The Yark loves children.
He loves the crackle of their little bones between his teeth, and to suck on their soft eyes which melt like chocolate truffles.
He adores their tiny fingers, their tiny feet, their tiny tongues, which he chews with a sprig of mint for a sweet and deliciously sticky treat.
The Yark eats children BUT the children must be very good. Bad children upset his stomach. "When children do something wrong, their hearts ferment a violent poison and their flesh becomes more toxic than a vipers venom." But where are all the good children? The world has changed and they are hard to find. Wait a minute Santa has that list of good boys and girls. The Yark needs that list!
He fights with Santa but somehow the list sticks to his bottom as he is thrown out into the snow. Now he has the names. Charlotte from Provence in France and Lewis in London. Sadly for Yark, in each case, things go horribly wrong. In Chapter 6 for example, he eats Jack, twin brother to Lewis. Jack is a bully and a horrible child and so the Yark becomes violently ill.
"His legs are trembling, his stomach is gurgling, his ears are buzzing and his buttocks are starting to itch. He coughs, he drools, he suffocates, he breaks out in pimples, pustules and blisters."
Yark flees and crashes near a lighthouse. A lonely child called Madeline rescues him. She showers him with kindness. Yark cannot bear the idea of eating Madeline even though she smells delicious:
"Violet and anise are the heart notes that reveal an underlying melancholy. The base notes of cotton and fresh rice attest to her goodness. Last, the Monster discerns a blend of blood orange and milk sugar, top notes that emanate only from the purest souls."
Now we have a dilemma. Yark cannot eat Madeline but he worries he might not be able to resist her so he leaves even though Madeline begs him to stay. In the forests of France there are hundreds of abandoned children. The number is estimated at sixty-thousand. They have turned into wild creatures. When they come upon Yark they don't kill him. Instead they torture him with knee scabs, torn toenails and nose boogers. This is a disgusting scene but it has a wonderful effect on the Yark. He gains immunity from bad children. Now he can eat them without side effects. He escapes knowing he can return to his new friend Madeline. Yes there is a happy ending.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted. Children are eaten by the Yark. There is no reprieve. Don't expect all the children to be regurgitated at the end. They are GONE! His final meal consists of one hundred and sixty-two of those bad forest kids.
On the other hand if you read this book with your funny bone switched ON then this romp is great fun.
The Yark is published by Gecko Press in New Zealand. They source books from other languages. The Yark was published in Italy as Le Yark. You can read the first chapter here. If you read this book first, and consider it fun, I think it might make a good class read-aloud for Grade 4 or 5. Here is a set of excellent teachers notes from the publisher. It might be fun to compare this text with books like George's Marvellous Medicine or The BFG by Roald Dahl.
Here are some reviews:
Read the Kirkus review for a different and more critical view of this book.
Book Worm for Kids loved this book.
Kids Book Review acknowledge this is an unusual book which they did enjoy.
Listen closely!
He's turning the handle on your door...
And even if it's locked, his hooded nails are all he needs for keys.
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