The Creakers

My child is 3 1/2 and loves this book! I have a feeling that I’m going to have to read it all over again. The story comes to life when I read it at night. The book is an easy read and very descriptive. It would make a great movie!

Tom Fletcher’s “The Creakers” is a funny, clever, sometimes-scary adventure story for middle grade readers. Protagonist Lucy Dungston is eleven years old when her mom suddenly disappears in the middle of the night. And since her father – a garbage man with his own stinky garbage truck – disappeared a few months back, she’s particularly frightened. But when she discovers that ALL of the adults in Whiffington have vanished, she is determined to unravel the mystery and save the town. Because things in Whiffington pretty much go to “heck” when all the kids are on their own, without adult supervision. When she learns that strange creatures from under her bed (called “Creakers”) are responsible, her mission is to find out why and rescue the grownups. With the help of her new friend Norman Quirk (a “geeky kid” who’s obsessed with earning Scout badges) and stuck-up rich kid Ella Noying, Lucy braves a strange new world to make sense of what really doesn’t. There’s a clear similarity here to the Netflix series “The Society,” in which all of the adults in town disappear, leaving all of the kids to fend for themselves. Of course, those kids are all teenagers, so the challenges are different. In “The Creakers,” the kids are much younger, some as young as six. I was also reminded here of the Netflix series, “Stranger Things,” where young kids discover a hidden underground world called the “Upside-Down.” The world Lucy discovers through a portal under her bed (called Woleb – for obvious reasons!) is similar – a scary place that’s a little difficult to understand and navigate. Things in the Woleb really are upside down – whatever you say or do means the opposite. The central focus of the novel is on what it means to be different, whether you’re a girl with a mission, a boy who loves Scouting, or a creature from another world. As Lucy’s father has always said, “It’s the different people who make a difference.” And that’s what happens in “The Creakers.” Ultimately, this is a novel about strange things, creatures under the bed, and one young girl’s efforts to make her world right again. I loved Lucy’s character – she’s smart and funny and she has a wonderful heart (she has empathy not only for her parents and her friends, but even for the Creakers). There’s something refreshing about a scary story (and this one has its scary moments) in which even the monsters have personalities and lives and families. I especially liked Fletcher’s way of telling this story, weaving Lucy’s perspective with his own comments as the author of the novel. He even provides clever interludes between chapters, warning his young readers about what’s around the corner. Yes, it’s a scary story. But young kids will definitely love it! It’s the kind of scary that makes you want to know more. And the illustrations (by Shane Devries) are wonderful – I loved turning the pages to see more! I highly recommend “The Creakers.”

The Creakers Tom Fletcher Did you hear that? Yes that creaking noise. What could be making that noise? Could it just be the floor boards creaking or could it be something under the bed? When all the grown-ups disappear the kids in Whiffington are thrilled, except Lucy. Her dad disappeared a month ago and she is determined not to lose her mother. A note is left on the school gates saying the adults are gone forever. The kids celebrate their freedom; they think they can do anything they want…and they do. Utter chaos ensues. The kids go wild until they get hungry. Lucy takes charge and attempts to calm the kids down and searches for a way to get the grown-ups back. She suspects the Creakers had something to do with the adults disappearing. Norman and Ella are by her side helping her solve the puzzle. Several of the Creakers come looking for Lucy’s dad’s stinky jacket; she tries to grab them and ends up in Woleb, a gross place with all sorts of yucky stuff. The Creakers and their families like dirty, stinky, and gross stuff. They do not want the town’s trash sent to landfill. The Creakers is an action-packed adventure with lots of humor thrown in. Author Tom Fletcher is a master of description. Norman is a bit of an odd character but very likeable; he is fixated on earning Scout badges. Ella is 6 years old and a bit bratty. Lucy is a leader, prudent, sensible, courageous, ingenious, brave and kind. The characters of Buzz and Buddy are Tom Fletcher’s children. There are several not so hidden messages throughout this tale having to do with the environment and being different. The target age for this tale is middle school (10-13). Lucy’s dad was a garbage man. The Creakers have their own persona, lives and loved ones. The story is told from Lucy’s point of view with the author interjecting his comments between chapters. He warns readers what is coming next, for older readers this may seem annoying but for younger readers it prepares them for what may be a scary part and there are definitely a few scary spots. The things in Woleb will make kids laugh but only adults with strong stomachs will truly appreciate the grossness. This is a funny adventure sure to please the most discriminating reader.

I've been trying to find new books for my almost 9 yo daughter to read, and this looked promising. As with so many kids these days that have grown up with the Diary of Wimpy Kid books, she's gotten to where she prefers books with pictures. I guess they break the text up and makes it feel less like work? In any event, this looked like the perfect mix of actual age-appropriate content to make me happy and pictures to make her happy. This book is well-written, and the author seems to draw from many different sources of inspiration. It almost had a hint of The Chocolate Touch (in that "what happens if I really got what I wanted and these mean old adults all went away" way), and the little snippets of beyond the fourth wall communication from the author were very Lemony Snickett. I love that the book is a touch creepy, and that these are not your typical "heroes." The main protagonists are the different kids, and they are led by a girl. That's the kind of thing I want my daughter to read - for that sort of scenario to be considered normal rather than exceptional. This book is a good adventure for kids. The 8-11 reading range rings true in my opinion.

The Creakers starts off as if author Tom Fletcher was channeling Roald Dahl in style and quality. The narrator brings the child reading the book into the action by asking questions and pondering as the story progresses. 11-year old Lucy has lost both her father and mother under bizarre circumstances. It turns out that all of the adults in her town have disappeared. And worse yet, there are things that seem to come out from under the bed while the children are asleep. This is a mystery for sure and Lucy is determined to find the solution. When several of the Creakers (so named for the sounds the floorboards make when they walk over them late at night) turn up in her bedroom looking for her dad’s stinky jacket Lucy makes a dive under her bed and disappears into the Woleb. Here the story gets really gross with lots of earwax and snot but the young kids will probably enjoy this part the most though any adults reading aloud may have to stifle their gag reflexes. It turns out that the Creakers and their children love the town’s trash and don’t want it sent away to a landfill. The book’s overall theme is about being different. In fact Lucy’s dad was the town garbage man and a philosopher in his own right often told her “It’s the different people who make a difference.” The illustrations are wonderfully done by Shane Devries. The book is scary and creepy in the style of the Goosebumps series. This isn’t a book for everyone and it would be much better if in the end it didn’t get preachy. But overall, I liked it.

This book is so much fun. It's one of those stories that you know is going to be instantly memorable and well loved from the very first page. In this tale, all the parents just disappear. Most kids are finding this to be a wonderful thing! They are able to eat what they want, stay up late, go where they want, etc. However, Lucy Dungston just wants to get her mom right back. You see, her dad just up and disappeared a ways back and she doesn't want her mom to leave her too. So, Lucy and a few new friends decide that they want to help get the grown up's back, even after they hear the strange creaking sounds. Even after Lucy meets The Creakers. These horrid smelly under the bed dwelling creatures know exactly what happened to the parents because they took them! They took them to Woleb and if they stay too long they will become Creakers as well! This book is so good. It's a little tiny bit creepy for the younger kids and completely enjoyable for every single age group there is out there. It's well written and well, it's just a very good book so I would request that you stop reading this review right now and go read the book. If you want to be really nice you could even check out the audiobook. It's done exceptionally well. I read this then found that there is an audiobook with music (very cool!) so had to go back and listen to that before typing this to let you know that it's out there and really good. Okay, now go read the book (and/or listen to that audiobook if you can). My babbling is complete!

5 stars and then some!!! This has got to be the most fun I have had reading a book in quite a while!! I loved everything about this story!! I love how the author made himself the narrator and interacted with the reader and sometimes the character!! I love all the characters and the town this took place in. I love how this story is written!! I wish I had kids or at least lived closer to my young relatives to be able to read this to them because not only can younger readers enjoy this on their own, but this is written in such a way that it would be an absolute BLAST to read to kids out loud!! I mean the voices you could use and the hand gestures and the faces you could make lol! I mean this story has so much CHARACTER!! The illustrations are absolutely wonderful, I wish they were in color or a hardback copy of the book with the illustrations in color, as well and not only is this an great story, it has a wonderful message to share and be taken away long after the final page has turned. The Creakers is everything a good, fun novel for young readers should be!! I could so see this being made into an animated movie. Oh this was so so good, I can not recommend it enough!!

I have 3 kids (7 and 4.5 year old twins) all three who love monsters and the such, which was why I was drawn to the story. It is about a world where all grown ups disappear overnight and how trash eating monsters called The Creakers are involved. 1. The book says the age range is 8-11, which is right on target I think for reading independently. Although it is 300 pages, the print is a good size and there are fantastic illustrations every few pages. It reads quickly and is very engaging! 2. I was worried the story might get creepy for my younger twins, but there is humor in the writing throughout! It tends to jump back and forth between being in the story and a narrator commenting on it. 3. I read this at night with my kids at bedtime and all 3 lay in their beds just listening! They are all hooked and always sad when I stop for the night. The storytelling is funny with an original story and it is all around wonderful. What kid doesn't dream of a land without grown ups?! I so love getting to share the magic of reading and engaging their minds in imagination through such a fantastic book. Definitely recommend!!

The Creakers by Tom Fletcher Audience: Children, 7-9 years Genre: Fantasy Rating: 1 star out of 5 Review There are unpleasant creatures call Creakers that come out at night. One night, the Creakers capture all the parents who live in Lucy's town and take them to their own world, under the beds, under the ground. Lucy discovers all about them and rescues the parents. As subplots, she finds her father who had vanished years earlier, and she makes a new friend. The book is outrageously melodramatic and is best read aloud. There are plenty of large and well done illustrations. There is much about trash and goo that could make children laugh. There are better books, though.

This book is so cool I bought it for my daughter and she LOVED it!!