Malamander is the kind of book I dreamed about as a kid: a magical blend of oddball folklore and humor about two peculiar and plucky kids who puzzle out some local secrets in a town that is a character in its own right. Filled with humor, adventure, and wonderful strangeness, this book is a treat. 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. Lovecraft crossed with John Bellairs-is dank, misty fun. This creepy, quirky debut trilogy opener-think H.P. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review) Booth’s black and white art gives full life to the characters, and fans of Lemony Snicket or Pseudonymous Bosch will find their next adventure here. Herbie makes an excellent narrator, well versed in Eerie-on-Sea’s strangeness but, ironically, clueless when it comes to Violet, and he manages both wit and vulnerability. A lack of firm resolution hints at future visits to this winningly strange town. Taylor assembles the sort of supporting cast that makes anything seem possible.Odd encounters and narrow escapes set in motion by the arrival of Violet Parma, searching for parents who had disappeared on the beach 12 years before, lead her and half reluctant young Herbert Lemon, who had himself washed up as a baby in a crate of lemons, to a desperate climactic struggle. As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? Featuring black-and-white spot illustrations, this lighthearted, fantastical mystery kicks off the Legends of Eerie-on-Sea series - now available in paperback with a bright new cover featuring Herbie and Violet. And the town legend of the Malamander-a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true-is rearing its scaly head. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued by a strange hook-handed man.

She’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find her parents. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor: Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age who lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby. It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. “Fans of Lemony Snicket or Pseudonymous Bosch will find their next adventure here.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

Violet parma malamander