstrosity that is their school. But when somebody steals the School Spoon and the teachers threaten to cancel the Christmas holidays until the culprit is found, our heroes must spring into action and solve the crime!

But what starts out as a classic bit of detectivating quickly becomes weirder than they could have imagined. Who is the ghost in the attic? What's their history teacher doing with a time machine? And why do a crazy bunch of Vikings seem to think Mildew is a werewolf?

Hugely funny, deliciously creepy and action-packed by turns, this brand new series from Chris Priestley is perfect for 8+ readers who like their mysteries with a bit of bite. Fans of Lemony Snicket and Chris Riddell will love Curse of the Werewolf Boy.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mystery, Horror, Childrens, Werewolves, Christmas

239 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

His father was in the army and so he moved around a lot as a child and lived in Wales. He was an avid reader of American comics as a child, and when he was eight or nine, and living in Gibraltar, he won a prize in a newspaper story-writing competition. He decided then “that my ambition was to write and illustrate my own book”.
He spent his teens in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before moving to Manchester, London and then Norfolk. He now lives in Cambridge with his wife and son where he writes, draws, paints, dreams and doodles (not necessarily in that order). Chris worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for twenty years, working mainly for magazines & newspapers (these include The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Economist and the Wall Street Journal) before becoming a writer. He currently has a weekly strip cartoon called 'Payne's Grey' in the New Statesman.

Chris has been a published author since 2000. He has written several books for children & young-adults, both fiction and non-fiction, and
has been nominated for many awards including the Edgar Awards, the UKLA Children's Book Award and the Carnegie Medal. In recent years he has predominantly been writing horror.
Ever since he was a teenager Chris has loved unsettling and creepy stories, with fond memories of buying comics like 'Strange Tales' and 'House of Mystery', watching classic BBC TV adaptations of M R James ghost stories every Christmas and reading assorted weirdness by everyone from Edgar Allen Poe to Ray Bradbury. He hopes Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror will haunt his readers in the way those writers have haunted him.

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Maudlin Towers, a place with werewolves, timemachines, ghosts, Latin, crazy teachers, and a spoon.

I was already eager to get this book, but then I spotted it in English (OMG) at a book store and for quite a nice price even! I just had to take it with me, and boy I am glad I did as this was one rollercoaster ride I don't want to miss.

I hadn't exactly read the blurb, and I am glad I didn't as I could go in totally fresh. Only knowing what the title told me and what the cover gave away. So I knew there would be a werewolf or werewolves soon. But then so much more happened and I was delighted. And all this takes place in one of my favourite book settings: the boarding school. Yep. Our duo: Mildew and Sponge (as per their surnames) are best friends and together they try to get through the daily stuff at their boarding school: Mauldin Towers School for the Not Particularly Bright Sons of the Not Especially Wealthy. Yep. That is certainly a mouth full.

Little do these two know that they are about to get into one their most exciting adventures of their lives. Not only is something stolen that is of importance to the school, but there is also a ghost, and then the guys also find out about a time machine, and about werewolves. Yup. No boring days for these two. I loved how the story went from the two of them going detectivating for the spoon to so much more. There is never a boring moment while reading.

Especially not when the time machine makes an appearance. From that point it is very vital to keep your head on your shoulders as stuff will get very fun and complex. I won't spoil a drop, but I have to say that my head was just recovering from one revelation only to be snapped back by another revelation. Oh jolly fun! At times I went AHA or OMG really? or Oh WOW!
The time machine certainly caused some chaos, not only to my head, but also to the guys and the school.

The werewolf parts were also fun, I did feel sorry for Mildew. I was hoping with all my might that he wasn't bitten, that he was just a normal boy.

I loved both Mildew and Sponge. They were really fun and delightful characters and their friendship was just the best.

Reading about the school, about the lessons, about the teachers, I just loved it! Thanks to the great descriptions and the illustrations I could just imagine myself walking those dreary hallways. Sneaking away at night. Making sure not to cross the path of the teachers.

The ending was fabulous. I love how everything came together.

Chris Priestley's illustrations just fit the story to a t. Their style just matches with everything, the castle, the teachers, the kids, everything! 

I saw that there will be more Maudlin Towers, I can't wait! I need more!

I would recommend this book to everyone.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[lethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started out all right and then it just got better and better.

Best friends Mildew and Sponge, pupils of the Maudlin Towers School for the Not Particularly Bright Sons of the Not Especially Wealthy, are normally not the bravest of boys. But when several mysterious incidents occur, including a theft that may cause the Christmas holidays to be cancelled, they decide to become detectives. Somehow, a time machine seems to be at the centre of all the strange goings-on. Will Mildew and Sponge be able to solve the case and save the day?

I love time-travel stories and this one is so chock-full of timey-wimey it made my head spin. In fact, I went through the whole book again to try and get the timeline straight. If I understand the literature correctly, the instances of temporal paradox in this book are all variants of causal loops.

I also loved the writing (quotes under the spoiler tag at the end) and the author's own illustrations.

I don't know if Chris Priestley deliberately kept it vague, but it wasn't until chapter 22 that it finally dawned on me that the boys were actually living in the late 19th century, so that was an extra surprise.

It feels a bit weird to rate this higher than the Tales of Terror books, but I enjoyed it too much not to give it 4 stars. I may be in a particularly good mood, or maybe I'm just mellowing with age.

Quotes:

Mr Stupendo had been a circus strongman before the life of a sports teacher had tragically caught his eye. (p. 3)

The sports field was a place of great emotional trauma for both of them (p. 87)

Mildew's southern-most lip began to quiver. (p. 143)

Mildew's upper lip began to lose some of its structural integrity. (p. 146)

'How far into the future shall we go?' said Sponge (…).
'Oh, I don't know,' said Mildew. 'Far enough for it to be very, very different from this layer of tedium in which we find ourselves.' (p. 185)

they blinked into the unsuspecting face of the future (p. 185)

'Let's have a little look round,' said Mildew.
'Are you sure?' said Sponge. 'It seems frightful. There are girls, Mildew. Girls.' (p. 189)

'All that fuss about the School Spoon back in our time and here it is tossed into a cutlery drawer.'
'I dare say we will all, in the course of time, be tossed in the cutlery drawer of history, Sponge.' (p. 194)

There was a weariness in the demeanour of the servant that both boys recognised all too well — the soul-destroying exhaustion of having to pander to the needs of an eccentric grown-up. (p. 203)

'Old [name] will have a whale of a time back in the Stone Age. Perfect time for him. Think of all that running after, and away from, various forms of wildlife, Sponge. He'll be in his element. He's probably making friends with a mammoth as we speak.' (p. 229)

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The British Empire was founded on people who had the courage to prod things without worrying about the consequences, Sponge. Come on. We must be brave."

This is a cute send up of tropey boarding school books/British mysteries. The humor is definitely British in flavor, owing, I expect, to the britishness of the author. It's clever and fast paced, and has all the necessary elements-- dumb adults, (sometimes accidentally) brilliant children, revenge, time travel, vikings, werewolves, and a very important spoon. Funny-creepy early middle grade book.

[Benni Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review also posted on my blog: https://bennilovesbooks.wordpress.com...

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book was cute and funny, and it has a lot going for it. It reads a lot like a satire of some magical boarding school books; so many on-the-nose names and silly traditions as well as adults with exaggerated characteristics fill the pages of this one. The all-important School Spoon goes missing, and as Mildew and Sponge try to figure out what happened to it they run into more questions than they do answers. This book has a lot of twists and turns, and it's very amusing.

At the same time, I don't feel like this book was the right book for me. Though this is usually the kind of book that I like, I didn't feel particularly grabbed by this book; it didn't read as anything particularly unique, and the pacing of it felt a bit too quick for my taste. I think the plot was a bit too all over the place and the writing could have been a little bit clearer. It wasn't necessarily poorly-written or anything, but it wasn't quite meshing with me.

Younger middle grade readers who love creepy yet funny mysteries would probably really love this book. Though it's not one of my personal favorites, it still has a lot going for it and may be very entertaining for young readers.

Final rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

[Kirsty Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read and perfect for the target audience. I can imagine that this would make a great bedtime story with lots of enjoyment to be had doing the voices.
The two main characters, best friends Mildew and Sponge reminded me of Phineus and Ferb, as did the whole crackpot adventure.

Not only did Chris write all the words he drew all the pictures too. And I felt the illustrations added to the story, in one case more clearly contributing details that wouldn't have been gleamed from words alone. And there's a map!


This is a fun boarding school parody that will entertain fans of the genre. I'd love to see Robin Stevens and Chris do a Murder Most Unladylike/Maudlin Towers crossover. Maybe the Deepdean Vampire could meet the Maudlin Werewolf?!

The werewolf aspect wasn't really introduced until halfway through the book which I thought was a little late, not that there wasn't lots of enjoyment to be had with all the other aspects of the story first.
There were lots of threads that were tied up and this was very well executed, and I imagine created quite a headache for everyone involved. Note to self: Never write time travel. Addition to note: Oops too late - - Ask Chris for advice on how to keep track of everything.

Will our intrepid duo live to have another adventure or will they fall down to the curse?

Review also appears on my blog - Books, Occupation...Magic! At kirstyes .co.uk. I received a copy of the book for the purposes of providing this honest review.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time jumps. Friendship. Werewolves. A hilarious Latin woman. This would be a great book for UKS2 kids.

[Bexx · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️. Review will be up on blog in upcoming week or two.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully silly & morally questionable. Like I like ‘em.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty, Funny, and Much More Engaging Than Expected

If you were to read the blurbs for this book, and the first few chapters, you would be justified in expecting the tale to be a good but fairly standard and predictable British boarding school comedy. That's fine as it goes, and fair enough. It turns out, though, that the story has much more to it than expected, including a clever, devilishly twisty, and yet still fast paced and clear mystery/detectivating plot.

At first we just follow our heroes, Mildew, (the brighter and more confident one), and Sponge, (who starts out a bit dim and queasy but bucks up). This is a classic double act pairing reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy and the like. Fine. Mildew gets most of the best deadpan lines and throwaway bits, but Sponge is more than just a straight man, and he gets to puncture Mildew whenever Mildew goes off a bit too far. We meet the masters and students of Maudlin Towers, and there are many set pieces and bits of business that establish the school daze groundwork. Priestley goes big and exaggerated on a lot of this, which is amusing and likely to be engaging for a younger middle grade reader.

The humor here is rarely edgy, but if you like deadpan observations, and sly little quips and throwaway lines, then this will do nicely. Nothing here is ironic or mean spirited, and the author doesn't mock the genre. So this isn't farts and underpants stuff; it's smarter and more satisfying than that.

But wait. This isn't just school daze. The "School Spoon" has been stolen and unless it's found all will be punish-ed. Here's where the detectivating starts. MAJOR SPOILER. Not much later in, a time travel contraption comes on the scene. The boys are now traveling back and forth among eras, (always in the same geographic location, of course), trying to solve the spoon problem and a wide variety of other loose ends that have popped up here and there. This is the beautiful part - Mildew dismisses the time travel paradox and all of those tedious time travel complications as "nonsense", and so do we. The boys are free to gambol about, meeting and remeeting themselves at will, and changing history and stomping on butterflies wherever they encounter them, and yet it still all makes sense.

Amazingly, by the end everything makes sense and every odd loose end, (there are at least a dozen or two, including many you didn't realize were loose ends until the final scenes), is tied up nicely. And, (MILD SPOILER), it may be a comfort to those of you who are less then enamored of werewolf angles, that that is just a small and rather incidental part of the larger tale.

So, bright and funny heroes, a zipping plot with plenty of Marx Brothers style dashing about, and a satisfying conclusion. Just an excellent and amusing middle grade find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Andrew Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new Chris Priestley book is an event to be celebrated, and his latest does not disappoint. More in line with his fabled Tales of Terror books, Curse of the Werewolf boy is the first in the Maudlin Towers series, featuring the charming young students, Mildew and Sponge, and their adventures at the school for ‘the very best and brightest of boys’, set at an indeterminate period of 19th Century/early 20th Century in northern England.
Whereas the Tales of Terror books struck a fine stylistic chord of impending horror, Curse of the Werewolf Boy dials down the horror to make way for a playful wit, as the bumbling-yet-eloquent pair of school boys, Arthur Mildew (“of the Berkshire Mildews”) and Algernon Spongely-Partwork – aka Mildew and Sponge – stumble upon a series of peculiar happenings on the grounds of Maudlin Towers.
Mildew and Sponge spot what they believe is a Viking ghost meandering across the ha-ha (the ditch at the end of a playing field, to prevent sheep wandering onto the school grounds). And this is by no means the strangest sight they will come across in the next 235 pages of brisk plotting; Curse of the Werewolf Boy is by turns engrossing and fiendishly clever. It isn’t ruining anything for you to mention that, yes, there is a werewolf boy somewhere in the plot, and how this creature fits into the cogs of the story works very well indeed.
And to sprinkle extra sugar on this already fine treat of a book is the fact that Mr Priestley himself illustrates it throughout, and his black and white depictions of the settings and characters are grim, atmospheric and quite brilliant (there is even a demented cameo from one ex-children’s laureate) – the visual highlight for me is the chapter heading illustrations throughout the book.
On the strength of this first book, Maudlin Towers will be a series of some notable quality. Curse of the Werewolf Boy is a fantastic book, and suitable for all mischievous minds, 7 years old and upwards, boy, girl, man or woman.

[Aeicha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maudlin Towers is a gloomy, doomy kind of place, which makes it the perfect place for a school for boys...although its students may disagree. When the sacred School Spoon is stolen, two of those students, Mildew and Sponge, discover that their seemingly predictable school is anything but! Mildew and Sponge's detectivating takes weirder and weirder turns as they stumble upon several time-twisty, maybe ghost infested, possibly werewolfish, makes your head confuzzled mysteries. 


Chris Priestley's Curse of the Werewolf Boy is a truly laugh-out-loud and wild start to what is sure to be an entertaining middle-grade series. Priestley conjures up a wickedly clever and witty voice, a topsy-turvy plot that is wackadoodle in the best and most fun way possible, and two oddball, yet totally endearing heroes.  


Despite its grim, gloomy exterior and dull surroundings, there's something wonderfully delightful about Maudlin Towers and its creeptastic atmosphere. Possible ghosts, time hopping, Vikings, werewolf encounters, even some mushy romance...Priestley fits all this and more into Curse of the Werewolf Boy and does so in the most unexpected and awesomely outrageous ways. And of course, Curse of the Werewolf Boy's cast of characters is just as kooky and oddly charming as its setting and roller-coaster plot. Readers will get a kick out of the various over-the-top teachers and students, and Mildew and Sponge make for a quirky, lovable pair. 


Young readers will have a blast joining Mildew and Sponge on their adventures and will find Priestley's wry, ironic, whimsically dark humor (reminiscent of Lemony Snicket books or Tim Burton movies) highly amusing and refreshing. 

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mildew and Sponge aren’t very fond of their gloomy boarding school. The other boys bully them, the teachers are awful, and the atmosphere is depressing to say the least. When the prized "school spoon" goes missing and the headmaster threatens to cancel Christmas break because of it, the boys decide to become detectives and find it so they can be seen as heroes, not zeros. Their bumbling attempts at solving the mystery leads them on a time-traveling, werewolf finding, laugh inducing romp through the history of the school.

Written and self-illustrated by a British author, illustrator and cartoonist known for his more macabre books for young people, this first book in the Maudlin Towers series does not disappoint. If you like dry humor, “ghosts” and a good mystery this book is for you. Mildew and Sponge are hapless characters that you can’t help rooting for as they go on their adventure. There are many twists and turns that will surprise readers and keeping track of them can give you reader’s whiplash-but in a good way. American audiences might not get some of the jokes, but savvy readers will appreciate them none the less. The pen and ink illustrations done by the author add to the fun. I would recommend this book for purchase by public libraries.

This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Jessica Rentcome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maudlin Towers: Curse of the Werewolf Boy by Chris Priestley is perfect for younger readers transitioning into more complex stories. This novel is reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’s style of writing with a dash of Addams Family and a smattering of beautiful and whimsical illustrations (courtesy of Chris Priestley himself). The story centers on Sponge and Mildew, two young boys who attend Maudlin Towers (a boarding school) as they investigate ghosts, the case of the missing School Spoon, werewolves, and even time travel—all while avoiding Mr. Stupendo’s gym class and rogue vikings.

Curse of the Werewolf Boy is a great introductory read to high-level mystery concepts as Sponge and Mildew learn what suspects, red herrings, and motives are. I laughed out loud more times than I can count when reading through this as there is humor for everyone to enjoy—from kiddos to adults. And as if that wasn’t enough to entice you, the illustrations on almost every page are absolutely precious and creepy and wonderful.

Maudlin Towers: Curse of the Werewolf Boy is available for purchase 7/10/18 and is absolutely worthy of a spot on your or your child’s bookshelf.

[Elza Kinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mildew and Sponge attend the prestigious boarding school within Maudlin Towers, which is as boring as it is grotesque. But when the prized School Spoon goes missing, Mildew decides to put his detecting skills to the test, with Sponge close behind. Vikings, suspicious school masters, a ghost in the tower, and a series of secrets await them as they brave the mysterious and the unknown.

Zinging dialogue and dry humor spin a hilarious mystery/adventure story where the clues are purposefully none-too-subtle but the twists and unbelievable turns keep you guessing at what will happen next. Mildew and Sponge face down werewolves, time travel, ghosts, their terrifying headmaster, and much more before the story reaches its conclusion.

Retaining oldschool charm that matches the quaint boarding school setting, Curse of the Werewolf Boy sports an impressive vocabulary and subtle humor that will appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman's Fortunately, the Milk.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions and comments I share about this story are my own.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible silliness, a little reminiscent of the Molesworth books, but with science fiction and horror elements. Just incredible, wonderful chaos and silliness and gloriously silly illustrations too. I've enjoyed the author's more macabre works, but incredible silliness might be his real forte.

[Vojtěch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Priestleyho styl (psaní i kreseb) se zkrátka nezapře. Podivné, obskurní, ale přesto odlehčené vyprávění s notnou dávkou dobrodružství.

[Pan Tau Books - Ein Buchblog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris Priestley ist für mich der Meister der Schauergeschichten. Ich habe seine drei Kurzgeschichtenbände Onkel Montagues Schauergeschichten, Schauergeschichten aus dem Schlund des Tunnels und Schauergeschichten vom schwarzen Schiff verschlungen und mich so sehr gegruselt, wie es oft kein Thriller bei mir auszulösen vermag. Die Geschichten richten sich an Kinder, bilden also harmlose Schauergeschichten und trotzdem haben sie den nötigen Gruseleffekt, den auch Erwachsene nicht kalt lässt. Klar, dass ich mir etwas von diesem Grusel auch in der neuen Reihe rund um Modermoor Castle erhofft hatte. Doch eins muss man ganz klar sagen: Wer den schaurigen Effekt sucht, den Chris Priestleys Kurzgeschichtenbände noch beinhaltet haben, sucht bei diesem Reihenauftakt vergeblich danach. Ich fand es zu Beginn schade, auf Chris Priestleys bizarre und abgefahrene Geschichten verzichten zu müssen, doch hatte mich die Geschichte trotzdem schnell in ihren Bann gezogen.

Mufford und Sponge sind die Hauptfiguren der Geschichte und haben gleichermaßen Anteil an ihr. Sie sind Schüler auf Modermoor Castle, nicht gerade die hellsten Köpfe, dafür aber die besten Freunde. Toll ist, dass das Buch mit einer kurzen Vorstellung aller beteiligten Personen beginnt, sodass man durch die witzigen Illustrationen des Autors direkt ein Bild der Figuren vor Augen hat. Mufford und Sponge könnten vom Aussehen her nicht unterschiedlicher sein und auch ihre Namen haben eine ganz besondere Herkunft. Mufford ist der Spross der alten Familie Muffords, aber nicht so muffig wie der Rest seiner Sippe. Sponge ist der Spross der Spongely-Partworks und öfter ein bisschen schwammig im Kopf. Jede Figur in der Geschichte hat zwar englische, dafür aber sprechende Namen, wodurch oft schon der einzigartige und witzige Charakter der Figur verdeutlicht wird. Trotzdem fand ich es schade, dass die Namen nicht übersetzt wurden, denn Kindern ab 10 Jahren ist in meinen Augen nicht zuzumuten, den Witz hinter den englischen Namen auf Anhieb zu verstehen.

Mufford und Sponge haben nicht nur einen Grund, um dem Rätsel des verschwundenen Löffels auf die Spur zu kommen, sondern gleich mehrere. Sie wollen zwar verhindern, dass die Weihnachtsferien ausfallen, doch sie wollen auch herausfinden, warum in der Schule plötzlich Gespenster gesichtet werden und ihr Geschichtslehrer Mr Luckless auf einmal aufblüht und seine Schüler für sein Fach begeistern kann. All dem gehen Mufford und Sponge nach. Auch wenn sich ihre Wege oftmals trennen, ist doch jedes Erlebnis der beiden Teil einer Kette von vorherbestimmten Ereignissen. Um hier nicht mehr verraten zu wollen, kann ich nur eins sagen: Mufford und Sponges Ermittlungen führen zum puren Chaos, dass nur sehr schwer wieder entwirrt werden kann. Als Leser macht es einfach Spaß, die beiden dabei zu beobachten, heillose Verwirrung zu stiften, um dann letztlich natürlich dem großen Geheimnis auf die Spur zu kommen.

Ganz klar ist dieses Buch keine zeitgenössische Internatsgeschichte, sondern eine ins fantastische abdriftende Erzählung, die skurrile und realistische Elemente miteinander mixt. Oft hätte ich mir gewünscht, dass das Fantastische mehr dominiert, um dadurch vielleicht den Gruseleffekt zu erhöhen, denn so war ich mir oft unsicher, ob die Schüler sich vieles nur einbilden oder gar träumen, oder ob es der Wirklichkeit entspricht. Doch auch so hat mich die Geschichte mit einem soliden und spannenden Handlungsbogen überzeugt: Schule, Mystery und Freundschaft machen das Buch zu einem spannenden Abenteuer, sodass auf jeden Fall auch die kommenden Bände noch viel Spaß versprechen werden.

Dass die Schüler von Modermoor Castle allesamt nicht besonders helle sind, wird schon im Klappentext angedeutet. Vielmehr besitzt jede Figur für sich seine eigene, besondere Art von Intelligenz. Nicht selten haben mich mache Aussagen und Sprüche von Mufford und Sponge zum Schmunzeln gebracht, denn sie waren tiefgründiger als auf dem ersten Blick gedacht. Generell kann man sagen, dass der Autor Chris Priestley seine Figuren einen ganz eigenen Charakter gibt, der wiedererkennbar und einprägsam ist. Diese Züge einer jeden Figur zeigen sich auch in den herrlichen Illustrationen des Autors, die das gesamte Buch durchziehen. Ich liebe seinen Zeichenstil und würde mir wünschen, dass Chris Priestley in naher Zukunft mal ein ganzes Bilderbuch illustriert. Ein gruseliges, bitte sehr.

Fazit & Bewertung

Die Jagd nach dem verschwundenen Löffel von Chris Priestley ist der unterhaltsame und nette Auftakt der Kinderbuchreihe, in welcher das gruselige Internat Modermoor Castle und seine ganz besonderen Schüler im Mittelpunkt stehen. Obwohl meine Erwartungen auf eine schaurig skurrile Geschichte, ähnlich der Kurzgeschichten von Chris Priestley, nicht erfüllt wurden, habe ich die Geschichte genossen, sodass ich auf jeden Fall auch sehr gerne die Fortsetzung lesen werde (die übrigens am 22. Mai 2019 erscheint, s.u.).
https://pantaubooks.wordpress.com/

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in an exchange for an honest review.

Plot

This book is so freaking funny. Mildew and Sponge go on one wild adventure. I love how ridiculous the whole plot is but it makes so much sense why Mildew and Sponge, who are children, take this all very seriously. The School Spoon has been stolen *GASP* and the holiday's for the boys of Maudlin Towers are about to be ruined. That just won't do for Mildew and Sponge. So what do our young Holmes & Watson decide to do? Why they will solve the case of the missing spoon. Simple. Easy. That is until they see a ghost and not just them but another boy sees one in the attic. Now they have to solve two mysteries. Ok, two is not too bad. Oh, wait. Is that a Viking they see? What is a Viking doing in their school? Wait. Wait. Wait. Why does the history teacher have some weird time machine contraption? How did that one teacher die? What is all this nonsense about a wolf? How did Romans get involved? How did Mildew get wrapped up into an article and school play??? STOP. This is too many mysteries for our main characters to handle. Never fear though these clever boys have wit, smarts, and friendship. They can handle anything. I know what you're thinking that all sounds preposterous. IT WAS. But this whole things was so reminiscent of my childhood that I loved it so much. Things got curiouser and curiouser. The more insane it became the funnier it became. 

If you are not someone who can look past your own personal brain then please don't read this. My biggest pet peeve is adults or young adults reading middle grades and in the reviews, they say, "I didn't connect" or "The voice was really juvenile." WELL YOU DON'T SAY???? Maybe, and I might be reaching here, it wasn't MEANT for YOU! I can't stand pretentious people who feel every book has to cater to them. This is a middle grade. It is full of ridiculous plots and hilarious kids not thinking through any of their decisions. To Mildew and Sponge, they don't need to question any of the Ludacris things they just need to save their holidays. This plot doesn't have any major depth. It is just fun and light for kids to easily understand. It is so much fun and if you enjoy that type of reading then PLEASE read this joy. 

Writing

As I said, this isn't all in depth. But, Priestley sure as hell knows how to write hilarious dialogue. The world-building is actually really good as well. I pictured this deary gothic school super vividly and I loved the look in my head lol. Now what I will say as a negative is that since the plot is a bit whacky there are times when the transition from one scene to the next is not as clear. This book actually could've been a bit longer. I found myself wanting more in certain parts because they would just end and boom next scene. Other than that the voice and tone were done perfectly. I felt like I really was in the mind of two young boys. The way they spoke and viewed school/teachers and just all the nonsense was so spot on. 

Characters

Mildew was the one more out there. He was less afraid but still afraid lol. Sponge was the one a little more afraid. They were both hilarious. I can't say much except think of two young boys in a school but maybe more back in the day before technology lol like the 1800s. They had wit. They were clever. They used creativity to get out of a lot of situations. They were literally the epitome of children. I loved them both equally. The side characters were equally funny. I just had so much fun reading this book.

Favorite Quotes

"Gosh," said Sponge admiringly. "You are clever, Mildew." "True," said Mildew. "But it's very clever of you to see it, Sponge. So many don't."

"Very well. If X=5 and Y=Brazil, what is the square root of Thursday?"

"Who?" said Mildew. "Whom," Furthermore corrected him. "Shut up, Furthermore," said Kenningworth.

Mildew shook his head. Why grown men made such fools of themselves over the female of the species he would never understand. 

"Now see here," said Sponge. "A fellow can't just go about taking another fellow's trousers."

"I've come from the future to save myself!" whispered Mildew with relief. "How resourceful of me."

[Weinlachgummi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Modermoor Castle – Die Jagd nach dem verschwundenen Löffel habe ich auf der Buchmesse entdeckt und war gleich von dem Cover und dem Klappentext angetan. Ich habe mir eine humorvolle und schöne Kindergeschichte erhofft.

Modermoor Castle ist ein Internat weit weg vom Schuss, die Geschichte spielt in einem anderen Jahrhundert und diese bedrückende, trostlose und nasse Atmosphäre kam gut bei mir an. Die Schüler sitzen dort, umgeben von Moor und Moss fest und es passiert nicht viel, bis der Schullöffel verschwindet, ein altes und wichtiges Geschenk, warum genau, dass weiß man nicht, aber er ist wichtig und muss wieder gefunden werden.

Am Anfang des Buches gibt es eine Karte und die Vorstellung der Charaktere mit Illustrationen, was ich richtig toll fand. Im Allgemeinen mag ich es, wenn Namen wie im Original gelassen werden, aber da es sich hier um ein Kinderbuch ab 10 Jahren handelt, wäre eine Übersetzung der Namen, damit der Wortwitz auch raus kommt, in meinen Augen besser gewesen. Die Geschichte wird immer wieder mit Zeichnungen aufgepeppt und diese haben mir gut gefallen, sie untermalen die Szenen und ich mag den Stil der Illustrationen.

Die Geschichte hat mir gut gefallen, es gab ein paar überraschende Wendungen und viele Dinge haben im Verlauf einen Sinn ergeben. Zeitreisen finde ich immer ein schwieriges Thema, doch hier wurde es gut eingebracht. Sodass am Ende alles einen Sinn hat. Mit dem Humor hatte ich ein bisschen Schwierigkeiten, eigentlich mag ich den typisch britischen Humor, doch hier war er mir zum Teil zu skurril. Ich habe zwar auch manchmal lachen müssen, doch hätte ich da einfach mehr erwartet. Ich glaube, was den Humor angeht, muss man sich selbst ein Urteil bilden.

Ich habe Mufford und sein Freund Sponge gerne auf ihren Abenteuern begleitet, Langeweile kam keine auf. Die eine oder andere Szene fand ich nicht ganz so toll. Aber dafür gab es auch andere, die mir sehr gefallen haben bzw. eine schöne Botschaft hatten.

Fazit:
Der Humor war nicht ganz meins, über vieles konnte ich einfach nicht lachen, was ich sehr schade fand, da ich das Buch gerade wegen dem Humor lesen wollte.
Die Story hat mir im Großen und Ganzen gefallen und ich denke für Leser ab 10 Jahren, ist sie noch mal spannender. Trotzdem kam auch für mich, als Erwachsenen keine langweile beim Lesen auf.
Die Illustrationen haben mir sehr gefallen, es gab einige davon und diese haben die einzelnen Szenen untermalt.

[Tia Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an open and honest review*

4/5.

I have had this book on my Kindle shelf for a while now and was super in the mood for a quirky Middle Grade so I decided to pick it up without even reading the synopsis. At first, I definitely wasn't too fond of the writing style. I even considered DNF-ing because I was worried the plot wasn't going to capture my full attention. However, I continued on and soon fell in LOVE with the characters and story. Anything time travel is up my alley so right when that part of the story came into play, I was hooked.

I really didn't like the way Mildew talked down to Sponge at first, but I'm so glad that was addressed and changed throughout the story. The humor in this story was hard for me to grasp at first, but I actually caught myself chuckling a bit through the second half. I always judge children's and middle grade books by if I would let/want my little brother and nephews reading them. While I do find this level of humor may not get entirely passed onto to younger children, I do this it's a very enjoyable story. I should also add, I found it funny that the title of the book doesn't really make sense until almost halfway through. I kept checking that I got sent the correct file! I assumed this one would mention something about time travel since that's the main focus of the story, but I still think the title is cute and catching.

I will say, I began reading this on Kindle and the version I was given was formatted so unfortunately, I could barely understand it. All the illustrations and same letters were missing. It was very odd and I actually attest my inability to get into the story to the formatting on Kindle. I switched around 25% of the way through to a version I downloaded on my laptop. It wasn't the most comfy reading situation, but it was better than not getting to read half the book.

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Chris Preistly tells the story of Mildew and Sponge as they set about solving some unusual mysteries at their boarding school Maudlin Towers, the most important of which is the disappearance of the school spoon. It was absolutely madcap and worked really well as a spoof on classic boarding school stories. I liked Chris Priestly’s own illustrations throughout as they often helped me visualise certain parts of the story, and his dry, witty narrative voice.
I also enjoyed the characters. I loved the banter between Mildew and Sponge especially, and their conversations with the other boys they live with. A lotof the teachers were really fun too. I particularly liked Mr Luckless and Mr Stupendo. The mysteries were silly, and quite sweet, but I actually didn’t see a couple of the reveals I predicted, and I think this would be an excellent starter mystery for younger readers. I really loved the time travelling section of the book where Mildew and Sponge venture to the future, and I also liked the ending. I did find this a bit slow paced in places and not all of the jokes appealed to my personal sense of humour, but it’s definetely one to look out for next Halloween if you enjoy time travelling adventures

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite like children's books that are hard to peg down. Not quite horror, not quite mystery, and not quite sci-fi, Chris Priestly's first of the Maudlin Towers series is an absolutely absurd delight. Main characters Mildew and Sponge discover a viking, a ghost, and a werewolf on campus all in quite a short amount of time. Worse off, the school spoon is missing. Even worser is the fact that their lies are adding up to a shockingly high amount of extra-curriculars...

There's just something about this style and genre of books that allows for a laughable and enjoyable amount of hyperbole and exaggeration. In no adult book could you find such good-natured yet morose descriptions. Not to mention, the illustrations! Pen and paper illustrations evoke a nearly Victorian-esque vibe to the book, which works in Priestly's favor, as Maudlin Towers isn't set in our time period. Or is it?

There's a lot to question and a lot to love. I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

Great for fans of Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye.

[Victoria Vivente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Maudlin Towers, a school so grimly magnificent it’s “for the Not Particularly Bright Sons of the Not Especially Wealthy.” When the all-important School Spoon is stolen and the Christmas holidays are threatened, best friends Mildew and Sponge, two of the least likely heroes imaginable, decide to become detectives. What begins as a classic bit of “detectivating” quickly spirals into a gloriously chaotic adventure involving a ghost in the attic, a history teacher with a time machine, a band of confused Vikings, and the looming question: is Mildew actually a werewolf boy?

Chris Priestley, author-illustrator extraordinaire, delivers a masterpiece of madcap humor, clever plotting, and delightful creepiness. The witty, deadpan narration is laugh-out-loud funny, the time-travel twists are ingeniously plotted, and the Gothic boarding school setting is perfectly rendered through both words and Priestley’s own wonderfully grim illustrations. It’s a joyous, inventive, and endlessly entertaining romp.

Perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket, Roald Dahl, and anyone who loves their mysteries served with a generous side of splendid silliness.

[H · Rating 1 out of 5]

It had some nice humor at times and would've been more fun and whimsical if I had read it as a kid. As an adult, I think the time travel wasn't used to its full effect in terms of clever plot possibilities and emotional engagement. I think time travel is better used in serious plots since it's useful for eliciting emotions (ex save a life in the past that died, etc). I also didn't like how some things were wrapped up. The two kids tricked the gym teacher into the time machine chair and essentially tricked him to his death. That really put me off. And the headmaster changed his mind about the play and article too easily when the two main kids said they were gonna investigate the previous teacher's death or invite parents. The headmaster could've easily just said no parents allowed or whatever rules he wanted. Anyway, overall I'd say not something I can recommend, except some certain kids, and didn't live up to its potential.

[BAYA Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story kicks off on a normal and dreary day at the school when someone steals the School Spoon (which dates all the way back to the days of Maudlin’s founders). Believing it was stolen by one of the students, the headmaster threatens to cancel school holidays until the spoon is returned. Our young heroes, Mildew and Sponge (outcasts and adventurers), set out to solve the mystery and save Christmas (or some such).

Maudlin Towers is the Addams Family of boarding schools (only with a bit more kooky humor and without the warmth). Priestley’s writing is great—charming, funny, and full of witty and unique names and witticisms. Maudlin Towers is a unique world—macabre in a way that is more fun than scary. There are cartoonishly drawn, antagonistic adults for our heroes to battle, an engaging mystery, time travel, and general shenanigans. Fans of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl will enjoy this uniquely British romp.

[Cai · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a light read, fast-paced book, with a smudge of mystery, time jumps and friendship, this one is definitely for you.

Curse of the Werewolf boy by Chris Priestley is a middle grade book which follows the adventure of best friends Mildew and Sponge as they investigate the mystery of stolen school spoon and uncover the identity of the wailing ghost in the attic. And of course, the most curious werewolf boy. While it made me laugh a few times, it wasn't as remarkable as the author's previous book Uncle Montague Tales of Terror. Nevertheless, I'm sure the book will appeal to younger readers.

[Sarah Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off really well and I love how witty it is. I love the British feel and the characters are really engaging. However, once the two boys start using the time machine, it lost me a bit. It became very fast moving where I wasn't sure who was where or why. I think a lot of the 'big reveals' were somewhat lost because of this and I found myself feeling as though the book was wrapping up 3/4 of the way through.

I am going to read the other books in this series as I think it may just have been the storyline of time travelling which caused the confusion in this and the actual writing is very clever!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was fun! A clever and fast-paced story set at a boarding school (boys only) with loads of (tropey) elements that make this story worth your time: eccentric and not so clever adults, average children who save the day, multiple mysteries, vikings, werewolves, time travel, a little love story, and a very important spoon... Also contains fun illustrations throughout the book.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so much fun. The story/plot itself is fine, but I mostly love the banter between Mildew and Sponge, the main characters, to the point where when they were separated you felt the loss of it! It reminded me of the wit in the Jennings books by Anthony Buckeridge, which I also love.

[Virginie (chouettblog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

Full review up soon.