A quirky book for children, filled with magical action, an oddball main character called Septimus and a very hairy hand.

Septimus has never fitted in to the daily grinds of life in the small village of Nowhere. When his uncle dies, leaving (amongst other things) a magic hand that can root out treasure, Sept sees this as his chance to escape the dull life he lives in exchange for adventure. The plot itself is fast paced and fun, filled with weird and wonderful fantasy elements that I would expect in this kind of read. It’s also well written, and the world building is perfectly tuned for this level of reader - it’s not too convoluted or complicated, just full of good old fashioned fantasy fun.

Septimus is a great protagonist too, and one you can really root for. He’s naive and ambitious, gung ho and a bit foolhardy at times, but loveable with it. He’s perhaps not as well developed as he could be, without much emotional depth to him, and the secondary characters are all very black and white, good or evil, but again I think this is enough for ‘middle grade’ readers. I’m all for morally grey characters, but there’s a time and a place, and this has just enough character development for children to read and comprehend.

My 9 year old son would really enjoy this, and I think I might pass the ARC on to him to read and let me know what he thinks. As a lover of Cressida Cowell and Harry Potter this is right up his street, and definitely fills a gap in the market for Young fantasy lovers. I look forward to more books from the author.

Original, fun and quirky. Aimed at a teenage audience, but thoroughly enjoyable for adults as well! Looking forward to getting my 13yr old's opinion on this shortly.

I enjoyed the story for the most part. It's about an eleven-year-old kid Sept who lives in a the village of Nowhere, a wretched place filled with wretched people. His parents are the worst of the lot, behaving terribly to the town and each other, and treating Sept in horrible ways.

Then, one day, Sept is sent to retrieve a bequest from an uncle he'd never heard of. The journey Sept takes is interesting, if a little shortened in one of the directions, and when he manages to return, it turns out he's acquired a very interesting artefact, indeed. This has all sorts of positive and negative effects on his life.

My problem with the book is possibly something unique to myself. Sept is constantly knocked down (both figuratively and literally) by his parents. He is repeatedly told he needs to leave for his own good, but for some reason that I could never fathom, Sept refuses to go. I would have left of my own accord long ago. But that may be because I've never been in such a dire strait as Sept. I haven't had to endure such cruelty, especially from such a young age. I'm willing to chalk this one up to a failure of my imagination to capture the kind of attachment anyone could have to people who are so abusive.

My other problem was one of time scales. In one part we're told there are only a certain number of months before something will happen, then a number of other things happen that take longer than that original estimate of time. A few minor adjustments would take care of that, though.

I still recommend the book for young readers, probably starting with those who are about Sept's eleven years old.

I thought the concept, the story and the characters were great, but felt it was lacking something. I think it was a little rushed in places and think it could have read better had the pace been more gentle at times.

I was sent a copy of The Hairy Hand by Robin Bennett to read and review by NetGalley.
This book is a cracking read for children (and adults like me!) with plenty of magic, scariness and laugh out loud funny bits! The story is full of moralistic values; loyalty, compassion, and the strength to be good while those around you are being their worst, all wrapped up in the engaging tale of protagonist Sept’s journey of discovering who he really is and what he’s meant to be. Definitely one to buy for the kids – and to enjoy reading yourself too!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me/my daughter the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. The review is written by Caitlin aged 10 1/2

I thought this was a very good book it makes you feel lots of different emotions. When the Wargs are coming you feel scared but also very engaged. When Septimus' parents are horrible you feel sympathy for Sept. I loved the bits from Gertrudes the best and when she gets angry you get really worried. It was a relief when Sept broke the curse and his parents returned to being nice. I did think the end was a little abrupt though I would like to have a little more. Overall I enjoyed so 4.5Stars.

I love a good children’s book, particularly anything with action or adventure and this promises both.

This novel is quite clearly the first in a series because a lot of this book is spent establishing the main character’s (Septimus Plog’s) background and why he behaves the way he does. In fact, the book seems to be saving up a lot of what is intended for character Sept for future books, which is why this first one doesn’t have as much magic or adventure as I bet the rest of the series will. It spends a long time with the horrid Plog family, going over various scenarios in which they excel in ensuring Sept is kept in a subservient position.

The Hairy Hand on the other hand(!) encourages Sept to get out of the town of Nowhere and go further afield. He advises him to do this many many times without Sept actually following-up on the advice that we know he will inevitably take at some point, to ensure the series has a future.

The writing is very Dahl-esque and I loved that. Sept’s favourite book is called How to be Happy, which the narrator describes as a “book written by a dangerously optimistic lunatic“, which made me laugh out loud. It’s also evocative writing:

“Time slowed as a warm wind sprang up from nowhere in his uncle’s study, carrying with it to the smell of hot sand, rich spices and whispering voices”.

It also contains subtle messages about sharing wealth. The lazy Plogs cry:

“...if she is so poor, she can work harder. Like us.”

Some real promise here for the future books in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Monster Books and Robin Bennett for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Septimus (Sept for short), lives in Nowhere with his parents and always feels out of place. He's then told that his uncle has died and that he has to make this journey to his uncles house, alone, to pay his respect. There's also a last request from his uncle where Sept is allowed to select three items from his uncles house for himself. Now, that's a lot to take in, especially when you didn't know you had an uncle. Ooh... Plus his uncles a Warlock! So there's that as well...


How do I go about reviewing a book with the title The Hairy Hand? I will say, yes! It is as weird and as strange as the title has got you thinking it is, but omg in the best of ways possible. Believe me please. If it wasn't for work, or family, I would have gladly and happily have read this book extremely easily in one sitting, and believe me I wanted to so badly. I didn't want to put it down! At certain times, when concentration was needed, I chose this book over safety. Not smart but I'd say worth it. I found myself walking to work reading it on phone, which I wouldn't suggest doing. All us book daredevils out there, safety first.
I didn't know what to expect when I went into this book, going in with relatively low expectations, which is probably why it it blew me away. It was different to anything I've read in a while and it's different to what I've been reading recently, which is amazing and was needed as it breaks up my reading pattern and can get me out of a little rut.


Amazing read and I highly recommend. It says the book is "36,000 words for middle grade readers or slow-witted adults". Loved it, so does that make me a slow-witted adult? 🤔

A fun, quirky book that is so different from anything I've seen done before with many funny moments. I would probably recommend it for those between the ages of 8-12 yet I think it could be enjoyed by someone of any age.

This book can’t be compared to anything I’ve ever read before - it’s absolutely unique.
Aimed I would say, at a teenage audience, it is original and lots of fun.
I read it in one sitting and it has great visuality to it.
I can see that with a bit of tweaking, this could be made into a children’s TV series or even a film.

This is a beautifully quirky book that works well as a standalone as well as the start of a series. The world building is effortless and while there are plenty of made up words, they make sense right away.

A delight for young and old alike, this is a refreshing addition to the world of children's literature.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.