Postcards from a City of Monsters

By: Cook Woosley, Sherri

Book Overview

Toby didn't ask to move halfway around the world to the Czech Republic with his mom and step-mom. He certainly didn't ask to get sick. But now, at the start of fifth grade, Toby finds himself being treated for cancer in a hospital far from his friends and familiar surroundings. He starts feeling trapped until a strange creature offers him an escape.

A feline-shaped gargoyle has come to life All Toby has to do is step through the window.

Follow Toby on his night of adventure as he flies over enchanting Prague with his gargoyle guide, and learns he's not alone at all.

Postcards from a City of Monsters is an imaginative book in Improbable Press "Postcards" series, a middle grade fantasy set talking about issues important to kids.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1922904651
• ISBN13: 9781922904652
• Release Date: August 2024
• Publisher: Improbable Press
• Length: 58 Pages
• Weight: 0.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 7 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 7

Customer Reviews

Poignantly touching fantasy

The realm of fantasy often provides refuge for children in traumatic situations; whether it's an abusive household, playground bully, or deadly disease. In Sherri Cook Woosley's "Postcards from a City of Monsters" we meet Toby, an American child diagnosed with cancer living in Prague, Chzechoslovakia. Toby spends a great deal of time in the hospital undergoing various treatments while his mother's fret and tend to him. The poor kid is miserable. One evening Toby is visited and befriended by a living stone Gargoyle-who takes him on a site seeing trip around town. But what Toby ends up seeing is that he's not the only child in a despairing situation being helped by living statues. This encounter sparks compassion from within Toby, making him think less about his own ordeal and more about others. It also sparks his curiosity about the enchanting city of Prague, and all its wondrous sites. What follows is an appendix of touching postcards between Toby and his classmate, Ani, from back home. These correspondences chronicle Toby's horrific battle with leukemia as well as his captivating excursions around Prague. "Postcards from a City of Monsters" is lovingly dedicated to the author's daughter, Evelyn, who survived childhood leukemia. Being the son of a three time cancer survivor made this story very relatable, and reminded me to never take a love one for granted. I like how the youths in this story weren't written as feeble minded children. Rather, they're written as the intelligent adolescents we don't always give them credit for. Kids aren't stupid. Seeing things from Toby's point of view shows the reader how naive adults can be toward a child's needs, even with the best of intentions. The postcards in the latter half of the story add even greater depth and gravitas to an already moving story. This is also true with the colorful illustrations by Elena Moroz. These pictures compliment the narrative with an almost 'lifelike' quality that I enjoyed. "Postcards from a City of Monsters" put a hole in my heart and drove home three important points: That life is fragile and not to be taken for granted. That no matter how grave your situation may be-someone always has it worse. And that it's the people in your life that truly give it merit. I found this story very heartwarming and enchanting. It's words and pictures are one's I won't soon forget.