Could there be any truth to the myth of the beast who lives in the ancient well? And if so, why would it return?
What is a Wyrm?
I did a little research and found these definitions:
- In European mythology, a wyrm is often depicted as a snake of considerable size and somehow related to dragons.
- A huge limbless and wingless dragon or dragon-like creature.
Mary-Kate also does some research and discovers a picture of an Annelid. It looks very similar to the painting of the legendary worm that she has seen in the village library. "Annelids are segmented worms. If their tail ends are cut off they can sometimes grow them back again." "An earthworm is a type of annelid. They can have five or more hearts. ... They leave behind trails of slime." "Earthworms don't have eyes, but they can sense light. They also feel vibrations."
Mary-Kate is a sensible girl. She has her strawberry scented notebook and glitter pens. She fills her bag with things that give her courage and help her to overcome her many anxieties. It is time to get the facts about this wyrm and then to formulate a theory about the mysterious happenings in this small village.
Publisher blurb: Dressed in sparkly red shoes and carrying her strawberry-scented notebook, Mary-Kate is accompanying her archaeologist mother to the tranquil English countryside to investigate some interesting bones found in an old well. But once they arrive, they realise that the village of Woolington is not as peaceful as it seems. Mysterious noises, earth tremors and a terrifying legend have the locals frightened.
I especially appreciated the way Karen Foxlee gives her readers a strong sense of place - in this case a small English-style village. There is a map included at the beginning of the book. I do enjoy books with maps It is also easy to like Mary-Kate because she is so honest about her fears and personal rituals.
"Mary-Kate Martin chose from her lucky items collection carefully. First, she chose the lucky silver packet that contained the last seven pieces of gum that her father left behind before he disappeared on Mount Snishapangma when she was five."
Then she adds - her novelty Big Ben torch; her lucky stress ball; and her international coin collection of 33 coins in a small glass jar. She puts on her red sparkly shoes. Her backpack is also red and sparkly so she has exactly the right amount of sparkle. Mary-Kate is somewhat of a catastrophist.
"She'd worry that by not wearing matching clothes something would happen. Something terrible. Like a train crash. Or an avalanche. Or an avalanche onto a train travelling through a mountain tunnel."
Mary-Kate does not like brown pencils; beginnings and ending; facing backwards on trains; small talk in social situations; slime; or sudden changes. But she has uncovered a mystery and she has a new friend Arabella and she likes the eccentric village residents so now it's time to put aside some of her fears and try sort out the truth.
Each chapter begins with a extract from PK Mayberry's Guide to Monsters of the Northern Hemisphere:
"Truth is at the heart of every monster hunters' search."
"A monster hunters' greatest tool is knowledge."
"Monsters quite often do very surprising things."
This story had me guessing right to the end. I kept forming my own theories about the wyrm, most of which were proved to be completely incorrect.
Huge thanks to Allen and Unwin for sending this review copy. The Wrath of the Woolington Wrym will be enjoyed by readers aged 9+. It would also be a good book to read aloud in a family.
This is the first book in a series entitled - Miss Mary-Kate Martin's Guide to Monsters. Book two is titled The Trouble with the Two-headed Hydra. There are just enough mysteries left over from book one that all readers will hope are solved in the second instalment - is Mary-Kate's father actually dead; what is her mother's real job and is this connected with monsters: and with just six pieces of gum left will Mary-Kate need to use another one for her next adventure. I do enjoy stories where objects, like the ones in her backpack, each have an important, but unpredictable, role in the story solution. Take a look at my discussion of My Father's Dragon for a great example of this. I do like the cover by Freda Chiu. This book has an old-fashioned feel a little like the Stella Montgomery series (book two) (book three) by Judith Rossell.
I have talked about nearly all of Karen Foxlee's previous books:
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