One Beastly Beast by Garth Nix

Garth Nix is a wonderful writer.  He has a wildly original imagination and his books defy stereotype.  I really enjoyed his "Keys to the Kingdom" series.  We read the whole series aloud to the kids.  I also enjoyed his "Abhorsen" series, though it was much darker. In this fun little book Nix's imagination is toned down for a much younger audience.  Here Nix presents four stories.  In the introduction he explains that these are the kind of stories he would have liked as a kid.  They each involve a young person who has an adventure and uses his/her courage and cleverness to come out on top. The stories are fun and full of Nix's original wit.  They sound like the kinds of stories a dad might make up for his kids on a long walk or car ride.  There is nothing really scary.  There is no real risk.  The reader is comfortably aware from the beginning that at the end of the ride everything will come out just right.  This would be a great book for grandparents to read to kids while they babysit for a week while parents are on vacation. The recorded version is a little under 3 hours and would be good for a medium length car trip. (176 p)