Mort the Meek and the Raven’s Revenge – Rachel Delahaye

It is no secret that I love me some good middle grade. And macabre middle grade playing with black humour and accompanied by adorable illustrations? YES PLEASE! This is the perfect kind of book for those reluctant readers that are just about to enter middle grade territory.

Massive thanks to Little Tiger for sending me a review copy! All opinions are my own.

RELEASE DATE: 04/03/2021

STAR RATING: 4/5 ✶

SUMMARY: On Brutalia violence is a way of life. Ravenous ravens circle overhead, monstrous grot bears cause chaos and the streets are bulging with brawls. But Mort isn’t like the other islanders – he’s determined to live peacefully. His struggle is made even tougher when the cruel queen appoints Mort as Royal Executioner. No one has challenged the royals and lived to tell the tale. Can Mort keep his head and outwit the queen? (from Little Tiger)

OPINIONS: This is such an adorable story. I really loved Mort as a main character. The way the story was written and played with black humour added a lot of appeal to it and I think this will be great for reluctant readers at the lower end of the middle grade spectrum. George Ermos’ illustrations give the story another dimension and I found them sweet and playfully macabre at the same time.

Personally, I felt like the wordplay was occasionally a bit too much and the humour too on the nose, but that is my impression as an adult reader – Mort the Meek might cause the occasional eyeroll from adult supervisors, but it will be taken up enthusiastically by its young audience. I can just imagine children trying to imitate scenes from the book! Kid me would most definitely have loved this, and adult me is kind of sad that the kids in my life are just a bit too young for it. but in a few years…

Add Mort the Meek to your Goodreads here, or order a copy from Bookshop here (affiliate link) for the adventurous child in your life.