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Monsieur Eek
The Great And Glorious Coastal city of MacOongafoondsen (population twenty-one) lies sheltered from the world. Some citizens, like Fierfl the Tailor and Miss Darkniss the Candle Maker, have never even seen the sea. Then a ship washes up with a lone survivor -- a small, odd, hairy figure the townspeople take for a Frenchman and call Monsieur Eek. While thirteen-year-old Emmaline and her best friend, Philip, welcome Monsieur Eek, devious Shmink the Bailiff has other plans. In short order the newcomer is arrested as a foreign spy and put on trial for his life. Emmaline mounts a spirited defense. But as the town's fear of foreigners (and Frenchmen) grows, it seems that nothing will save her new friend. In his first book for young readers, noted playwright and humorist David Ives makes a memorable debut, creating a sparkling fable, moving and funny, about two young people who risk everything to change the minds -- and the history -- of an entire town.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
19 people want to read
About the author
David Ives
87 books67 followersA contemporary American playwright whose plays often consist of one act and are generally comedies. They are notable for their verbal dexterity, theatrical invention, and quirky humor.
He earned his MFA in Playwriting from The Yale School of Drama. A Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting, David is probably best known for his evening of one-act comedies called "All In the Timing". The show won the Outer Critics Circle Playwriting Award, ran for two years Off-Broadway, and in the 1995-96 season was the most-performed play in the country after Shakespeare productions.
He earned his MFA in Playwriting from The Yale School of Drama. A Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting, David is probably best known for his evening of one-act comedies called "All In the Timing". The show won the Outer Critics Circle Playwriting Award, ran for two years Off-Broadway, and in the 1995-96 season was the most-performed play in the country after Shakespeare productions.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 11, 2011
Mixes historical fiction, fantasy, and mystery into an entertaining story, set in the past but not the real past.
13-year-old Emmaline and her friend Flurp to sort out the problem caused by greedy Mayor Overbite and wicked Shmink the Bailiff, who have convinced the extremely naive townsfolk that a French “foreigner” (actually a monkey) is responsible for a rash of thefts in the town. Emmaline acts as the monkey's lawyer.
The town's misguided inhabitants jump to some faulty conclusions about the ship-"If the people on it are foreigners and the French are foreigners, therefore the people on it must be French!" Mr. Shmink the Bailiff declares the chimp to be a Frenchman; he is called Monsieur Eek because that is his only utterance.
13-year-old Emmaline and her friend Flurp to sort out the problem caused by greedy Mayor Overbite and wicked Shmink the Bailiff, who have convinced the extremely naive townsfolk that a French “foreigner” (actually a monkey) is responsible for a rash of thefts in the town. Emmaline acts as the monkey's lawyer.
The town's misguided inhabitants jump to some faulty conclusions about the ship-"If the people on it are foreigners and the French are foreigners, therefore the people on it must be French!" Mr. Shmink the Bailiff declares the chimp to be a Frenchman; he is called Monsieur Eek because that is his only utterance.
January 22, 2025
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5
I fully admit that my main interest in reading this is because of the author, David Ives. I've seen a number of his short plays (I used to judge high school one act plays and if there was a year without a David Ives play, it was an unusual year). His plays are tremendously funny and so I thought a book written for young readers would be worth checking out.
It is a dark and stormy night in 1609 in the coastal city of MacOongafoondsen (population 21) when a ship washes up on their beach. There's only one figure aboard, and a mighty strange figure it is. It must be, the people of MacOongafoondsen think, a Frenchman. After all, this ... 'Frenchman' ... doesn't seem to understand them and all he can say is "Eek."
By not answering their questions, Monsieur Eek (as he is called by the residents) is found guilty of some local crimes and sentenced to death. Monsieur Eek is, of course, a monkey ... who turns this tiny town into a frenzy.
Not surprisingly, author David Ives captures the absurdity of the situation, and the towns-people, quite well. From the strange town name, to every single person believing that a chimpanzee is a Frenchman, to the townsfolk themselves (who are comic, Dickensian characters). There's plenty of off-the-wall potential here. But unfortunately little else.
The joke (it's a monkey, not a Frenchman!) doesn't carry well for an entire book - not even a short one like this. I think even middle grade readers would pick up on this.
Mostly I was bored. The first chapter, the last chapter, and maybe one in the middle had the bones of a plot and teens Emmaline and Philip are the protagonists of the story which could or should make this energetic as well as funny, but there's just not enough action to play with here.
In his introduction, Ives notes that the book is based on a medieval law that allowed for animals to be convicted of crimes.
I'll stick with reading and watching Ives' plays.
Looking for a good book? Monsieur Eek by David Ives is Ives' first foray into writing fiction for young readers, but this reviewer thinks he should stick with what works - his short plays.
I fully admit that my main interest in reading this is because of the author, David Ives. I've seen a number of his short plays (I used to judge high school one act plays and if there was a year without a David Ives play, it was an unusual year). His plays are tremendously funny and so I thought a book written for young readers would be worth checking out.
It is a dark and stormy night in 1609 in the coastal city of MacOongafoondsen (population 21) when a ship washes up on their beach. There's only one figure aboard, and a mighty strange figure it is. It must be, the people of MacOongafoondsen think, a Frenchman. After all, this ... 'Frenchman' ... doesn't seem to understand them and all he can say is "Eek."
By not answering their questions, Monsieur Eek (as he is called by the residents) is found guilty of some local crimes and sentenced to death. Monsieur Eek is, of course, a monkey ... who turns this tiny town into a frenzy.
Not surprisingly, author David Ives captures the absurdity of the situation, and the towns-people, quite well. From the strange town name, to every single person believing that a chimpanzee is a Frenchman, to the townsfolk themselves (who are comic, Dickensian characters). There's plenty of off-the-wall potential here. But unfortunately little else.
The joke (it's a monkey, not a Frenchman!) doesn't carry well for an entire book - not even a short one like this. I think even middle grade readers would pick up on this.
Mostly I was bored. The first chapter, the last chapter, and maybe one in the middle had the bones of a plot and teens Emmaline and Philip are the protagonists of the story which could or should make this energetic as well as funny, but there's just not enough action to play with here.
In his introduction, Ives notes that the book is based on a medieval law that allowed for animals to be convicted of crimes.
I'll stick with reading and watching Ives' plays.
Looking for a good book? Monsieur Eek by David Ives is Ives' first foray into writing fiction for young readers, but this reviewer thinks he should stick with what works - his short plays.
September 12, 2019
Unfortunately the story contained within the pages of David Ives' Monsieur Eek doesn't live up to the downright silliness of the character and location names. I giggled through the first couple chapters as we are introduced to such characters as "Onga the Fat Bread Maker" who is actually rather shapely, but makes bread that is fat and locations like "Only Street" which earned its name by being the town of MacOongaFoondsen's only street.
The humor in the premise of a chimp who is mistaken for a Frenchman wears thin pretty quickly as the book evolves into a rather straight-forward, and unfortunately quite boring, mystery. Perhaps if the titular character was given more to do it would have been better, but as it is Monsieur Eek is not nearly as good as David Ives' other young adult novels.
The humor in the premise of a chimp who is mistaken for a Frenchman wears thin pretty quickly as the book evolves into a rather straight-forward, and unfortunately quite boring, mystery. Perhaps if the titular character was given more to do it would have been better, but as it is Monsieur Eek is not nearly as good as David Ives' other young adult novels.
January 17, 2018
Plot : Hilarious mean could it get better a monkey
in the courtroom accused for stealing .And spying for the
french (they thought he was french .
Character's: Ok not that good, but it's so funny it doesn't
really matter.
Worth my time:YESSSS
in the courtroom accused for stealing .And spying for the
french (they thought he was french .
Character's: Ok not that good, but it's so funny it doesn't
really matter.
Worth my time:YESSSS
January 14, 2019
A fun book to read, specially aloud with all the funny names of the town - MacOongafoondsen; as well as all the resident.
June 23, 2012
I like the story, but the writing is not especially good. It annoyed me that the setting is 1609, but a character wears a baseball cap, they imagine up lightbulbs, and eat buffalo wings. Really?
June 7, 2015
"Monsieur Eek" - written by David Ives and published in 2001 by HarperCollins. A good story about a seaside town and the shipwrecked monkey that changes it.
April 11, 2017
A great and easy re-read from my shelf. Loved it when i was young and now.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews