Monster Slayer
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
The story of Beowulf and Grendel is packaged into Barrington Stoke's excellent Little Gems series. Brian Patten's retelling is swift and sharp in its execution of this thousand-year-old epic, maintaining a rousing pace through the gory action.
Beowulf must defeat the terrible monster that is destroying the kingdom after being woken from his ancient slumber. A terrifying battle commences but even in victory Beowulf is not safe - for Grendel's mother the Hag is out for revenge.
Printed on cream paper in a specially designed font, Barrington Stoke books are accessible to dyslexic readers. Smart production, featuring foils and neon illustrations from the incomparable Chris Riddell, also add real flair.
The story of Beowulf does not tire and this new retelling will bring it to a new generation of readers.