Author(s): Geraldine McCaughrean

Middle Fiction 8-12-year-olds

“Devil!” “Goblin” “Gremlin!” “Demon!”
Strange little creature. Strange pale eyes, so full of fear. Strange little monk, his habit black as nightmares, his surplice grubby as spilt milk. Strange little boy shaped like a question mark, who are you?
Intrigue, superstition and adventure feature in the first book of a trilogy set in the dark world of medieval Naples and brought to life by spectacular double-spread graphic artwork. An orphaned boy is dressed as a monk and ostracised by everyone except the roaming wild cats of the Undercity for his scary looks and his ability to make bad things happen. Monacello searches above and below ground, determined to solve the mystery of his parents. After he encounters friendship from a little girl with a mysterious background of her own, it seems he can also bring good luck - a bringer of fortune; a wish granter. When a case of mistaken identity brings near disastrous consequences, this little monk must shake off his bad luck for good...
The Author says: " I visited a friend in Naples, and she showed me the city’s best secret – its Undercity: a gloomy, buried world of ruined houses and streets. Then I found out Naples has a secret inhabitant too – part-good, part-bad; a bringer of good luck and trouble; a boy with a sad history of his own. Legends like Monacello’s date from a time when stories were not just for children; when they hovered in everyone’s brain, somewhere between made-up and true. I never cared much for wicked villains or superheroes. Monacello is a mixture of sun and shadow – like we all are. My sort of hero."