The Orphan of Awkward Falls

Feb 18, 2012 DL rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, advance-reader-copy, young-adult, horror

I borrowed this from a friend who received it as an Early Reviewer book. It looked promising as a YA sci-fi/horror novel, but I found that the execution fell flat, and I found it a struggle to stay interested in the story.

Josephine and her crunchy, enlightened parents move into a creepy old dilapidated house in a small town in northern Canada. Josephine makes friends with an orphaned boy-scientist who lives in the creepy old dilapidated mansion next door, and he turns out to be not what either o...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Sandra Stiles rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, middle-grades

The Orphan of Awkward Falls – Keith Graves

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages: 256
Source: I received the book from LibraryThing in exchange for a review
Genre: MG Horror

On Amazon this book as listed for ages 8 – 12. On the author website it states it might not be suitable for anyone under the age of 12. I will say this. You must know your child or students reading likes and dislikes, their ability to handle certain material. The day after I received this book I took it to school and shared part of it...more The Orphan of Awkward Falls – Keith Graves

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Pages: 256
Source: I received the book from LibraryThing in exchange for a review
Genre: MG Horror

On Amazon this book as listed for ages 8 – 12. On the author website it states it might not be suitable for anyone under the age of 12. I will say this. You must know your child or students reading likes and dislikes, their ability to handle certain material. The day after I received this book I took it to school and shared part of it with the teacher next door. She really wanted to read it.
I was intrigued when I read the first twosentences: “The little town of Awkward Falls was kow for two things: its canned sauerkraut and its insane asylum. Both had achieved notoriety for their repulsiveness.”
The asylum is home to the criminally insane, especially one known as Fetid Stenchley. He is the worst among all of them. He is in fact a cannibal. It is he who killed the grandfather of our main character Thaddeus Hibble. Thaddeus lives in a Victorian mansion with only a robot butler and a pieced together, Frankenstein style, talking cat. Things change when Josephine and her family move to Awkward Falls and actually move in next door to Thaddeus. Thaddeus and Josephine meet when she sees something in the fog and goes out to investigate. She ends up snooping around the place next door and meets Thaddeus. They become good friends. Of course this story would not have any tension if the aforementioned cannibal had not escaped. The problem is he is headed back to where his last crime was. This puts Josephine, her family and new friend in jeopardy.

There are so many things that I love about this book. It is a gross, creepy, horrifically humorous book. Many of the scenes are possibly too frightening for younger children. Many of my own students read more mature books and more intense horror. For them this would be a wonderful book. I still have some who prefer the younger books such as The Magic Tree House series. For them this would not be an appropriate book. This is where it is important to know your students or children. For a book like this I usually send a note home explaining what the book is about and getting parent permission if I think there may be an issue.

The characters were wonderful, the plot moved at a great pace so that I didn’t want to put the book down. I believe that the majority of children in middle school will love this book. For those adult who love reading middle grade fiction this is one I recommend to you. Get the book and find out what happens in Awkward Falls.
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Nov 27, 2011 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book, aimed at kids between 8 and 12, is one of those that I wish had been around when I was a kid. The main character is a 12 year old girl who is smart and independent. The parents, unlike those in so many kids books, *aren’t* clueless idiots who need to be saved by the kids, but are quick on the uptake and capable of action. Add in the orphan- living alone in a decaying Victorian style house, complete with laboratory- and his two companions, an aging robot with memory issues and a stitch...more This book, aimed at kids between 8 and 12, is one of those that I wish had been around when I was a kid. The main character is a 12 year old girl who is smart and independent. The parents, unlike those in so many kids books, *aren’t* clueless idiots who need to be saved by the kids, but are quick on the uptake and capable of action. Add in the orphan- living alone in a decaying Victorian style house, complete with laboratory- and his two companions, an aging robot with memory issues and a stitched together cat who talks like a detective out of film noir, the murderous cannibal villain and some mutant monsters, season with a zombie and stir well. Result: a story I couldn’t put down, even though I’m old enough to be the grandmother of the intended audience.

The plot is well carried out – Josephine’s family moves to a new town, Awkward Falls, in Manitoba. They are pretty well out of town, and the supposedly abandoned mansion next door provides an irresistible lure to Josephine’s curiosity. She is caught snooping by the Norman the robot and makes a tentative friendship with Thaddeus, the orphan who is determined to stay under the radar of the orphanage and continue to live independently. Meanwhile, Fetid Stenchley, the man who murdered Thaddeus’s grandfather, has escaped the asylum for dangerous criminals and is on his way back to the scene of his crime.
There are a lot of secrets that Josephine and Thaddeus uncover through the story, and a lot of action occurs. There is a constant sense of peril in the second half of the book, and many twists.

A few reviewers have complained that the story was too graphic for the intended audience, but while I think that is probably true for some kids, most will delight in the bug eating cannibal, the whole mad scientist thing, and the zombie. I would have loved it at that age, and so would have my friends.

Not quite all the plot threads are tied up neatly in the end; I suspect and hope that there will be a sequel. Josephine and crew have a great future ahead of them, I think.
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Sep 29, 2011 Author Anna del C. Dye rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the most charming books I have read for a while. It has a Halloween-y feel to it and kids from 7 years old on will love it. It is written in an easy English, lightly witty and flowingly well done. It will be a refreshing read for all boys and girls who don’t get scared of their shadows. It has the most intriguing cover, a perfect picture of what you will find inside the pages of this book. Released just in time for Halloween, I recommend it as a “must have,” for every English spea...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Tami rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-scifi

The Orphan of Awkward Falls has me a little confused. Although I have classified it as fantasy/science fiction (and it certainly IS that) the story crosses the line into the horror genre. My confusion is not with the story, itself, but with how to write about it.

Would I recommend it? Not to everyone. There are some amazing characters: a genetically engineered child living on sugared and processed foods and being looked after by an ancient robot; Josephine, a twelve-year-old vegetarian newly relo...more The Orphan of Awkward Falls has me a little confused. Although I have classified it as fantasy/science fiction (and it certainly IS that) the story crosses the line into the horror genre. My confusion is not with the story, itself, but with how to write about it.

Would I recommend it? Not to everyone. There are some amazing characters: a genetically engineered child living on sugared and processed foods and being looked after by an ancient robot; Josephine, a twelve-year-old vegetarian newly relocated from Wisconsin whose curiosity alleviates her fear of boredom and puts her squarely in the path of an escaped murderer (who cannibalizes his victims); as well as the afore-mentioned mental asylum escapee whose humpback contains an evil python named Cynthia who may or may not be imaginary.

Chapter One begins:

The little town of Awkward Falls was known for two things: its canned sauerkraut and its insane asylum. Both had achieved notoriety for their repulsiveness. The canned sauerkraut contained cabbage, vinegar, and other appalling ingredients, the smell of which prevented most sane people from actually attempting to eat it. The Asylum for the Dangerously Insane contained insane murderers. Both were to be avoided at all costs, as one was likely to cause gas, and the other, death.

It is one of the best opening paragraphs for a story I have ever read. It has the humorous flavor I so appreciate in a well-plotted narrative and the promise of both action and eccentricity. The story maintains this tone well for the first three chapters, introducing us first to Fetid Stenchley, the madman imprisoned for the past ten years in the Asylum for the Dangerously Insane and then to Josephine, the young girl who will become the catalyst for what is yet to come.

After these first few chapters, however, the material takes a decidedly darker twist: the reader is privvy to a somewhat graphic and altogether inhuman “Treatment” given to Fetid Stenchley in front of an audience of dignitaries (and tourists). For some adults the scene may be too much, but could be tempered by the dark ironies we have experienced as adults concerning the mental health system and politics and voyeurism. A young reader typically does not have the experiences or the faculties to process such a scene with the tongue-in-cheek viewpoint from which it is written.

The “Treatment” is not the end of the horrifying scenes in the story. There is a real element of Frankenstein/Dr. Frankenstein woven into the narrative: Fetid Stenchley is deformed. Professor Celsius Hibble treats him like a human being. In his gratitude Fetid cannot stand to have anyone else grow close to the doctor and many individuals who began to frequent their home “accidentally” perish. The Professor is involved in researching the reanimation of dead tissue, despite ridicule from the scientific community that once lauded his work. When the Professor’s fiancee leaves him he descends further into madness and commits unspeakable acts which result in his own murder by Fetid Stenchley, who is then imprisoned in the Insane Asylum.

All this has happened before Chapter One actually begins. It is Josephine, who sees the Professor’s old house through the fog her first night in their new home next door, and sets out to investigate who joins the threads of the past to those of the present. Professor Celsius’ mansion is not abandoned. Fetid Stenchley has escaped and revenge for his imprisonment is foremost in his damaged mind. In the process of Fetid’s tortured search for revenge and redemption the reader is witness to much that will make the squeamish stop reading–including the return of the murdered professor’s corpse.

Here is where I come to my crossroads, as it were: to recommend or not to recommend? I am uncomfortable with some of the material in the book for a younger reader. It is possible that a middle grade reader (or above) who is interested in the horror genre would thoroughly enjoy this book. My best comparison with an adult horror writer is Dean Koontz (as opposed to Stephen King). In Dean Koontz’s work, although horrendous things occur to people, there is always an overall sense at the end of the story of hope and good over evil. The Orphan of Awkward Falls is by no means as graphic as a Koontz or King title, but parents should be strongly cautioned that it is NOT for young readers.

That said, the narrative is tightly plotted with strong, well-developed characters, an interwoven ribbon of dark humor and underlying themes of unconditional love and individuality.
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Oct 14, 2011 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own

This book sounded like a lot of fun for my kids and I just in time for Halloween. It touts a whimsically grotesque villain, an eccentric mad scientist (who just happens to be a young orphan boy), a robot butler, a talking cat and a lot of adventure. The illustrations looked creepy and the premise sounded fun.

The publishers indicate that this book is aimed at 8-12 year old kids. From the first pages of the book, I must adamantly say that age range is WRONG! There is no way I'd want my nearly 8 ye...more This book sounded like a lot of fun for my kids and I just in time for Halloween. It touts a whimsically grotesque villain, an eccentric mad scientist (who just happens to be a young orphan boy), a robot butler, a talking cat and a lot of adventure. The illustrations looked creepy and the premise sounded fun.

The publishers indicate that this book is aimed at 8-12 year old kids. From the first pages of the book, I must adamantly say that age range is WRONG! There is no way I'd want my nearly 8 year old daughter reading this. Even with my 10 and 11 year old sons, I'd be worried that there are segments that are too gruesome, too violent, too graphic.

Am I being an overly protective and highly sensitive parent? Maybe a little, but I don't think I'm overreacting too much when I say this book should have a distinct PG-13 rating for violence and grotesque scenes of horror. I'm open to the idea of gross elements of horror or just creepy scenes or descriptions. But for kids not yet in their teens, let's keep that horror at the level of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books. This book goes a bit too far.

Putting the erroneous age rating aside, this was a pretty fun book. The illustrations were great. Although the placement of the illustrations felt a bit odd…rather than being on the facing page for the scene they described, they were usually a page prior or after and sometimes the illustrations were all at the beginning or end of a chapter and felt disconnected from the scene they were trying to illustrate.

The mysterious plot was intriguing and had me anxiously searching for answers along with the characters. While there were a lot of stereotypical tropes in this northern Canadian town, it served as a vivid backdrop for the adventure. The scenes were tight and fast paced. Even when largely unbelievable, I felt my heart race as the characters struggled to solve the mystery and survive.

There was a disconnect for me in the cheesy and juvenile humor as compared with the gruesome horror and violence in other scenes. It was as though this book couldn't decide whether to be an adult horror book or a creepy kids book. Instead, it tried to straddle the fence by mixing together whimsically funny characters, names and actions alongside violently disturbing attacks and violence. The result felt somewhat schizophrenic.

While I had fun with this story and enjoyed the writing, I can't recommend it to my kids. Due to its very youthful tone, it would be a hard sell for my adult friends who read horror and thrillers. I guess that leaves it as a "teen" book, but I worry that teens might think this book is "too young" for them and prefer to jump up to weightier horror.

Still, if this book finds the right audience, it could be a success. It's got a creative story, solid writing and fun illustrations. I'm just worried that parents (or others) will see the silly images on the cover and pick this up for young readers only to be traumatized and offended.

***
3 out of 5 stars(less)

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Jul 30, 2011 Maggie Hargrave rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: multicultural, mystery, sci-fi-fantasy, juvenile-childrens

This was a strange and odd book, but in a very good way. Starting a not-graphic novel with a short sketch of a gruesome murder is an interesting (if a bit jarring) way to open a book. The style reminded me a bit of Roald Dahl mixed with The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster mixed again with The Order of the Odd-Fish by James Kennedy. A whimsical, potentially scary, but things eventually turn out fine (though not necessarily happy) in the end type of story. The sketches were a bit jarring, but...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm back and forth between 2 and 3 stars on this one. On the one hand I really enjoyed the middle grade aspects of this book. I liked the idea of the little boy who is kind of a mad scientist being raised by a robot. Josephine and her family reminded me a bit of The Books of Elsewhere. Those parts of the story were great.

I liked the overall idea of the story - the plot was interesting and enjoyable.

On the other hand, there are significant parts of this book that I would not deem appropriate for...more

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Aug 05, 2011 TheBookSmugglers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/08/j...

Thirteen year old Josephine Cravitz is determined to be mad. Her parents have uprooted her yet again – just as she was getting used to life and friends in balmy Madison, Wisconsin, she’s forced to move to what she thinks of as the Arctic Circle (aka the far reaches of northern Manitoba, Canada). In the small town of Awkward Falls, renowned for its sauerkraut (a strange-smelling delicacy for which there is a festiv...more Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/08/j...

Thirteen year old Josephine Cravitz is determined to be mad. Her parents have uprooted her yet again – just as she was getting used to life and friends in balmy Madison, Wisconsin, she’s forced to move to what she thinks of as the Arctic Circle (aka the far reaches of northern Manitoba, Canada). In the small town of Awkward Falls, renowned for its sauerkraut (a strange-smelling delicacy for which there is a festival each year) and proximity to the Asylum for the Dangerously Insane, Josephine fully expects to be utterly bored for the remainder of her summer vacation. But when the family pulls up to their new home, an awesomely foreboding and deliciously mysterious mansion full of secrets from the past, Josephine has a hard time maintaining her act of sullen malaise. The first night in the her home Josephine sees a strange figure from her bedroom window and decides to investigate only to be taken prisoner to the dilapidated neighboring mansion by a rusty automaton. It is here that she meets her neighbor Thaddeus Hibble, a paranoid boy genius/mad scientist in training with a penchant for too many sweets and no personal hygiene. With no parents and only a robot butler named Norman and a talking, reanimated cat named Felix as his lone companions, Thaddeus has spent his days sleeping and his nights concocting mad and brilliant experiments. Josephine’s arrival throws Thaddeus’s peaceful – if unhygenic and not exactly happy – life into a tailspin, though, when she volunteers to help him discover the truth of his parents, grandfather, and his past.

As if things weren’t bad enough, there’s the matter of Fetid Stenchley – the most notorious and dangerous killer ever to be imprisoned in the neighboring Asylum. The cannibal Stenchley has escaped his prison and has one destination on his mind: the home of his former master (whom Stenchley murdered and partially ate), genius scientist Celsius T. Hibble – Thaddeus’s grandfather.

Of all the books in the lineup this week, The Orphan of Awkward Falls was my most highly anticipated. I love the blend of the macabre with comedy, and Mr. Graves’s novel had the promise of both in spades. Not only did the book have promise, however, it also delivered. The Orphan of Awkward Falls is one part Rick Yancey and one part Neil Gaiman, with notes of Roald Dahl in the mix. In short, I loved this book.

From a storytelling perspective, The Orphan of Awkward Falls is both charming and gruesome and all the more wonderful for its ability to temper darker themes with madcap hilarity. From the opening scene, this wonderful alchemy of the funny and the horrific sets the tone of the book, as the novel begins with the truly horrific and darkly funny “treatments” being inflicted on our villain, Fetid Stenchley in the Insane Asylum. In the style of Roald Dahl (who actually wrote some very scary stories when you stop to think about them), The Orphan of Awkward Falls continues with this irresistible combination of darkness and comedy – it’s in the sadness of a very lonely boy living in a dilapidated home overrun with vermin and mold and all kinds of nastiness, but also in the comedy that said lonely boy’s genius inventions and mad-scientist-in-training crazy attitude provides.

From a pure plotting perspective, there are many wonderful plot twists and turns over the course of the book – if you, like me, have a few pointed questions that you can’t shake early on in the book, I urge you to stick with it. ALL is explained in due course (and it’s all brilliant, too). I want to say more, but therein lie spoilers and I would not dream of depriving you, dear readers, of that journey. Rest assured that there are revelations aplenty in The Orphan of Awkward Falls, each one more dramatic than the last.

Just as the story was fantastic so too are the characters – in fact, it is the characterizations that make this book sing. I adored heroine Josephine with her true-to-tween calculated coolness, with her wonderful aubergine hat (appropriately named Eggplant), with her love of yoga/organic/health conscious living and her love for her parents. I loved Thaddeus and his hilarious petulance and his ability to simultaneously seem much older and much younger than his age (surely a byproduct of growing up as a genius with only an ancient automaton and a cat for company). I loved the slick, cool cat Felix with his 1930s gangster voice, and Norman the robot with a penchant for modern television and film. I even loved Fetid Stenchley and his Cynthia (the snake that lives in the hump on his back and urges him to eat people) – in a ‘I-love-you-cuz-you’re-a-great-character way, not in an I-love-you way. While Fetid Stenchley may be the most villainous insane criminal of all time, Mr. Graves gives him deeper layers and even some sympathy. When we learn about Cynthia, and when we learn about why Fetid is the way he is, it’s a sad thing.

I honestly can’t think of anything that I didn’t like about this wonderful book. The Orphan of Awkward Falls is a fantastic middle grade novel that delivers both laughs and chills, sure to be a hit for reluctant younger readers and more seasoned older ones alike. Absolutely recommended.(less)

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Feb 29, 2012 Patricia Lusher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile-fiction

An enjoyably strange book, the orphan of Awkward Falls is Thaddeus Hibble, a strange boy who lives with a robot and a talking cat in an old mansion thought to be deserted. Josephine, the only child of a liberal vegetarian couple who have all moved to northern Manitoba, investigates the mansion next door, only to find Thaddeus and his strange companions. Thaddeus' dead grandfather had found a way to revive dead people and animals by taking parts of other people and animals he had collected. A dun...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Tasha Mahoney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mommas-maybes

As a family we are very open to anything. I was reading and understanding Stephen King under the blankets with a glow worm when I was 9 because there were no books like this when I was a child. I was forbidden to read such things and it fueled my macabre hunger even more. This is a very clever blend of horror and syfy and well written. It pulls at a moms heart strings a child would never understand but it offers them a sneek peek into what's out there for them in the big kid literary world as th...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Samantha-Ellen Bound rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a grim, gory and immensely readable little story. It is easy to get sucked in and once you’re hooked, the pages fly. There is a great deal of adventure, a bit of sly hilarity (at least for kids) and lots of spooky and gruesome details to keep the enthusiastic reader happy.

I did have a bit of trouble with some of the content – I feel like some of it wasn’t appropriate for the intended age group, there were a few parts where I thought it was just a little bit too sick for kids. I wouldn’t...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Jaime Leroy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-school, childrens

Josephine moves to Awkward Falls and goes exploring. When exploring the mansion next door, she meets a boy named Thaddeus, who lives there all by himself with no one for company but his robot butler and the cat he has raised from the dead. He used to live there with his grandfather, the famous scientist, Celcius Hibble, but his grandfather was murdered by his former assistant, Fetid Stenchley. So when the cannibalistic Stenchley escapes from the towns’ asylum and comes after Thaddeus, craziness,...more

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May 13, 2012 Esmeralda rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Orphan of Awkward Falls is a children's horror/dark humor book. It has fantastic illustrations, and I laughed out loud several times while reading it. Some parents may find the subject matter to be too dark/scary for their children, since the book is written for, perhaps, 5th graders. However, I think most kids will be fine with the content and find the book very fun. It is no scarier than R.L. Stine, and no grosser than Roald Dahl. I read both of these authors when I was a child, and I THIN...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-2011, tag-2012-13

Thirteen year old Josephine finds herself uprooted once again this time to Awkward Falls, Manitoba, Canada home of the Asylum for the Dangerously Insane and canned sauerkraut. She quickly discovers the dilapidated mansion next door with a cast of kooky, creepy characters and an ages old mystery that needs solving but time is not on her side as an escaped lunatic savage killer is headed to the mansion for revenge.

2.5 stars. Reminds me a bit of Gaiman's Coraline and Graveyard Book. Sinister and c...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good book.. but I don't know if I'd read this to kids. Maybe I'm a bit out of the loop - I don't have any kids - but when I think back to when I was 9-12, this book would have been pretty intense.

The story is pretty great, even as an adult, I was drawn to the plot and the fun/zany characters. But what concerns me is the topics they cover: cannibalism, an extreme mental hospital, a lobotomy-type surgery, mutated animals, some sort of split personality, and a slightly unhealthy focus on veganism...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Kim McGee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fun slightly gross and creepy story of the next door neighbor you hope you don't have! Being the only child of academic parents is not always easy so when they pack up the station wagon and move to the next town it can be tough. When the old house you are moving into is way out of town and next to a dilapidated mansion it can only get worse. The mansion contains an unusual group- boy genius, automatron butler and talking cat to name a few. Now add an escaped lunatic from the insane asylum and yo...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Jessica at Book Sake rated it 3 of 5 stars

A teenage girl and her parents move to Awkward Falls as her dad has changed jobs yet again. Josephine is determined that this will be the most boring place ever and doesn’t know how she will survive until school starts. In no time the craziness starts as she sees something outside in the fog. She goes out in the middle of the night to take a look and ends up at her neighbor’s house. The house is inhabited by a little boy, his robot manservant, and a talking cat…well he’s mostly a cat. This boy,...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Robert Long rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved reading this, it's a little odd and a bit slow in the beginning but that's to be expected with almost any story telling. About halfway through I found myself desperately turning pages to find out what will happen next and if the events would pan out as I was hoping. Now, about the ending. Very unexpected and a little odd for my usual *love of a happy endings* taste but I enjoyed it non the less. It was enough to make you smile. Also, the letter at the end made me tear up.

I'd recommend t...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Bookworm1858 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine, middle-grade, read-2011

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book, other than hopefully a charming MG story. I was also pleased to discover that there were illustrations included as I read through this weird tale.

Josephine has just moved to Awkward Falls, location of an insane asylum housing cannibal Fetid Stenchley, who manages to escape through a very poorly planned event. That is unknown to her when she stumbles upon the titular orphan, Thaddeus, a mad scientist who lives with his grandfather's robot servan...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Maureen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-youth

I wanted to like this book because of the amazing black-and-white artwork interspersed throughout that reminded me of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, but I lost interest in the first chapter. I am sure that some children, who enjoy scarier tales, will like this book but a character who is a cannibal was a bit much for me. I also found that I didn't feel any empathy for several of the main characters - especially Stenchley and Thaddeus. As I read the book some chapters left me ri...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Naomi Schmidt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pretty darn creepy, considering the intended audience. Not for the squeamish. The first main character introduced is a cannibal living in an insane asylum. There were some continuity errors (I read the ARC--I don't know if that is the sort of thing they would fix for the final edit), and the author kept insisting that the cannibal was incredibly stupid, but he just seemed incredibly insane to me, and not without intelligence. Quite a fun read, nevertheless.

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Jan 10, 2013 Jenni rated it 2 of 5 stars

Meh. Picked this up because Keith Graves is one of our favorite picture book authors, and well, he should stick to picture books. His macabre sense of humor is fun when it's a dancing Frankenstein falling apart on stage, but in this book it just doesn't fit. It's Too dark to be a kids book, too childish for teenagers/adults. It wasn't unenjoyable, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have nothing better to read.

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Feb 16, 2012 Ann rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: didn-t-finish

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 23, 2011 M rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-library, middle-grade, science-fiction

I received this book just in time for Halloween. Though the book is meant for younger readers, it doesn't hold back when it comes to the gruesome. Deliciously horrific, I was both shocked and entertained while reading the bits about Fetid's fetish and habits for all food, well, living. Reluctant readers and young horror fans alike will be begging for more from Graves.

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Sep 15, 2011 Wonderbunny rated it 3 of 5 stars

I struggle over how to rate young teen or older children's books. This is one of those books where the story was interesting but I don't know if I would have read as a kid and if I'd hand it off to one of my nieces or nephews for them to read. There was some content I would question, so I'd recommend making sure to read about the book or read it yourself before picking it up for a kid.

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Jan 21, 2012 Robin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-list, 2013ricba, arcs

This was a surprisingly odd story about a boy who successfully reanimates the neighborhood pets for their owners. At the same time a family moves in next door and the girl thinks this is going to be a really boring place to live. Boys is she ever wrong? A little creepy and scary but a page-turner!

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Jun 25, 2012 Charity Ambs rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: j-fiction

Creepy! Cannibal killer on the loose, zombies, giant ravenous mutants, etc... A young girl moves to Awkward Falls (Manitoba) and quickly discovers that there is an interesting secret next door. It was quick paced, quirky, and kept me reading. I would recommend for Grade 5 and up.

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Nov 11, 2011 Danie P. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-books, y-a

Fans of Goosebumps will enjoy this stand alone story about a escaped cannibal, orphaned boy genius and a vegan girl who is new in town.

Be warned the story gets pretty graphic in regards to Stenchly (the cannibal) and young readers not used to the horror genre might be affronted.

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May 16, 2012 Ashley Head rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thirteen-year-old Josephine is not exactly thrilled to move to Awkward Falls, a town known only for its sauerkraut and its insane asylum, but she can't resist snooping around the dilapidated mansion next door. She finds more than she bargains for when she is captured by the strange characters who live ther:an ancient automaton who serves as a butler, a cat pached together with a few odd parts, and a bou genius named Thaddeus. Meanwihile, Fetid Stenchley, the most feared patient in the Asylem for...more

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title link	preview: The Orphan of Awkward Falls
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The Orphan of Awkward Falls

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