Revenge of the Toffee Monster by Susan Gates


Release Date: 1999
Publishers: Puffin Books, Penguin Group
Format: Paperback
Pages: 167
My Rating: 3/5


When Lenny stumbles into the old Toffee Museum, he finds out its terrible secret - a Toffee Monster frozen for over a hundred years. Not only is it dead, but it's broken up into little pieces. There's no way the monster can come back to life, is there?

That's what Lenny thinks...




*************
This book has been on my bookshelf since forever. I won this as a prize when I was little (the book is aimed at kids aged 7 and up, I'd guess) and I remember being enticed by the idea of a toffee monster, but for some reason I had never got round to reading it...until now. 

The story revolves around Lenny, a child who is sort of forgotten about and neglected by his family who are too busy caring for his baby sister and while his friends are on holiday for the Summer Lenny goes on an adventure. He comes across an old dilapidated Toffee Museum, which luckily is free to enter, where inside Lenny witnesses strange items and comes across Mrs Butterworth who has never set foot outside of the Toffee Works for over fifty years. Together Lenny and Mrs Butterworth discuss why the toffee industry is lacking and Mrs Butterworth tells tales to Lenny about children at the prime of the toffee industry; including young Master Harold and his friend Clum.

I really enjoyed the stories Mrs Butterworth told and the idea of Clum coming to life due to silly old Mrs Butterworth. It did make me laugh at the idea of Mrs Butterworth believing Lenny was an angel coming to save the toffee industry for her. Lenny was an odd character for a novel as he seemed to appear to be a teenager to me, even though this is a kids book not teen fiction, he is clearly described as attached to his bike and wearing a beanie which due to stereotypes these days we associate with teenagers. However you do see a change for the good in Lenny when he helps out Mrs Butterworth at various points throughout the story and you see Lenny understand why things that have happened in the past have to be repeated in the present. I also like the idea that Clum, the toffee monster, is still alive in this world for Lenny and the fact that Clum was never truly dead in the first place as it leads up to possibilities of further stories of other kids coming across Clum and how Clum will react to the world he has awoken to. 

This is a lovely little story for children 7 and up and whilst reading it I began to picture it as an animated movie similar to Studio Ghibli animation. If anyone else agrees with this leave a comment, also leave a comment on what you thought about this book! 

Enjoy x

Author's Website: Susan Gates
GoodReads: Revenge of the Toffee Monster  

Available in most book stores and online now.


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