Sometimes the monsters take us. Sometimes we become the monsters.

Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2022
Waterstones Children's Book of the Month for October 2021
Winner of the Honour Award for Fiction, KPMG Irish Children's Book Awards 2021

'A magnificent, shadowy, gothic adventure full of heart' – Emma Carroll, author of Frost Hollow Hall.

A thought-provoking, chilling and beautifully written novel, Pádraig Kenny's The Monsters of Rookhhaven, stunningly illustrated by Edward Bettison, explores difference and empathy through the eyes of characters you won't want to let go.

Sometimes the monsters take us. Sometimes we become the monsters.

Mirabelle has always known she is a monster. When the glamour protecting her unusual family from the human world is torn and an orphaned brother and sister stumble upon Rookhaven, Mirabelle soon discovers that friendship can be found in the outside world.

But as something far more sinister comes to threaten them all, it quickly becomes clear that the true monsters aren't necessarily the ones you can see.

'A stunning book . . . a brand new take on the monster story' – Eoin Colfer

'A wildly imaginative story . . . a triumph' – Irish Examiner

'Kenny is a thrilling writer and knows how to chill his readers' – Telegraph

"Kenny is a thrilling writer who knows how to chill his readers" - Telegraph

"Kenny embraces a new Gothic sensibility in this memorable, nuanced novel that pairs real chills with empathy and emotion. He's certainly a name to watch..." - The Bookseller

"A gloriously gothic and thought-provoking story" - Metro

"Confidence, imagination and an ability to pluck the reader's heartstrings confirm confirm Kenny as a writer of serious talent" - Guardian

"This is a wonderfully gothic, funny, and spooky tale about all kinds of monsters, from the frightening beasts with sharp teeth and too many eyes to the kind who look just like anybody else. Some of Mirabelle’s family are the kind of creatures you’d be terrified to find under your bed, but Padraig Kenny’s humorous and careful characterization makes each of them feel like an old friend – uncle Bertram’s diary of every human food he’s ever tasted is a funny and sweet glimpse into what monsters might find fascinating about the human world – whilst the evil Malice stalking Rookhaven is straight out of a nightmare" - Booktrust

"A totally absorbing tale . . . magnificently illustrated by Edward Bettison" - Guardian

"A wildly imaginative story . . . And if the opening sentence is extraordinary, the last line is a triumph" - Irish Examiner

"The (much) older reader will thrill at how this book subverts hackneyed monster tropes with glee, and how Kenny drops an S-bomb on page one (“sibilance”), crediting readers with the wherewithal to handle a polysyllable. But make no mistake, this is a children’s book, in a big font size, magnificently illustrated by Edward Bettison." - Guardian

"A gloriously gothic and thought-provoking story" - Metro

"Sinister, sophisticated… infused with a gentle charm… children of ten and up will be enraptured" - Literary Review

"Written with confidence, verve and a touch of the macabre" - Irish Independent