The book takes place in Eerie-on-the-Sea, and I adored how Taylor vividly brought that strange town to life. From the shops - the Eerie Book Dispensary with its Sea Monkey – to its characters - Mrs. Fossil looking for washed-up treasures on the beach: they all are colourful and enchanting. Everything in this town tells a story. My favorite part of the story is the fact that during the tourist season the town is Cheerie-on-Sea....but when winter rolls around the first two letters on the town sign disappear -- Eerie-On-Sea! Made me laugh! :)

Kaybolan ailesini aramak için yolu Tuhaf Deniz Kasabasına düşen Violet Parma ve bu kasabanın otelinde kayıp eşyalar bürosundan sorumlu olan Herbert Limon'un bu gizemi çözerken başlarına gelenleri okuyoruz. I do not read a lot of Middle-Grade books, but ever since I first heard of Malamander, I knew I could not miss out on this one. Everything about it grabbed my attention: the atmospheric seaside setting, the dreamy old small town with its odd but adorable inhabitants, and the promise of a fantastic adventure. Themen? Es geht hier um Wunscherfüllung und das erfüllte Wünsche nicht immer das sind, was man sich erhofft hat. Manchmal können Wünsche nämlich auch zu einem Fluch werden. Freundschaft spielt, wie in fast jedem Kinderbuch, auch hier eine wichtige Rolle. Ich fand es auch gut, dass es an einer Stelle um Meerglas geht und auch darum Bernstein mit Hilfe von Schwarzlicht zu finden. The front cover art is awesome! That monstrous eye peering out at me is what made me want to read this book!! Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, knows that returning lost things to their rightful owners is not easy – especially when the lost thing is not a thing at all, but a girl. No one knows what happened to Violet Parma’s parents twelve years ago, and when she engages Herbie to help her find them, the pair discover that their disappearance might have something to do with the legendary sea-monster, the Malamander.Ja siitäpä sitten käynnistyy melkoinen seikkailu. Orvokki tarvitsee apua löytääkseen kadonneet vanhempansa, joiden elämäntyönä on ollut tutkia malamanteriksi kutsuttua kammottavaa merihirviötä. Legendan mukaan hirviön munalla on maagisia ominaisuuksia, ja sellaisen omistava ihminen voi toteuttaa minkä tahansa toiveen. Lapsille käy ilmi, että malamanterista ovat kiinnostuneita monet muutkin tahot (edellämainittu merimies mukaan luettuna), eivätkä nämä myöskään kaihda keinoja saadakseen sellaisen käsiinsä...

A wonderfully imaginative and atmospheric adventure, rich in myth and legend, and with a delicious gothic edge. . . . Malamander confirms [Taylor] as a ferociously talented writer. . . . This really is one that deserves all the buzz. Magie? Es gibt den Malamander, dessen Ei einem Wünsch erfüllen kann. Außerdem gibt es einem Geist in dem Buch. In Malamander, Thomas Taylor casts a spell over his readers as he welcomes us into the mysterious mist-covered town of Eerie-on-Sea, where magic infuses the air, monster legends haunt the shore, and secrets lurk in the shadows. Filled with humor, adventure, and wonderful strangeness, this book is a treat.Humor & Spaß? Das Buch baut Skurrilität auf, wodurch natürlich dieser Roman nicht nur einprägsam wird, sondern auch eine Art von Humor entsteht oder sagen wir eine gewisse Faszination. Lachen konnte ich über dieses Buch allerdings nicht. A seaside town in the dead of winter, forgotten by the tourists who frequent it in the summer, Eerie-on-sea is home to Herbert Lemon. Keeper of lost luggage, his life mainly consists of reuniting lost items with their owners while simultaneously winding up hotel manager Mr Mollusc. Until the day a girl shows up on his lost luggage room. A lost girl, who wants Herbert's help to find her missing parents. Malamander held that promise. It’s a compelling book told in a funny and magical fashion. Thomas Taylor created a beautiful little universe with Eerie-on-the-Sea that has everything a bookworm could wish for: A set of original characters ranging from the formidable hotel owner to the collector of shiny pebbles and other mysteries that can be found on beaches, fascinating objects like the so-called Cameraluna and a glowing pink egg, and, of course, there is a library that will get you exactly the book you need, whether you want it or not.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this. It feels spooky and dark, with vivid descriptions of the seaside town and its kooky inhabitants. I particularly loved the rather uppity cat and mermonkey, who both live in the library that's not really a library, where the books are prescribed rather than bought. All of the secondary characters feel like funny caricatures, with fun nautical names. Herbert and Violet, our main duo are also a decent enough pairing. They're well enough developed to carry the story, with Violet's mysterious past helping to propel the mystery of the plot forward. Their friendship also feels genuine and well thought out. However, I did find the villain of the story a little one dimensional. A Series of Unfortunate Events meets Winterhouse in this fun, whimsical, and heartfelt read! Malamander has easily become one of my favorites of 2019." - 📚🐙🏨✨ Güzel ve renkli bir kitaptı. Akıcı ve olayları boldu. Üzülerek belirtmek isterim ki YA zar zor dayanan ben çocuk kitabına nasıl bulaştım bilemem ama katlanılabilir bir unsurdu. On iki yaşında ki iki yavrucak ve yaşadıkları maceralar bende yer yer endişelere sebep oldu. Ve büyüdüğümü fark ettim. Maceradan çok mantığına takıldım 😅 Fantastik bir evren değil ama bariz fantasy unsurları vardı. Günümüz teknolojisi/zamanı yansıtılsa da bazen eskiye yönelik bir okuma hissiyatı içinde buldum kendimi. Bir de bu yavrular nasıl başıboş dolaşıyor ben onu çözemedim 🤣 onlarda akşam ezanı saati eve girme zorunluluğu yok galiba 😁 hoş bunu belirtecek bir yetişkin de yok başlarında.The main story revolves around Herbie Lemon who has been hired by Violet Parma to find her parents, who were lost 12 years ago. Herbie has a job a the Grand Nautilus Hotel and he has found, returned, or kept various lost items, but never been asked to find parents who have been missing for years. Incidentally, Herbie gets paid, not by money, by being able to keep items that have been lost for over 100 years and have not been claimed by anyone. The themes in the book are similar to others you might find within middle grade – friendships, discovery of what is out there in the world as well as discovery of what is important to you and the content of your character. Altersempfehlung? Das Buch wird ab 10 Jahren empfohlen und ich finde das wirklich in Ordnung. Die Kapitel sind auch recht kurz, was ich bei Kinderbüchern immer wichtig finde. Protagonisten? Herbie ist 12 Jahre und ein Sachenfinder. Er ist ein netter, pfiffiger Held, der seinen Job ernst nimmt und sich auch selbst überwinden kann. Außerdem habt ihr Violet, die ihre Eltern sucht.

Violet Parma has returned to the Grand Nautilus Hotel to uncover the mystery of the disappearance of her parents, infant Violet found in the family hotel suite while all that remained of her parents were their shoes left upon the beach for the tide to claim. Technically Violet is a lost child searching for her parents and if anyone could solve the decade long disappearance, it's Herbert Lemon, lost and founder extraordinaire. Herbie and Violet are going to uncover one secret or another that has been hiding in Eerie-on-the-Sea, and for some reason, they all seem connected to the legend of a sea-monster. And Herbert and Parma should hope that this monster stays a legend, too.I can see this book being a big hit this year as there is so much happening throughout and the plot and the characters are exceptionally enjoyable to spend your time with. It is also the first in a planned series so I now can’t wait to see what adventures Violet and Herbert get up to in the next two books. Thomas Taylor was born in Norfolk, England in 1973, but grew up in Wales. He attended Norwich Art School in 1991, before going on to specialise in illustration at Anglia University in Cambridge, graduating in 1995. After dabbling in Theatre design he decided to concentrate on children’s books because he prefers the colours. This creepy, quirky debut trilogy opener—think H.P. Lovecraft crossed with John Bellairs—is dank, misty fun.