I’ve always had a soft spot for Irish Children’s authors since finding the work of Eion Colfer. Padraig Kenny has produced two crackers so far with Tin being an absolute belter of a book. Does Stitch hit the same heights? Short answer is yes!
The inspiration for the story is clear. The tale of a curious scientist trying to find a method of prolonging life and creating a monster sounds very familiar, yet Padraig explores what it means to truly be a monster.
When Stitch encounters the professor’s nephew for the first time, he is polite as always. He does request that the nephew doesn’t wake the professor as he requested many weeks ago to be left in peace…it turns out it will be eternal peace for the good professor. This leads Stitch to question if there is a life for him beyond the walls and a life for his friend Henry – talkative yet prone to the odd blunder that can end in damage or death. Will the professor’s nephew carry on his uncle’s fine work or will the friends find acceptance in the outside world? Either way, Padraig Kenny does a wonderful job taking us on that journey.
Stitch is filled with great characters – Alice, the kind but world weary champion of Stitch, and Henry, the word creating original (or so he thinks) are both favourites. However, Stitch rightly takes centre stage as the innocent soul with a frame made from body parts and a love of counting each day he wakes as he knows life is special. Padraig Kenny seems to write his best stuff when he is exploring what it means to be human by those who some would consider not to be.
Now for the teacher bit. I’ll not drone on…its a bloody good book. Perfect for Y5 and 6. Get it in your school library!
See the world through new eyes – Stitch is a delight of a read.
The Great British Bookworm 