ReadItDaddy's First Book of the Week - Week Ending 13th November 2015 - "Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye" by Tania Del Rio and Will Staehle (Quirk Books)

Our First Book of the Week this week is a deliciously dark dip into Quirk's quirky catalogue of titles - this one's for children though so how could we possibly resist "Warren the 13th"...
Well it is Friday the 13th today so it seems fitting that our Book of the Week this week is all about a little boy who is the 13th Warren!

"Warren the 13th and the All Seeing Eye" by Tania Del Rio and Will Staehle has to be one of the most eye-catching books we've laid our peepers on in a long time. The strange looking little fellow in the middle of the book cover is Warren, the hero of our story and a distinctly different little boy. Warren is an orphan, and looks after the guests at the huge rambling Warren Hotel. The hotel is Warren's pride and joy, it's been in the family for ages but Warren's life is far from perfect.

His guardians are his Uncle (a rather lazy and feckless individual) and Aunt, who seem to spend most of their time making goo-goo eyes at each other, leaving Warren to take care of the normal day-to-day running of the hotel.

But The Warren has a secret. A myth surrounding a mysterious artifact known as "The All Seeing Eye" that has been the stuff of legends for countless generations. Many have sought this artifact and failed but does Warren's conniving aunt know more about it than she's letting on?

The Warren Hotel. The Addams Family would feel RIGHT at home here!

Right from the outset "Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye" sets out its table in darkly gothic colours with glorious storytelling and some of the most incredibly atmospheric illustrations courtesy of Will Staehle.

Poor Warren works his socks off to ensure guests enjoy their stay at the Warren Hotel

Tapping into the rich heritage of the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, Roald Dahl, Charles Addams and Edward Gorey, "Warren the 13th" feels like the perfect introduction to the gothic storytelling genre for children who aren't satisfied with happy smiley rainbow-coloured tales, and prefer books that send tingles up and down your spine instead.

Warren feels like a fresh and original character (along with an enviable supporting cast of misfits and miscreants), equal parts downtrodden lacky and brave curious little fellow. You can't help rooting for him at every turn!

We'll let you discover whether Warren's nasty Auntie (and her equally horrid sisters) succeed in their hateful plans to steal off with "The All Seeing Eye" - Suffice to say that this is a fantastic book for kids who demand chapter-book depth but still love lots of illustrations too (and we're really pleased to see a book from Quirk that children can get into - and doubly pleased to see that Warren will be back next year in a second tale! HOORAYYYY!)

Update: Check out the stunning trailer for "Warren the 13th and the all Seeing Eye" below!



Charlotte's favourite bit: Sketchy - the boiler-house-dwelling tentacled pal!

Daddy's favourite bit: Gotta love those tattooed witch hunters, what an awesome idea for a character!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Quirk Books)

"Warren the 13th - The All Seeing Eye"

Written by Tania Del Rio

Illustrated by Will Staehle

Published by Quirk Books

Publication Date (Hardback): 5th November 2015