Ebenezer Tweezer has secrets. First of all, he is 511 years old, and soon he will be 512. Second, he keeps the deadliest beast known to man on the fifteenth floor of his giant house. And third, he’s promised the beast a child to eat so that the beast will give him the magical potion he needs to stay alive before his upcoming birthday. But where can he find a child to feed to the beast?

Ebenezer first tries the zoo, but it turns out that parents get angry with you when you try to put one of their children into a bag at the zoo. Then he goes to the bird-keeper’s shop, to see if he had any children. He didn’t but he did suggest that Ebenezer try the orphanage. What a perfect idea!

Ebenezer goes to the orphanage, and that’s where he meets Bethany. After meeting some darling and polite children, Ebenezer realizes he can’t feed one of these delightful children to the beast. He needs a child who is naughty. He needed a child who is mean. And that’s when he sees Bethany, sitting on top of a boy, trying to stuff worms into his nose.

Ebenezer knows that Bethany would be perfect for the beast. He adopts her immediately.

However, everyone knows that plans rarely go the way they’re supposed to. And that’s what happens once Ebenezer gets Bethany home. Everything changes for Ebenezer, and for Bethany, in the most surprising ways.

The Beast and the Bethany is the most delightful book I’ve read in a long time. It’s described as a little bit Lemony Snicket and a little bit Roald Dahl, and it’s that. But it’s also lovely and funny and dark and creative in a new way that’s hard to compare to anyone else. Author Jack Meggitt-Phillips has arrived on the scene with a hilarious instant classic. Parents, librarians, and educators will do well to remember his name. You’ll be hearing it for many years to come, if the beast is kind enough to allow him more years of writing. The adorable illustrations by Isabelle Follath add even more whimsy to this spirited new book.

I absolutely loved The Beast and the Bethany, and I recommend it to readers of all ages who are still kids at heart. It is completely charming, wonderful, inventive, charming, and it will leave you hungry (wink, wink) for more!

Egalleys for The Beast and the Bethany were provided by Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, with many thanks.