Gargantis

Come visit Eerie-on-Sea, where a mermonkey will dispense a book recommendation and you can eat at Mr. Seagoll's oceanside diner, shop at Mrs. Flotsam's Emporium, or stay in Lady Kraken's hotel. When summer is over and winter rolls in, fog and chill winds drive away tourists. The locals warm themselves in this low season with tales of sea monsters. What happens if some of the legends turn out to be true?

2019's Malamander cleverly blended these elements and introduced us to preteens Herbie Lemon (the hotel's shy Lost and Found director) and the clever and irrepressible Violet Parma. The kids faced down local villain Sebastian Eels and saved an ancient leviathan, the Malamander, from destruction. I loved Malamander for its clever seaside show more resort town geography, its vaguely creepy overtones, and its deep love of the sea and all its wonders. The Malamander is scary, grotesque, and dangerous. It's still worth saving, and that's a message that sometimes gets overlooked in ecofiction.

Gargantis picks up the action during the next low season. A violent storm rages and Eerie-on-Sea is in danger of crumbling into the sea. Locals say "Gargantis" is just slang for a raging storm, but there's Saint Dismal's tale and Vi and Herbie know for a fact the Malamander is real. Maybe the Gargantis is too, and maybe Gargantis is looking for something the mysterious hotel guest Deep Hood stole from it. Meanwhile, a beautiful glass bottle is found washed up on the shore by Mrs. Flotsam. As the local adults snipe over it, Vi and Herbie follow the clues to its provenance. Along the way, Herbie acquires a sprightling and a clockwork hermit crab—and he finally tackles the book the mermonkey recommended years ago. Will Herbie and Vi be able to figure out the connections between past, present, and hooded villain in time to prevent a natural disaster of human making?

Gargantis isn't as soaked in brine as Malamander. It's a more straightforward adventure story. The town was a character itself in the first novel, and I missed that. The leviathan isn't as strongly drawn either, but the concept of a misunderstood monster as local legend still propels the plot. Thomas Taylor's series is unique and atmospheric, and I hope it continues for several more volumes. show less

I received this book as a Early Reviewer on LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I have to stay, I love this series!!
I read the Malamander, the first book set in this wonderful seaside town, and I really liked it, so I was thrilled to receive Gargantis, the next in the series set in Eerie-on-the-Sea. These books do such an amazing job of creating a delicious atmosphere of strange and mysterious with a generous helping of fun. They are humourous and warm-hearted, and are just that little bit of scary... the kind of scary that gives you goosebumps and makes you catch your breath in fear... but still feeling like you are wrapped in the coziest of pajamas. Who is the strange hooded man? Will he come back, and what is in his metal show more box? And who, or what is the Gargantis? Thomas Taylor has done such a good job of creating a truly unique and interesting place in Eerie-on-the-Sea. It's comes to life in the reader's mind... from the bookstore with a strange electronic monkey that will recommend a book you *need* to read for the price of a quarter, to the Flotsamporium, a wonderful storefront filled with found beach treasures discovered by Eerie's resident diehard beachcomber, Mrs. Fossil, to the wonderful Grand Nautilus Hotel for whom the main protagonist, Herbert Lemon, works as their official Lost-and-Founder. I only wish there really was such a place to visit! It sounds so interesting and wonderful, filled with mysteries and legends of monsters, strange people and even a talking cat! Herbie, himself a mystery, having washed up on the shore of Eerie in a box of lemons as a small child, along with his friend Violet Pram, work together to discover the origins of the sailor stories and rhymes they keep hearing about from the local fishermen. They talk of a giant monster who swims through the air causing severe storms like the kind that Eerie has been experiencing for weeks. When a discovery by Mrs. Fossil unleases an unexpected surprise, it sets Herbie and Violet off on a trail of clues to a young sailor who helps them search for the truth of the legends, so they can try to stop the storm before Eerie ends up washed away into the sea. These books are truly a delight! They just have a magical feel that only the very best children's books have. I can't wait for the next installment, and look forward to visiting Eerie and all its strange and wonderful inhabitants in the future. Highly recommended! show less

What a lovely follow up to the charming Malamander. In this one, Herbert Lemon and Violet Parma team up once again--this time to discover what treasure has been stolen from the mythical Gargantis to help quell its storm that is ravaging Eerie-on-Sea. Taylor's middle grade pair continue to amuse--the book is told in Herbie's humorous POV and Violet is once again a winning partner. She reminds me very much of Harry Potter's Hermione Granger, with her book smarts and inquisitive nature. The rest of the Eerie-on-Sea cast, from the beachcombing Mrs. Fossil to the chip shop owning Mr. Seegol, are such a quirky and fun ensemble.

If you've got kids of the 8-12 set, this is a wonderful series. I absolutely love it and I hope there are many more show more to come.

Thank you to Walker Book US and LibraryThing for providing me this ARC for review. It's another winner from this press. show less

The continuing adventures of Herbert Lemon and Violet Parma in the seaside town of Eerie-on-Sea.

This is a strong sequel that is as much fun to read as the first one. The town was still as quirky, and still oddly real feeling and the characters are still fun and while I missed some of the characters we spent more time with n the first book, the new cast introduced were an interesting addition and helps flesh out the town even more.
The "monster" this time round, the Gargantis, was fascinating if not as fleshed out and a bit more OP mystical feeling than the Malamander, but it works with the overall magical feeling of the town as a whole.

I had a few more problems with the story this time around than I did with the first one. One may be show more a factor of my age instead of being an actual problem...this problem was a group of adults who were a bit more willing to bring harm to the children characters for what felt like very poorly set up reasons and adults who did care about them...not looking out for them at all. I know in books like these children at risk and clueless adults are built into the fabric of the genre, it just really bothered me this time around.
Another of my issues was the inclusion of a pop culture reference. It was very jarring and felt out of place for the tone of the book and the timeless feeling the town usually has. I doubt it would bother younger readers, I found it took me out of the story for a few minutes.
My last issue is...Violet and how disrespectful she was to Herbert. I did not like her in this book at all every time she tricked or lied to Herbert, to force him to do things her way despite how he felt about it, or if he was ready for it, I wanted to throw the book against the nearest wall. And the fact that she was rewarded for this at the end instead of being called out for it, angered me at times.
I know I'm taking this way too seriously, but children need to know they have agency, they can say no and that will be respected by the people who say they care about them....deep sigh here. I am letting go...

Getting back to the story. I enjoyed the new mystery, I enjoyed the outcome and felt the build-up to the ending was handled well and was the right amount of exciting, and my issues from above notwithstanding, I did have a lot of fun reading this book and look forward to more adventures with these characters, I just hope they don't continue down this path with Violet because she clearly triggered something deep within me. I really love Eerie-on-Sea and Herbert and want to spend more time with them. show less

I loved Malamander....so had to continue reading this magical middle grade series! Gargantis continues the legend of Eerie-on-Sea, with the awesome quirky characters from the first book! Eerie-on-Sea is a magical place....a place where folklore and legends are part of every day life. Herbie Lemon is at the Grand Nautilus Hotel where he takes pride in being the resident Lost and Founder. Herbie finds things....and keeps them in his Lost & Foundery until claimed. He's joined by his friend Violet in this newest adventure. Something has awoken an ancient, legendary creature -- the Gargantis. The creature seeks its stolen treasure. If anyone can find out who took the treasure and figure out the mystery, it's Herbie and Violet!!

Another show more magical story in this series! The town, its inhabitants, and its folklore are quirky and wonderful! This tale is just as entertaining and fun as Malamander! The books are written for middle grade children....but as an adult, I love them too! I'm definitely eagerly awaiting the next book!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Candlewick Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less

This is a really fun read for younger readers, and older readers too. It’s a real rollicking, Dickensian adventure through a rather quirky place, and Herbert handles it all with a good sense of self.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my thoughts in any way.

Gargantis is the second book in the Malamander series by Thomas Taylor. This book is so charming. The main characters Herbie and Violet are really well developed and entertaining. The story never lags, there’s always something exciting happening. I think this could be read as a stand-alone but you’d get more out of it if you read them in order. If I have one complaint it’s that the author made two references to current events in this book. Prior to this I had no idea what time period this book took place in and it gave the story a timeless quality that I enjoyed.