There are sneaking,
creeping, crumpling
noises coming from
inside the walls.
Lucy is sure there are wolves living in the walls of their house -- and, as everybody says, if the wolves come out of the walls, it's all over. Her family doesn't believe her. Then one day, the wolves come out.
But it's not all over. Instead, Lucy's battle with the wolves is only just beginning.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Truth be told, Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean's picture book The Wolves in the Walls is terrifying. Sure, the story is fairytale-like and presented in a jaunty, casually nonsensical way, but it is absolutely the stuff of nightmares. Lucy hears wolves hustling, bustling, crinkling, and crackling in the walls of the old house where her family lives, but no one believes her. Her mother says it's mice, her brother says bats, and her father says what everyone seems to say, "If the wolves come out of the walls, it's all over." Lucy remains convinced, as is her beloved pig-puppet, and her worst fears are confirmed when the wolves actually do come out of the walls.
Up to this point, McKean's illustrations are spectacular, sinister collages awash in golden sepia tones evocative of the creepy beauty in The City of Lost Children. The wolves explode into the story in scratchy pen-and-ink, all jaws and eyes. The family flees to the cold, moonlit garden, where they ponder their future. (Her brother suggests, for example, that they escape to outer space where there's "nothing but foozles and squossucks for billions of miles.") Lucy wants to live in her own house...and she wants the pig-puppet she left behind.
Eventually she talks her family into moving back into the once-wolfish walls, where they peek out at the wolves who are watching their television and spilling popcorn on slices of toast and jam, dashing up the stairs, and wearing their clothes. When the family can't stand it anymore, they burst forth from the walls, scaring the wolves, who shout, "And when the people come out of the walls, it's all over!" The wolves flee and everything goes back to normal...until the tidy ending when Lucy hears "a noise that sounded exactly like an elephant trying not to sneeze." Adult fans of this talented pair will revel in the quirky story and its darkly gorgeous, deliciously shadowy trappings, but the young or faint of heart, beware! (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson
Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains; the Sandman series of graphic novels; and the story collections Smoke and Mirrors, Fragile Things, and Trigger Warning. He is the winner of numerous literary honors, including the Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards, and the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. Originally from England, he now lives in the United States. He is Professor in the Arts at Bard College.
Dave McKean is best known for his work on Neil Gaiman's Sandman series of graphic novels and for his CD covers for musicians from Tori Amos to Alice Cooper. He also illustrated Neil Gaiman's picture books The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, The Wolves in the Walls, and Crazy Hair. He is a cult figure in the comic book world, and is also a photographer.
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Seller: Hawking Books, Edgewood, TX, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Ex-library book with usual markings. Meets or exceeds the good condition guidelines. Nice copy. Five star seller - Buy with confidence!. Seller Inventory # X0060530871X3
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Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 4436094-6
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Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # GRP102468661
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Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 4436094-6
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Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. No Jacket. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.35. Seller Inventory # G0060530871I3N00
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Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. No Jacket. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.35. Seller Inventory # G0060530871I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. No Jacket. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.35. Seller Inventory # G0060530871I3N10
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Seller: ThriftBooks-Reno, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. No Jacket. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.35. Seller Inventory # G0060530871I3N10
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Good. No Jacket. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.35. Seller Inventory # G0060530871I3N10
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Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Library Binding. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. McKean, Dave (illustrator). Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.35. Seller Inventory # G0060530871I5N00
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