The Monster Garden, by Vivian Alcock

Frances “Frankie” Stein, the youngest child and only daughter of an emotionally distant scientist and single dad, obtains a bit of mysterious gray goo from his mysterious laboratory. With the help of a bit of her own blood and a fortuitous lightning strike—and, just as importantly, her own ability to see the resultant “It’s alive!!!” as a life to be cared for rather than a thing to be dissected or a monster to be killed—she creates a monster.

A very, very cute monster, which she names Monnie. But if her father, her brothers, the lab, or the world at large discover it, they’ll probably kill it or keep it in a sterile cage forever. Her attempts to keep Monnie a secret as it grows and bonds with her lead to a deepening of some old relationships, the start of some new ones, and the creation of a new enemy.

Though this was very well-written and I loved the concept, in execution it combined enough elements of “adorable pet in danger” and “very young child in danger” that it was a bit of an upsetting read. Especially since these sorts of books often end with the death of the helpless thing in question. (If you want to know what happens to Monnie, ( Read more... )

I liked the prose a lot and the book overall was very well-done, but I enjoyed The Stonewalkers more. I’ll definitely be looking for more by Alcock.

The Monster Garden