A Monster Calls facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
A Monster Calls

First edition cover
Author	Patrick Ness
Illustrator	Jim Kay
Cover artist	Jim Kay
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Walker Books
Publication date	5 May 2011
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	214 pp (first edition) 152 pp (pdf edition)
ISBN	978-1-4063-1152-5
OCLC	754586643
LC Class	PZ7.N43843 Mok 2011

A Monster Calls is a low fantasy novel. It was written for young adults by Patrick Ness. The original idea came from Siobhan Dowd. Jim Kay created the illustrations. Walker Books published the book in 2011.

The story takes place in present-day England. It is about a boy who is dealing with his mother's serious illness. A monster visits him often in the middle of the night. This monster tells him stories. Siobhan Dowd, who had the original idea, was very sick herself. She passed away before she could write the book.

Patrick Ness and Jim Kay won two big awards in 2012. They received the Carnegie Medal and the Greenaway Medal. These awards are for the best children's books in the UK. A Monster Calls is the only book to win both Medals.

The novel was later made into a movie in 2016. The movie has the same name.

Awards for the Book

Patrick Ness and Jim Kay won the Carnegie and Greenaway Medals. These awards celebrate the best writing and illustrations published in the UK each year. Winning both Medals is very rare. It had not happened in over fifty years.

A Monster Calls also won other important awards:

• The British Children's Book of the Year. Book experts voted for this award.
• The Red House Children's Book Award. Children across Britain voted for this national award.
• The Kitschies Red Tentacle award. This award is for the best speculative fiction novel published in the UK.

In the U.S., the American Library Association magazine Booklist named it "Top of the List" for youth fiction in 2011. Many newspapers also listed it among their "Best" books of the year. These included The Independent, Chicago Sun-Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Film Adaptation

On March 5, 2014, Focus Features bought the rights to make the book into a film. They planned to spend $20 million to release the movie. On April 9, 2014, it was announced the film would come out on October 14, 2016.

Juan Antonio Bayona directed the movie. The book's author, Patrick Ness, wrote the screenplay. On April 23, 2014, Felicity Jones joined the cast. She played the boy's mother. On May 8, Liam Neeson joined to voice the Monster. On August 18, Sigourney Weaver was cast as the boy's grandmother. Toby Kebbell joined on August 19 to play the boy's father.

The film first showed on September 10, 2016. This was at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. It was released in Spain on October 7, 2016. The movie came out in the United States on January 5, 2017.

Stage Adaptation

On October 24, 2017, Patrick Ness shared news on Instagram. He announced that a stage play of the book was being made. Sally Cookson was named as the director. Adam Peck worked as the Dramaturg (writer in the room). Miranda Cromwell was the Associate Director.

The play won an Olivier award in 2019. It won for Best Entertainment and Family. The play had preview shows at the Bristol Old Vic starting July 7. Its first main run was at The Old Vic from July 17. This was part of their 200th anniversary season.

See also

In Spanish: Un monstruo viene a verme (novela) para niños