Ravenous Things

By: Derrick Chow

Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn

Climb aboard the midnight train! Things wondrous and terrible await you...

Twelve-year-old Reggie Wong has a quick temper that's always getting him into trouble at school, while at home his mom struggles to get out of bed—let alone leave their apartment. That's why Reggie desperately needs his dad back. One problem: His dad is dead.

Enter the Conductor, a peculiar man who promises to make Reggie's wish to see his father just one more time come true. All he must do is climb aboard the man's subway train, which leaves St. Patrick Station promptly at midnight. Desperate to have his dad and happy family back, Reggie takes him up on the offer, only to discover the train is filled with other children who have lost a loved one, just like him.

As he speeds through the wild, uncharted tunnels beneath the city, Reggie meets Chantal, an annoyingly peppy girl obsessed with lists and psychiatry, and Gareth, his arch-nemesis and bully since the fourth grade. As each kid steps off the train and into the arms of their lost family member, Reggie can't believe his impossible wish is about to come true. But when Reggie comes to the end of the line and sees his father waiting for him, he soon discovers all is not as it seems. He and his unlikely new friends have been ensnared in a deadly trap.

Together, the three must find a way to foil the Conductor's diabolical plot and find their way out of the underground subway, where horrors worse than they have ever imagined lurk around every corner. The rats of St. Patrick Station have taken over and they're absolutely ravenous.

In this stunning debut, author Derrick Chow re-envisions the tale of the Pied Piper. Both terrifying and hauntingly beautiful, Chow masterfully uses literal and figurative monsters to explore the themes of grief and how we handle loss.

©2022 Derrick Chow (P)2022 Disney Hyperion

Critic reviews

"Beautifully written and spectacularly spooky, Ravenous Things is an instant new favorite!"—Claribel Ortega, New York Times best-selling author of Witchlings

Clever, heartfelt story, excellent narration

I was drawn to this book bc I was looking for something spooky and I absolutely love Todd Haberkorn. I know this book is marketed for middle schoolers but I thoroughly enjoyed it as a full grown woman, laughing out loud and tearing up at certain parts. I have always enjoyed the underrated story of The Pied Piper and this was an excellent twist on it.

I loved that the chapters were named and the repeated similes and metaphors were just delightful. Very vivid and fast paced writing. The characters are very likable and the story is compelling. The action begins right away and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Todd’s narration perfectly enhances the story. The voices are enjoyable and easily distinguishable. He really acts out the parts. I especially enjoyed him as the creepy conductor!

(Spoilers) my heart shattered for Reggie in the opening scene in the cemetery and I could instantly relate to him. I luckily didn’t lose anyone I was truly close with until I was like 30 so I can’t even imagine how hard it would be for a 12 year old. I didn’t expect the robots and beetles lol but I would imagine that kids and tweens found this to be very creepy and cool. Personally, I would have preferred if the lost loved ones were merely illusions conjured by the flute but again, I’m much older than the target audience.

The dialogue of the characters was very well done and they were an interesting trio whom I really felt for. The conductor was super creepy and an excellent villain. I’m still not entirely sure if he WAS a rat all along or if he turned into one as punishment for stealing and screwing with the flute. I really enjoyed the darkness being the manifestation of grief bc it can truly be a ravenous thing that consumes us! I was very impressed by how deep this book went.

I would def recommend this book for kids and tweens, I think that boys would especially like it. But it has a lot for grown ups too. And a must listen for any Todd Haberkorn fan! I hope the author writes more books like this, excellent debut novel!

Smart, interesting, and fun

Although this is marketed to kids, there's lots here for grown-ups too. Not just winking to the audience about Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. There's even an extended riff on Wittgenstein's beetle in a box. And I laughed out loud several times.

The narrator is good, but not perfect. Those who know Toronto will notice incorrectly-pronounced place names. Especially Spadina (it should be "spa-d'eye-na"). And I found his brief exclamations in French very hard to understand. But this isn't fatal. It's a great audiobook.