Author(s): Bertrand Santini

Middle Fiction

The Yark loves children...with the love of a gourmand! This hairy monster dreams of child buffetsham of boy, orphan gratin, schoolchild puree, breaded babies, girl rillettes. But he has a problem: his delicate stomach can only tolerate the flesh of nice children; liars give him heartburn, savages spoil his teeth. There are not nearly enough good, edible children around to keep him from starvation. Then the Yark does find delicious, sweet Madeleine. Will he gobble her up? Or will she survive long enough to change his life? Origin: France

Ruby's Review:

“If they didn’t make excellent stews, children would serve no purpose at all.”

The Yark is a monster who eats children. But don’t worry, only the good ones. If you’re farty and rude and grotty and spotty, he won’t be able to digest you! Because the Yark has a problem. Naughty children lead to belly-aches, so he only gulps down the sweetest and nicest ones. Unfortunately, well-behaved children are the hardest to find and gobble up, so the poor Yark is often starving. That is until he meets the nicest, most delicious girl in the world, Madeleine. But can the Yark eat his only friend?

An imaginative story, The Yark combines Gapaillard’s Gothic-style ink drawings with Santini’s dry humour. Reminding the reader that a little love can change anyone’s perspective. It’s slightly descriptive in its child-eating ways (so maybe not for the faint-hearted!), but a great read aloud for 8-12 year olds. And perfect for anyone who likes a fright.