It’s being made into a big budget Hollywood Movie with Warner Brothers already and I can see how it can lend itself terrifically well to the big screen. The story moves at a steady clip that rarely gives you time to catch your breath, let alone put the book down. The humor is dark but so very entertaining. There are several twists to shake up your emotions while changing your idea of just where the story is headed. The book info says middle-school, but this grandma loved it. I think it will appeal to all ages from about 10 years old and up. Peregrinus Pincet is een vreemde man. Hij is namelijk al 511 jaar oud. Elk jaar krijgt hij van zijn monster een verjongingsdrankje, als hij maar blijft voeren waar het beest om vraagt. Maar dit jaar vraagt hij om een kind, een moddervet kind. Peregrinus gaat naar het weeshuis en zoekt het meest vreselijke kind uit: Bethany. Oh, and you’ll definitely love the illustrations. My proof copy didn’t have all the illustrations but the ones that were included looked great and I can’t wait to see the finished copy.

The relationship between Ebenezer and Bethany is brilliant. They spark off one another and Bethany doesn’t take anything lying down. She is a horror but who wouldn’t after losing her parents so tragically when she was younger and not being shown any love from the mistress of the Orphanage. years. How, you may wonder? Ebenezer simply has to feed the beast in the attic of his mansion. In return for meals of performing monkeys, statues of Winston Churchill, and the occasional cactus, Ebenezer gets potions that keep him young and beautiful, as well as other presents. But the beast grows ever greedier with each meal, and one day he announces that he’d like to eat a nice, juicy child next. Ebenezer has never done anything quite this terrible to hold onto his wonderful life. Still, he finds the absolutely snottiest, naughtiest, and most frankly unpleasant child he can and prepares to feed her to the beast. The child, Bethany, may just be more than Ebenezer bargained for. She’s certainly a really rather rude houseguest, but Ebenezer still finds himself wishing she didn’t have to be gobbled up after all. Could it be Bethany is less meal-worthy and more…friend-worthy? One of the saddest scenes for me is when Bethany asked something from the beast. I thought she was going to ask for a pet because she wants one but she asked for something else and I almost tear up seeing her so heartbroken. You see, Bethany is an orphan. Go figure. As for Ebenezer…There is something sad about people who value their physique or beauty. This theme has always been a sensitive issue for me. I won’t talk about why but stories with this theme always hits me hard. And Ebenezer is such a very likable character, despite everything, that reading his story makes me somehow sad. Obviously this book has moral lessons, lessons I’m pretty sure we all already know but we just don’t live by them. Again, it’s sad. This is a middle grade fantasy with a really dark and sometimes quite sad atmosphere. We first meet the two main characters in a bird shop, where Ebenezer, a 511-year-old man has gone to buy a bird to feed to his beast. His beast isn't a normal beast, it's a magic beast and asks Ebenezer for special meals in exchange for presents and a serum he takes yearly to stay young and beautiful. This year, the beast has asked for something special to eat, and Ebenezer doesn't hesitate to go off in search of this meal and doesn't think anything of it, that is until he meets her.Now that you have seen/ read it for yourself, can you resist this modern day retelling of a favourite fairy tale? (I couldn't have and so hopped on to the blog tour organised by the very amazing Dave of The Write Reads. *Rubs hands gleefully*)

But as soon as you're about to name him the true villain of the piece, he shows a little bit of a conscience. A teeny, tiny hint of one, but a conscience. Then, like the Grinch's heart, that conscience grows three sizes. And once he accidentally befriends The Bethany? Suddenly, this villain becomes something approximating a hero. Then when Bethany reciprocates his kindness, his friendship, well, then you can't help but cheer him on and wish him all the success. Parents, caregivers, teachers—you get where I'm going with this. The plot keeps the reader on their toes, and I had no idea where it was going. There were moments I never expected, others that made me smile This book manages to weave deep, meaningful lessons about life, kindness, friendship and grief.It's actually not as easy as he initially thought, but he eventually brings one home and sets to fattening it up a little bit for The Beast. In those few days, Ebenezer starts to think that maybe there are things more important than living to 512. The book has wonderful illustrations provided by Isabelle Follath. They capture the essence of the story while adding a touch of reality to the scenes. Take The Picture of Dorian Gray , and make it less gothic and more fun, and you’ve got The Beast and the Bethany. This book follows Ebenezer Tweezer, a 511 year-old who is ridiculously rich and remarkably spry for his age. His secret? He has a beast hidden in his attic. Ebenezer feeds the beast in exchange for a potion that keeps him young. At first, the beast wants small things, but as time goes on its appetite grows and…well, let’s just say that the beast is not a vegetarian. Use your imagination to create your own dinosaur, test your brain at a prehistoric wordsearch and write a dino-adventure! About the book Dip in each day to discover a new dinosaur and enjoy sharing with friends or family. Immerse yourself in this unforgettable year-long encounter with the… Read More

Secondary Col 3 Anthologies for KS3 to KS5 English White Rose Maths Secure Science for GCSE Reimagine KS3 English KS3 Science Now Collins Classroom Classics Ebenezer Tweezer is a youthful 511-year-old. He keeps a beast in the attic of his mansion, who he feeds all manner of things (including performing monkeys, his pet cat and the occasional cactus) and in return the beast vomits out presents for Ebenezer, as well as potions which keep him young and beautiful. But the beast grows ever greedier, and soon only a nice, juicy child will do. So when Ebenezer encounters orphan Bethany, it seems like (everlasting) life will go on as normal. But Bethany is not your average orphan . . .

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Now notorious prankster Bethany, along with her new feathery friend Claudette, is determined that she and Ebenezer are going to de-beast their lives and Do Good. But Bethany finds that being a former prankster makes it hard to get taken on for voluntary work. And Ebenezer secretly misses the beast’s vomity gifts. And neither of them are all that sure what “good people” do anyway. The Beast and the Bethany was definitely be an entertaining read, full of funny and silly moments. The book consists of a small cast of characters that I thought were great. Now how could you not like a 511 year old man called Ebenezer Tweezer, an orphan called Bethany and a beast that can give you anything you want. Well to find out more you’ll just have to read the book yourself to find out!!!The thing is, The Beast has peculiar tastes—monkeys, cacti, Ebenezer's beloved cat, endangered species, and so on. Now, it has a specific task for Ebenezer. The Beast wants to eat a human child. A nice plump one with rosy cheeks. Initially horrified, Ebenezer decides that he's really more interested in prolonging his own life enough that he can probably find a child easily enough. Ebenezer doesn’t know where to get a child from and quite frankly he doesn’t really want to feed one to the beast but the beast refuses to provide Ebenezer with his potion for this year unless he brings him a child.