One of the top 10 books I've ever read!!! This is a YA book but don't let that fool you. It will make you laugh, cry, love, despise and...I can't tell you anymore. You'll have to see for yourself.

Beautifully published book. Just couldn't get into it, though, guess not my cup of tea. To me the plot seemed obvious and the writing heavy-handed and...not lyrical enough for this kind of story, but other people have clearly loved it - de gustibis non disputandum est!

Who was the one who said she will never cry while reading a book but totally did while reading a Patrick Ness' book? That's right. This girl. Never have I read a more moving story than this one. This book is more than just a young adult book. It's a book that will teach everyone something about love and life. It will teach you how to deal with your inner monster and how to heal when seemingly the worst thing has just happened. This book is truly magical. I'm so proud to say that I am a MEGA Patrick Ness' fan. Every word he writes carries an extraordinary glow with it. I can't stress enough for everyone to pick this book up and spend an afternoon with it. You will not regret it.

Remarkable and moving!

In his Author’s Note at the beginning (not the end, which is interesting in and of itself) Ness explains that this book came from the brain of the writer Siobhan Dowd. “This would have been her fifth book. She had the characters, a premise, and a beginning. What she didn’t have, unfortunately, was time.” Time that Ness did have and talent to boot. Siobhan died in 2007 of breast cancer. In her name, a book has been written about a child handling a parent dying of cancer. Says Ness “I had only a single guideline: to write a book I think Siobhan would have liked.” She would not have liked this book. She would have loved it. And she would have treasured it too. Now that she cannot, we can.

I have to say WOW – I love this book. Day after I finished reading this book I went to the books story and bought this book. I want to have it on my bookshelf and be able to reread it whenever I want to. I think that I fell in love with this book from the first page. It was extremely well written and very engaging, so much so that I was not able to put the book down. I finished it in one sitting. Conor, a young teenage boy who is living with his mother and trying to come to terms with his mothers illness and loss. A monster shows up at his window just after midnight every night and they go through series of events. Also story is also accompanied by beautiful illustrations which very well done. Loved the black and white illustrations I thought it fit the story line so well. This story has the raw emotion beneath the words that the author wrote, they suck you in and you feel all the emotions that Conor is feeling. You understand and feel his anger and you are angry on his behalf too. Story was entertaining, but sad in a lot of ways. There were several times that I cried – tears streaming down my face. Not a lot of books make me cry but this one did. Relationship between Conor and his mother was well written and thought out. Conor is your everyday teen struggling with school (bulling) but in this case he welcomes being bullied. Conor wants to feel the pain that the bully causes him whether that is emotional or physical pain, he welcomes both. It is an escape for him. Monster yew tree was my favourite part of the book. Personally I think that the monster was a metaphor for Conor’s mom’s illness. There were passages that the monster mentions in the book and I thought I should share with you. “Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?” “You do not write your life with words, the monster said. You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.” Overall this was a excellent books and I'm having a hard time writing a review because I am afraid that I will not do it any justice. So if you have not read this book do far, you should, you will not regret it. I give this book 5/5 STARS - Happy Reading.

This is probably one of the most beautiful and touching books I have ever read. Do yourself a favor and read it immediately. Patrick Ness is simply amazing and a master storyteller.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Perservere past the first chapter. I promise it gets so much better (the opening seemed a little contrived and childish). Keep a box of kleenex by your side as you read this book. You will need it.

Excellent book about grief. a monster is called by a child whose mother has cancer. If you are crying at the end of this book, check your pulse.

NYTimes Notable Children's book for 2011