L'étrange ville de Grimsly

by Alyson Noel

À Trembleterre, tout est magique. Certains peuvent voler, on y suit des cours pour apprendre à tordre les cuillers par la pensée, les chiens donnent naissance à des cochons et, au final, il n’y a que le jeune Grimsly, 12 ans, qui est anormalement ordinaire.

Aussi, quand un malfrat dérobe les ossements du cimetière pour animaux, la source même de la magie de la ville, le pire est à craindre et Trembleterre est en passe de devenir… normale.

Grimsly et ses amis se lancent alors à la recherche des coupables. Au risque de déterrer un complot dangereusement mortel.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Magic, Adventure, Fiction, Paranormal, Audiobook

346 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2017

About the author

*Note to readers: I'm slowly adding to the long list of books I've read, books I'm reading, and books I want to read. I only add books I loved, hence all my ratings are 5 stars.


Alyson Noël is the #1 NYT best-selling author of many award-winning and critically acclaimed novels for readers of all ages.

With 9 NYT bestsellers and millions of copies in print, her books have been translated into 36 languages, and have topped the NYT, USA Today, LA Times, Publisher’s Weekly, Wall Street Journal, NCIBA, and Walmart Bestsellers lists, as well as several international bestsellers lists.

She is best known for THE IMMORTALS series, THE RILEY BLOOM series, and SAVING ZOË, which was adapted into a movie now available on Amazon.

Upcoming works include:

RULING DESTINY- book 2, in the STEALING INFINITY series

STEALING INFINITY- Optioned for TV by Valhalla Entertainment - available now!

FIELD GUIDE TO THE SUPERNATURAL UNIVERSE - Optioned for TV by producers Charles Matthau and Michael Zoumas with Andrew Orenstein and Matt Hastings attached as show runners

Born and raised in Orange County, California, she’s lived in both Mykonos and Manhattan and is now settled in Southern California. Learn more at www.alysonnoel.com.

Instagram:
http://instagram.com/alyson_noel

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AlysonNoel/

Facebook:
Official me: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alyson...

Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/alysonnoel/

Reviews

[Lori Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book. I really want to thank the author, publisher, and netgalley, for granting my request to read and review this book for my reading pleasure.
I thought the book was a cute little read, I only gave it three stars, just because it took me until almost the half way point to really get into it. I don't think it was the book or author's fault. I think it's really just because I am definitely not the attended target, or I should say age group for this book. 
I did like the main character of Grimsly, what a name unique name for the main hero of the story. I love that in a world of magic, that he was so normal, or maybe he really wasn't as normal as he thinks, or other people thought. The book started really picking up when Grimsly had to go to a world that had no magic. So he could find out why his world was losing their magic abilities. It was interesting in regards to why there world was losing their magic, and to see if Grimsly could save their world of magic.
I liked Grimsly's friends that had magic abilities which were, Ming, Ollie, and Penelope. And another friend Frankie whom he meets in the normal world. I thought she was a very interesting individual, and I loved that she had some spunk in her. But also knows when she should back down.
The bad guy and why he wanted  to hurt individuals with Magical abilities was interesting, and how he was able to go about doing this was very gross.
I thought the book ended just the way it should have for it's attendee age group, but for me personally, I would have liked more action. And a better wrap up for the ending of the book, but that's my own personal preference.
I personally wouldn't buy the book for myself but maybe for my nieces and nephew's that are in the targeted audience.
 
 

[☘Tara Sheehan☘ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book that opens with a John Lennon Quote has to be good and Alyson Noel makes good on that impression which should come as no surprise since she’s a prolific author who has written across genres and for different age groups.

This is the kind of book that kids will get excited about it and want their friends to read to share in the adventures. She grabs your interest from the first page with vivid descriptions and makes you feel like there is someone sitting right in front of you spinning an intriguing tale of magic and fantasy.

The main character Grimsly, an orphaned kid, is a pet funeral director who gives lovely, poetic eulogies like when a goldfish dies. Another character, Penelope, gets visions and can communicate telepathically. You have to know you’re going to be in for an interesting ride. Ollie has been able to bend spoons and metal using his mind since he was an infant. Ming levitates and does ballet moves above the ground as well.

It’s cute the way the author flipped things around. Instead of having a normal town where magically odd things happen you are treated to an unusual town where spoon bending seems to be their national past time because their ‘normal’ is the equivalent to our odd. Their odd is the equivalent to our ‘normal’ such as their town actually quivers so to not shake is weird or a Labrador which gave birth to a litter of pups without one purple piglet in the lot. That is the foundation of the story; an abnormal town suddenly becoming normal which is freaking everyone out.

Described as the perfect story for Tim Burton fans, I’d have to say that’s fairly accurate and would love to see what he could do with this on the big screen. Although there are some creepy parts it ends in this incredibly beautiful sunny way that leaves your heart happy.

[Sabrina Kaye Fox]

This middle grade novel is jam-packed with fantasy, vivid mental images, and magic.

Grimsly is the main character, he's Quiver Hollows' residential pet funeral director. He's astoundingly normal in a town where nothing is normal about it. Soon, his normalcy is upset when Quiver Hollows starts becoming normal. At first, he believes it is all his fault, but he soon finds out it goes beyond a simple explanation.

Accompanied by his friends, and a few foes, Grimsly sets out to make Quiver Hollows Quiver Hollows again. He leaves town and goes to the outside world, stumbling upon a school where the students are taught magic doesn't exist by a hateful dictator who has a past in dealing with magic.
Chaos ensues, and the rest you'll just have to read about. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher.

I will be completely honest. For starters, I loved the book's introduction.
This book had a good setting, a really good one. But the author didn't exploit it as much as she could have done. We don't get to see more than a glimpse of it at the beginning.
The characters were OK. My favorite was Frankie, but I didn't feel very connected to any of them in particular.
I think there was more telling than showing.
The plot was interesting and the villains had real justifications, which I'll always appreciate.
On a side note, I felt like pulling out my hair every time anyone "eyeballed" someone/something. I found it weird and irking.
I was expecting something different but it was alright.

[Nannette Demmler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a delightful and fun read. I loved the characters and the plot just kept me spell bound from the beginning to the end. There has been no indication that it is the start of a series, but I certainly hope that it is. I really want to spend more time with this group of friends and in Quiver Hollows.

Grimsly is such an interesting character. He doesn’t have any magical qualities like his friends, but he has found his niche as the town’s pet funeral director. I love that he walks around in a suit and tie with a messenger bag, he is just so adorable. His friends are also very likable and I would love to have some of their talents. Unfortunately we don’t see as much of his Quiver Hollow friends in the story as I would have liked. When Grimsly goes out into the ‘normal’ world his friends stay behind. It is all left up to him and his new friend Frankie to figure out what is wrong with his town and how to save it. Frankie is adorable too, and maybe has some qualities that will help Grimsly solve his mystery.

The bad guys in this story are pretty evil. They are bullies and the ring leader, Headmaster Moonsliver deserves what he gets in the end. Grimsly is not treated very nicely by the boys he meets at the academy, but once you understand that Moonsliver is behind all of his mistreatment and that some of the boys truly don’t want to be bullies, you start to hope that Grimsly can turn them around. What the bad guys are doing with the bones they steal from Quiver Hollow, is quite gruesome and has a high ick value, that really makes you cringe as you read it.

I highly recommend this book with some very adorable characters, and some evil nasty ones. The plot is entertaining and fast moving with twists and turns that will keep you turning those pages.

[Dana · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 5/6 audio discs

Other than not ever connecting with ANY of the characters, there was a certain moment where I called the book dead and done to me. I will get to that in a minute.

First, let's talk about the things I liked. I really liked the world. It was interesting, fun, and fairly fleshed out. There exists a town in a world similar to ours in which we have no magic, but this town does. Quiver Hollows has rivers that flow in a loop, purple puppies, and everyone can bend spoons except for our "hero". I liked the world. That's about it.

I did like the characters, but I simply didn't care. Also the blurb spans the first like third of the book and then Grimsly dosen't really see his friends again (I haven't finished, but for now, he hasn't seen them yet). I didn't get to know them enough to care. Heck, I barely know enough about Grimsly to care. I loved Frankie, however. She has spunky and attitude and she's too precious for this world.

Onto things I didn't like (but not enough to quit): pacing is off. It's a fast, slow, fast type of pacing and in all the wrong parts. The exciting parts I felt like were too quick to appreciate, while his life at the academy was unbearably slow. Speaking of the academy, the bullying was atrocious. I could stomach it because I know that bullying is a real thing that happens and it's tragic, but they'll learn from this, right? RIGHT? I didn't stick around long enough to find out, but the bullying didn't feel like it was going to be addressed again. There is this opportunity to show how wrong and terrible bullying is, but it felt... underdeveloped.

Most of the book felt underdeveloped. The ideas are there, but it feels like a rough draft (a more polished draft, I'll give it credit) since a lot of things just seemed to fall short. (characters and plot)

So here's the thing that pushed me over the edge. I will be hiding it because A) it's a spoiler and B) animal abuse trigger: First, I don't understand why the animal bones are the ones to give Quiver Hollows it's magic. There's no explanation. Second, they are GRINDING the dead BONES to dust and EATING it. WHAT THE HECKIE? (Censoring for kids) Third, since they entirely desecrated the pet cemetery, they moved on to kidnapping and murdering baby bunnies. Because "young magic is the most potent magic". Excuse me while I barf. This is so sickening, so enraging, so utterly evil, I couldn't even stomach another word of this crap. I could say a bit more, but I'm so DONE with this, I'm abandoning it. It comes out of no where too, so I can see this upsetting a lot of kiddos.

Overall, it had a good premise, but there was a part that I, personally, couldn't handle.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun adventure book that ended up having a rather morbid turn in the middle. Overall I enjoyed it, but I felt that the motivations and actions of the antagonists didn't really make sense. I was left with a lot of questions, such as why the animal bones made any difference to Quiver Hollow, since the humans had inherent magic as well. I was also unclear how many generations have passed since the original curse, considering that Grimsly's guardian said the original orphan left in the field was his grandfather, whom Snelling then raised. So was Grimsly also left in the field, or is that just a story? Does Snelling raise all these kids? And give them the same name? Did both his grandfather and father die from grief? How the heck did the antagonist get in to get all those bones without being noticed? Not to mention stealing all those poor rabbits. I was less than thrilled about the torture and death of all the rabbits. And keeping all the dead wives' bones, apparently kidnapping kids (seriously, WHY?)...there was a serious issue with this family. But the book kind of glossed over that and the fact that they more or less were buried alive. So I don't know. In the end I enjoyed it, but it really did have some unexpectedly grim scenes. References to all the kids that died by being shut in small rooms without food or water was kind of disturbing.

[Jess Macallan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy this author's books, and The Bone Thief was no exception. Middle-grade readers will love Grimsly Summerfield, who is a normal boy living in a magical place. He's carved a small but important niche for himself as Quiver Hollows' pet funeral director to make up for his disappointing lack of magical ability. Until the day when the magic begins to disappear. Readers will follow Grimsly on his quest to find the Seer and ultimately help restore the magic to Quiver Hollows. Along the way, he discovers the truth behind the history of the town, and the gruesome plot Moonsliver has for taking over.

I liked the theme of believing in yourself and your unique magical personality. I also liked the secondary characters and Grimsly's sense of responsibility to what truly mattered to him. I recommend this book to middle-grade readers who like magic-infused adventures. This book was an easy read, so also appropriate for kids on the younger end of the middle-grade reading spectrum.

[Serenity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to preface this review with the admission that books written in first person present tense are often really hard for me to get into. So it was hard for me to get into this book. Noel periodically would use past tense and it kind of jolted me out of the story. But, that's on me.

The story itself is interesting and I'm glad I stuck with it. This is a fantasy with a likable protagonist, danger, adventure, and some pretty slimy villains. There are some gruesome parts so I would not recommend this for younger than upper elementary.

*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley*

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of cool cover art. I love the way the title is spelled with bones. Very cool. Unfortunately, the book itself doesn't live up to the cover. I can sum it up best using Grimsly's own words. "Can someone tell me what the heck is going on?"

I liked the idea behind this book, but the author tried to do way too much. The more I read, the more mucked up the plot became. Basically, you have a magical place called Quiver Hollows. Bunnies come in all different colors (see the cover) and dogs give birth to piglets. To Grimsly's dismay, he is very ordinary. All of his friends have special talents like telepathy or levitation, whereas he can't even pass the spoon bending exam. All of that's interesting. Then the mucking starts.

For some reason the magic is leaving Quiver Hollows and it has something to do with Grimsly. At first it seems like it's because everyone wants to emulate him, and are thus becoming normal like him. Then it seems to have something to do with the bones which are being stolen from the cemetery. It falls on Grimsly to try to find the missing bones since he is the bone keeper and funeral director. He passes through a tunnel to the nonmagical world (aka the real world) and finds himself at a school for juvenile delinquents. Hateful Moonsliver is the headmaster, and after what amounts to a lot of boring conversation with a girl named Frankie, he learns that Moonsliver is grinding up the bones into a powder and eating it to get magic.

I could go on with all of this, but it just continues to get more weird. The Moonsliver family has a bad history with Quiver Hollows. Something about mothers always dying in childbirth. Grimsly is a Moonsliver descendent, but thinks he's immune from its curse because he wasn't raised by the Moonslivers. Finally, the Moonslivers are absorbed into the ground, and just like Grimsly I'm wondering "What the heck is going on." I know there's a message about following your own path rather than doing what everyone else does. Quiver Hollows represents this place that only the nonconformists can "find." It's just a mess of an abstract theme with a convoluted plot.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

De la magie, des squelettes mais aussi une malédiction...


Nous atterrissons à Trembleterre en compagnie de Grimsly Champdlété.
C'est un jeune garçon qui doit passer son test de tordage de cuillère par la pensée,
autrement dit la télékinésie. En effet, tout le monde sans exception à ce talent dans le
village, tout le monde sauf bien entendu Grimsly. Pour lui il se trouve normal sans vraiment
de magie en lui, une de ses amie parle par la pensée, l'autre peut léviter.
De ce fait, quand la magie commence à disparaître de Trembleterre il est accusé d'être le
principal instigateur. Dès lors il va se mettre en route pour voir l'Augure, une sorte
d'oracle qui lui en apprends un peu plus sur lui. Mais surtout il apprends qu'il va devoir
aller se mêlé à monde du dessus, c'est à dire les humains, pour découvrir qui est à
l'origine du vol des squelettes des animaux mais surtout de la disparition de la magie.
Il n'est pas près à entendre son histoire familiale....


Dans l'ensemble j'ai plutôt bien aimé cette lecture qui conviendra très bien aux ados.
La plume est entraînante et dynamique, on ne s'ennuie pas. Beaucoup de rebondissements même
si par moment je me suis un peu perdue avec les personnages, c'est vite rentré dans l'ordre.
J'ai beaucoup aimé les morales de ce récit, car derrière l'intrigue nous avons quand même un
message de tolérance envers les enfants différents, nous apprenons à faire confiance aux gens
qui le mérite.
L'intrigue est vraiment prenante et par moment on se demande si on préfère découvrir qui a
volé la magie ou bien si on préfère en apprendre plus sur la famille de Grimsly.
J'ai aimé découvrir ce village souterrain avec ces lapins bleus et le labrador qui accouché
de petits porcelets, complètement loufoque et c'est pile poil dans le thème du PAC.
Et les alternance de chapitres courts et longs ont été les bienvenus car ils ont permis à
l'intrigue de ne pas s'essouffler.


En bref, un petit jeunesse magique avec une intrigue loufoque mais qui plaira aux plus jeunes.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Bone Thief” is a young adult, general market fiction novel. It is set in a fantastical world, where the only thing normal is that everything is always weird – well, everything except for the novel’s main character, Grimsley Summerfield, who is a seemingly average boy for having lived in such an unusual atmosphere all of his life.

The book deals with typical tween/teen issues of insecurity and the desire to fit in, as well as stronger topics such as bullying by both peers and those in authority. What I enjoyed was that this novel handles these topics in a way that is driven by the plot of our young hero’s journey and that of his unusual friends – both old and new. The message of the story comes about very organically and not in a forced way. The book is not what I would categorize as a Christian novel, yet the theme of light triumphing over darkness is still definitely present.

“… there’s always a great deal of value to be found in the contrasts. If not for the dark, you wouldn’t recognize the light. If not for hate, you wouldn’t know love. If not for evil, you’d fail to recognize goodness. It’s the opposites of things that are most defining.”

I would recommend this book to readers primarily age 11-14. It features shorter chapters, strange characters, intriguing mystery, and a lot of action to keep them turning pages.

I’m rating this one 4.5 bent-spoons out of 5.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noel, Alyson The Bone Thief, 308 pages. Delacorte (Random), 2017. $ 17. Language: G (2 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some danger, bullying)

Grimsly Summerfield is as ordinary as dirt, while everyone and everything else in Quiver Hollows is amazing and interesting. His only claim to fame is his pet funeral service that he started three years ago. His guardian, Snelling, told him to take good care of the bones, but Grimsly doesn’t realize exactly what Snelling means. When the magic starts disappearing from Quiver Hollows, everyone suspects it has something to do with Grimsly – and they are right, Someone has been stealing the bones from the cemetery. If Grimsly can’t stop the thieves his land and probably his friends will die.

Noel has gone in a totally new way for her latest book. She writes a solid middle grade fantasy book with plenty of adventure and danger.

EL – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

[Claudia Riendeau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un hymne à la différence sous forme de récit fantasy où un jeune homme tout à fait normal dans un monde rempli d'êtres surréalistes et de situations anormales doit sauver Trembleterre lorsqu'un intru vient y voler les squelettes des animaux du cimetière dont il a la charge. Complot, histoire de famille, malédiction, beaucoup de délicieux ingrédients pour une oeuvre qui, finalement, ne vole pas à la hauteur des espoirs que l'on y place. La conclusion devient vite évidente, Grimsly est plus passif qu'actif et ses amis agissent plus que lui au final. Si ce tome avait été une introduction d'une série, ce serait parfait. Pour un tome seul, il manque quelque chose pour que ce soit génial. une bonne lecture pour les préados.

[Heather Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bone Thief is a fun book for kids ages 8-11, set in a magical town full of magically talented people. Grimsly, however is completely normal compared to the rest of the residents, making him really strange. When magic suddenly leaves the town, Grimsly is blamed - even by himself, so he goes in search of answers. Grimsly's search takes him all over town and beyond, out into the ordinary world. Grimsly finds the answers, but is that enough to save his home and his friends?
I didn't care that much for this book, but I know that some kids will really like it.

[Janeen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. There was a cleverness to the idea that Alyson Noel seems to have with the books of hers that I've read. But I'd hesitate to offer this as a MG book. The bullying was very severe and never really addressed as anything other than cruel. There was an opportunity to make a small statement about bullying that was never capitalized on. In this day and age and given the target audience, it feels even more like a miss. The bad characters were without any redeeming quality, and the good really never had any depth. The concept was interesting, but the execution fell short for me. There were some really strong moments, but not enough to win me over in the end.

[Allie Outhouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

It had an interesting concept of magic tied to a location, a magic affected and possibly even destroyed by normality.

However, there was just too much political correctness involved with some strong but unnecessary political views throughout the entire background of the tale. These overt undertones stole the thrill of this tale to the point that I didn't even finish. I lost interest in the various forms of whining, particularly the main character's outlook on life.

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t read Alyson Noel in a very long time. While I enjoy her writing, this one did not hit me strongly. The time between when Grimsley left Quiver Hollow and when he returned, interrupted the flow of the story for me and I felt ......unmoved by the whole thing. Still, I like her writing, so there is that.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely middle grade fantasy in which 11 year old Grimsley, the only non-magical person in Quiver Hollows must save the town's magic, but he can't do it without the help of his friends. Will a boy with no magic whose only skill is to be a pet funeral director be able to save the town's magic before it is too late? I highly recommend this book!

[Wensday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and have recommended it to many people. Those that like magic and funny/bizarre images will enjoy reading this book. It is an easy read and easy to follow along with what is going on.

I received an e-copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cecilia Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrated by Grimsly Summerfield, Noel's plot has a great message about embracing unique, "quirky" differences.
Some of the story line has the subtle influence of Harry Potter.
There is also a reference to: Dumbo, and his magic feather.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids who enjoy magic in their stories will love this book! It's not Harry Potter, but has a fun mystery to solve. 3rd-5th graders will like it!
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Drew Osburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid middle grade fantasy. It felt very similar to Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians and the podcast Welcome to Night Vale. I really enjoyed all the characters and thought the ending wrapped up nicely.

[Jessica F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. A so-so story about a so-so boy who eventually discovers the magic was within himself all along. Little to middling character development and a rushed, far from satisfying conclusion.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again another 3 star book. This could've been fleshed out more and it would have been great. The heroes and villains were just bland.

[Shane Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Fun.

[Rena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5 stars. The story had potential but was underdeveloped overall.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

exciting story.

[Mabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but it wasn’t something that really stood out to me. It was really cute but I just couldn’t get behind the crazy backstory of the villains!

[Leiloni Schulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an entertaining story to read aloud to my children.