The Ribbajack: And Other Curious Yarns

by Brian Jacques

Book Overview

What if revenge were a monster of your own creation? If all you needed to summon this monster was enough hatred and enough imagination? Which of you would really be the monster? One boy is about to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399242201
• ISBN13: 9780399242205
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 9 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 4 and higher

Customer Reviews

A Mostly Good Book That Can Be Enjoyed By All

I don't know why, but for some reason, the name Ribbajack suggests a sandwich to me, rather than a monster. I could almost picture myself going to McDonalds and saying, "I'll take a Ribbajack, a small fries, and a large Coke." In actuality, Ribbajack is the title of a short story collection by Redwall author, Brian Jacques. Like all of Jacques' books, Ribbajack is for children--this edition is listed as being for ages 9 and up on the back cover--but it can still be enjoyedd by adults. This book is in the tradition of his previous short story collection, Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales in that it too is a collection of horror stories for children, though only six in this case. The first is "Ribbajack," is about a naughty little boy who hates everyone and summons a monster to get rid of an enemy. Then comes a smile and a wave, which is a fairly spooky ghost story about a girl who doesn't like her coat. "The All Ireland Champion Versus the Nye Add" is about a fisherman who tries to catch a mermaid. "The Mystery of Huma D'Este" is about a bully who runs into someone (or something) he can't bully. "Miggy Mags and the Malabar Sailor" is about a little girl, her pet mongoose, and her wicked uncle. "Rosie's Pet" is about a mean little girl who becomes a werewolf. While I like the book, and all the stories are good, they aren't all great. "A Smile and a Wave" lacked a certain oomph, and I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending of Rosie's Pet. Still I like the book enough to give it 4 stars.

A master of short stories as well!

I'm normally not a fan of the short story, especially when it comes to the adolescent light horror genre. I thought I would give this book a try, however, since the author is one of my favorites. He did not disappoint. While the setting for most of the stories is modern, each of these is told in the tradition of the old folk tales. In other words, it is not just stories for the sake of chills, but rather each story has its own moral to share. My favorite among the stories concerns the graffiti artist who decides to deface a museum that happens to be hosting a visiting display from Egypt. You can pretty much guess who the characters are gonna be, however, Jacques brings a fresh twist to the story that I wasn't expecting. Another great story concerns the thugish kid who, on a dare, visits the local graveyard at midnight. Again, while the concept is old, Jacques manages to bring a new twist to the story. There are several other good stories. I recommend this book as great for campfires in the summer, or sitting around the fireplace during the winter. And, as usual with Jacques, he keeps things clean so each of these stories can be told in the family, church groups, scout outings, and other organized youth activities.