The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips (review)

Meggitt-Phillips, Jack The Beast and the Bethany; illus. by Isabelle Follath. Aladdin, 2020 [240p] (The Beast and the Bethany) Trade ed. ISBN 9781534478893 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781534478916 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-7

Ebenezer Tweezer is on the verge of celebrating his 512th birthday thanks to the magical, age-defying potion vomited up by the beast who lives in his attic. The beast supplies Ebenezer with riches, beautiful paintings, and eternally shiny hair, and all Ebenezer must do in return is feed it. There's just one problem: the beast's appetite—which has already extended to endangered species, priceless antiques, and Ebenezer's own pet cat—now requires Ebenezer to fetch him a child as a feast. He isn't prone to caring about others, so he's especially surprised to find himself enjoying the company of the mischievous, unpleasant orphan, Bethany, whom he adopts and proceeds to fatten up for the beast. Meggitt-Phillips's debut is pure, droll silliness, with selfish, spoiled Ebenezer a surprisingly pleasant antihero whose moral quandaries (most of which have an obvious and ignored solution) are alway accompanied with plenty of quips from the author and not a few long-suffering sighs. Bethany is a naughty, angry child who would make David Shannon proud, but the reader soon learns that her destructive tendencies are a veil for her feelings of abandonment. It's only natural that Ebenezer and Bethany have a happy ending, but Meggitt-Phillips throws in plenty of tension and chaos to keep the reader guessing at just how that ending will be achieved. Follath's pencil and pen illustrations have a comedic edge that's perfectly suited to the fast-paced prose. Bethany and Ebenezer's final scene brings this rollicking tale to a satisfying, heartwarming conclusion, but a final twist suggests the potential for a sequel.