Stitch

Stitch and his friend Henry Oaf live in a large castle with the Professor. They haven’t seen the Professor for 328 days because he told them he was not to be disturbed. When the Professor’s nephew and his ward Alice arrive to visit, Stitch and Henry Oaf realise that they are only seen as experiments, or monsters, and they must escape the only home they’ve ever known. But where or who would welcome such ‘monsters’? 

Exploring notions of what it means to be a ‘monster’, this is a story where the reader often knows more than the protagonist about the world and human nature, and Stitch’s misunderstandings sometimes show the reader their own assumptions.

The back story is revealed piece by piece, including a crucial moment in Stitch and Henry Oaf’s friendship, which could prompt discussions about intention, and cause and effect.

This re-imagining of Frankenstein, like Guy Bass’s Stitch Head for slightly younger children, provides a lot to think about and to feel – most importantly empathy. It is for confident readers, or a whole class read, and should leave readers considering how they might treat strangers, or people who look different to them. Note: death is discussed.