The Kraken

by Gary Crew, Marc McBride (Illustrator)

By internationally acclaimed children's author Grary Crew and outstanding illustrator Marc McBride, The Kraken tells the story of two children's encounter with a shadowy beast that lives in the depths of the sea.

The Kraken is able to metamorphise into any form to suit the human imagination, especially if the imagination is informed by doubt. Christopher is blind, though the doctors cannot discover a physiological reason. His sister, Antonia, is a cynic who is blind to the imaginative and creative possibilities of her brother. A short novel for young adults.

Genres: Fantasy, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Dr Gary Crew, author of novels, short stories and picture books for older children and young adults, began his writing career in 1985, when he was a high school teacher. His books are challenging and intriguing, often based on non-fiction. As well as writing fiction, Gary is a Associate Professor in Creative Writing, Children's and Adult Literature, at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and editor of the After Dark series.

He lives with his wife Christine on several acres in the cool, high mountains of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Queensland, Australia in a house called 'Green Mansions' which is shaded by over 200 Australian rainforest palms he has cultivated. He enjoys gardening, reading, and playing with his dogs Ferris, Beulah, and Miss Wendy. In his spare time he has created an Australian Rainforest Garden around his home, filled with Australian palms. Gary loves to visit antique shops looking for curios and beautiful objects.

Gary Crew has been awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the year four times: twice for Book of the Year for Young Adult Older Readers (Strange Objects in 1991 and Angel’s Gate in 1993) and twice for Picture Book of the Year with First Light in 1993 (illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe) and The Watertower (illustrated by Steven Woolman) in 1994. Gary’s illustrated book, Memorial (with Shaun Tan) was awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book in 2000 and short listed for the Queensland Premier’s Awards. He has also won the Wilderness Society Award, the Whitley Award and the Aurealis Award for Speculative Fiction.

In the USA he has been twice short listed for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Fiction Award for Youth and the Hungry Minds Review American Children’s Book of distinction. In Europe he has twice been and twice the prestigious White Raven Award for his illustrated books. Among his many Australian awards is the Ned Kelly Prize for Crime Fiction, the New South Wales Premier’s Award and the Victorian Premier’s Award. He has been short listed for both the Queensland Premier’s and the Western Australian Premier’s awards for Fiction.

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Crew writes powerful, amazing picture books for the older child, not the preschool crowd. Til today I was only aware of Kraken as in John Wyndham's The Kraken Wakes, which I know I've read, but can't really remember (I think it's time to reread all of Wyndham's stuff), I didn't realise that kraken was a more generic term for nasty monsters lurking in the murky depths. Gary Crew writes an interesting tale of two children playing on a jetty. Antonia, has normal vision, her brother, Christopher has been blind since birth, but we learn that there seems to be no reason that he can see, he just can't. A marvelous early section on how those of us with sight don't see the things and the beauty around us, that these things grow dull, and we grow blind. Christopher feels that if he could only touch the moon he would find his sight. The children embark on an intriguing journey, whilst their parents worry, and have a journey of their own. Great stuff. I'm not sure why Gary Crew isn't better known, he deserves it.

[Emkoshka · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing take on the legend of the Kraken, involving a blind boy and his sister and their voyage to the moon in a pearl shell. Crew builds an air of menace, which then dissolves at the end, suggesting that the sea monster has unexpectedly done the boy a good turn. Loved McBride's hyper-real illustrations, particularly the page merging a railway platform and jetty, with the approaching train light becoming the moon. Curious.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Australian author