Monty’s Island: Scary Mary and the Stripe Spell by Emily Rodda and Lucinda Gifford (Illustrator)

Title: Monty’s Island: Scary Mary and the Stripe Spell
Author: Emily Rodda and Lucinda Gifford (Illustrator)
Genre: Adventure
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Published: March 2020
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
Price: $14.99
Synopsis: Monty lives on a perfect island in the middle of a magical sea. Sometimes the sea throws up something interesting … and Monty goes on an amazing adventure!
On a tiny island far away, in a sea that ripples with magic, Monty never knows what he might find…

Monty, Tawny and friends receive some startling news: Scary Mary and her pirate crew are on their way, looking for a new island to call home.

What can they do? There’s no way they can hide – especially when Bunchy accidentally turns the whole island stripy with her new magic wand.

It’s going to take one of Monty’s best ideas to save them!

An adventurous and delightful new series from beloved author Emily Rodda.

~*~

Emily Rodda’s new series for junior readers, Monty’s Island, is a fun new adventure. Set on a tropical island, a young boy, Monty, lives there with his friends, Marigold, Bunchy the magical elephant, Tawny the lion, Sir Wise the Owl and Clink the Pirate Parrot. As the day starts, the Laughing Traveller, a dolphin, swims by to warn Monty and his friends that the dreaded pirate, Scary Mary and her crew are headed towards the island – they want a new home. As they try to hide, Bunchy turns the whole island stripey in an attempt to hide them from the pirate crew. So what do they do? How will they break the spell and defend themselves and their home? Monty will have to come up with a brilliant idea to help his home and his friends!

The start of a new series is always exciting, and this one aimed at readers aged between six and eight is no exception. It is a child and animal driven world, where the characters stand together and find a way to solve their problems and challenges together. It is a story of family and friendship, with magic and adventure. This series, where the main character, Monty, and his friends, loos to be a promising and fun series for younger readers and anyone who likes a good story. It is filled with humour, magic and diverse characters who exist for who they are, and what they do. Each brings something unique, interesting and fun to the story.

It is the little things that make the world of Monty’s Island easy to slip into and live in. I read this one in preparation for the second one, should I get it for review, and found it charming and delightful. The adventure in this story is on a smaller scale to Deltora Quest – which is aimed at confident middle grade readers whilst this is aimed at early readers. Long-time fans of Emily Rodda will love this new book and series, and it will bring a new generation of readers to her entire back catalogue.

Setting a series on an island, where the child character drives much of the action with his talking animal friends is something that I think many readers will be eager to experience – Monty is unrestrained in some ways yet in others, he still has things to learn. He is also a great problem solver, and loyal to his friends on the island. Friendship and individuality and coming together are the key themes in this novel, with encouragement and kindness driving the way for the friends to solve the problem of the Stripe Spell and Scary Mary.

This was a delightful book to read, and an excellent series opener. It sets the scene well, and opens the door for so many adventures to come. It is a series I will be watching eagerly!