The Hairy Hand

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Pub Date 19 Jan 2019 | Archive Date 15 Sep 2019

Description

With great power at the end of your fingers comes great trouble.

Septimus feels out-of-place in his village where everyone else his age is called Garp, Darg or Smerg or Blaarg. Good, honest names that sound like you are have just swallowed something pointy or are sneezing into custard. Even his parents make him feel like a stranger. Especially his parents. Then he inherits something strange and frightening from his uncle. A Hairy Hand. It has the magical ability to find buried treasure which suits his parents (thieves by trade) down to the ground. However, instead of making his life better, it suddenly gets a lot worse. So, it is up to Sept to find out what else the Hand knows and put things right.

The Hairy Hand is a gothic adventure story with magical familiars, a Dickensian cast and jokes. It is 36,000 words for middle grade readers or slow-witted adults and is currently a standalone – although the ending leaves plenty of room for a series about a powerful boy warlock and his familiar. I loved the idea of a book about friendship in unlikely places and becoming. It inhabits a similar space to Muncle Trogg and/or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I see it working well as a film with the author played by Brad Pitt or that guy from One Direction. 

With great power at the end of your fingers comes great trouble.

Septimus feels out-of-place in his village where everyone else his age is called Garp, Darg or Smerg or Blaarg. Good, honest names...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781999884444
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Average rating from 31 members


Featured Reviews

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.

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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.

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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.

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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? 🤔

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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.

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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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Septimus Plog is the used and abused son of Mr and Mrs Plog. The family live in a miserable village of Nowhere where everyone is just out for themselves. 11 year-old Septimus alone seems to have a different view of life from those around him and by some miracle is the only person in the village who can read.
His life changes when he receives an inheritance from a uncle he has never met.
Despite the silly names (Plog being one of many) which abound in this book and which will probably appeal to the intended readership, I found myself wanting to know what happens to Septimus and whether or not he would escape from the miserable life he finds himself in. The author has great fun inventing some ridiculous situations for his characters which I think maturing readers in KS2 (9-11 year olds) which find very funny.

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This is a lovely coming of age story for Sept, he has no clue who he is except he can read and no one else in the village can.

His parents hate him and treat him like a servant and he lives in a miserable village called Nowhere.

His Uncle dies and gives him a quest to find 3 items of value. Somehow he picks the Hand. An ancient Llarmara hand chained inside a box. His mother is unimpressed and threatens to use a black book on him.

Sept has to unravel the mysteries surrounding his dead Uncle, the black book, the Hairy Hand and find out how his destiny is linked to them all before his 12th birthday or something terrible will happen. Follow his journey into knowledge and found out what horrors await.

Simply written and ideal for a good reader only because the speech is phonetically written and might challenge a less confident reader. Also one for joint reading as it's full of opportunities to play with character voices.

Looking forward to a new series of magical tales for middle school readers.

I was given the novel free by netgalley.com for my fair and honest review.

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I've just finished the hairy band and I loved it, I know it's not aimed at 46 year olds but the tale of Sept and his horrible parents was very reminiscent of Roald Dahl and David Walliams novels and I think it works for all ages, it's quite dark in places but an entertaining read and I look toward to more adventures of Sept.

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This is an adorable book with an intriguing story similar to Poe's "The Monkey's Paw" in its magical appendage. Sept (short for Septimus) is a young boy growing up in a dreary and depressing town with horrible parents who are sneekers (people who steal things from others. His mother is particularly loud, disgusting and mean and his father puts up with her abuse and tries to smooth over her crude rudeness at times. A letter come announcing the death of Sept's uncle and he is sent off on a journey to the uncle's house on the coast by himself. Sept has a remarkably good attitude despite his upbringing and her manages to cross the forests and deserts to get there.
Once there his Uncle's spirit tells him he must choose 3 things from the house and then leave. Among the things he takes is a chest which he hopes has some treasure in it (since that is what his parents ordered him to bring back. When he gets back home, his parents are not pleased with his choices especially when they force open the chest and find what looks to be the cut of hand of some hairy animal. The hand turns out to have magical powers and Sept becomes friends with it. The resulting abuse and hilarity that Sept's parents ask of the hairy hand develop more and more problems for Sept.
This is truly a charming story!

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A decent yarn (although I’m not entirely sure what age group this is aimed at). Sept and the Hand are an interesting duo, and the action / adventure was entertaining.

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Great synopsis, interesting read, really makes you think. Appeals to many. Definitely recommend you try it! So glad I did!

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Took a little getting in to but when i did there were so many laugh out loud moments. This is definitely the kind of book i would read to my future kids, magical, funny and with an optimistic outcome and good moral lessons without being preachy. The characters are fantastic and reminiscent of rohald dahl overall great fun for kids as well as big kids who refuse to grow old and boring

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I absolutely loved this book and will be treating Minishine to a copy when she’s a few years older!

Sept, our main character, is a good-hearted boy living a lonely life in an excessively cruel and mean-spirited village/family. Until the day he finds out that there really is a reason why he is different from those around him… special even. And he also meets a very unusual friend.

This is a traditional middle-grade fantasy adventure, with the Chosen One discovering his gifts and starting out on a path to set wrongs right. It stands out due to the humour and the neat touches of characterisation which really have you rooting for Sept and Hand, and loathing almost everyone else (think The Twits or other Roald Dahl-esque romps). I particularly liked, even as I didn’t always understand, Sept’s iron-willed loyalty to family and to what he perceives as the right moral path, no matter what it costs him in terms of his own happiness. He really is a great role model for positive thinking and finding the best in people!

The plot was quirky and fun, and often surprised me (in a good way) with the direction it took, especially at the climax. I really hope the author has a whole series planned for Sept because I would love to know what happens next!

If you are aged 8-adult and like Harry Potter with a touch more humour, or Roald Dahl with slightly less chaos, then this is the perfect book for you!



The main problem with Nowhere was that nothing nice ever happened. People in it just went on being selfish and stupid, day after day, after day…

He searched out his reflection in a dirty shop window. A small boy, with fair hair and narrow features gazed back unhappily. Who was he and why didn’t he fit in?

– Robin Bennett, The Hairy Hand

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

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I loved this book, eventually. Took a while to get into but stuck at it & grateful for it. Can't wait to read this to my children.

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Fun and very strange, this story was really funny and very different from a lot of the books out at the moment for kids this age.

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A very sweet little fable with a lot of humour. I'm sure kids will enjoy reading The Hairy Hand. The main character is very sweet, particularly his devotion to staying with his horrible parents and the Hand is a delightful magical creature. A little over the top in some of the punishment (heavy on the vomit and toilet humour) but I can see kids liking that!

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An extremely hairy hand, a main character called Septimus Plog...and fantastic magic!.....what more is there to like?? A great story to read with the kids :-)

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I was hooked as soon as I read the blurb and was hoping something like this would be suitable for my year 2 class. I think this would be better for teenagers or pre teens but I love books like this and think they are for any age. It was well written and compelling.

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What a fabulous adventure story.
With the evil Pog parents, an 11 year old boy who needs to activate his magical powers before his 12th birthday and all with the help of “ the hairy hand”
A fun read that keeps you hooked until the very end.
Hoping that this is the 1st in a series of adventures for Sept and his hairy hand

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A fun and highly original story full of magic and adventure,with wonderful characters. It may be aimed at children but this adult thoroughly enjoyed it :)

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This is a YA fantasy book, with a young boy of 11 called Septimus as our hero. He lives with his two horrible parents, who tell him one day that his Uncle has died (whom he has never heard of before), and has left him something which he needs to go and collect.

It's a long journey, and one he is to do on his own. That's the type of parents he has.

I found this book to be quite different. Instead of telling the story of his journey to his Uncle's and back again, it tells us about people.

I really liked this as a twist. His adventure is his family, not the journey he undertakes.

The Hairy Hand was published on 19th January 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

I couldn't find a website or any social media for Robin Bennett, so I'm afraid no link for that today!

If you're interested in YA fantasy books, then here's some others I've reviewed:

We hunt the night by Hafsah Faizal 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Brotherhood of Shades by Dawn Finch 🌟🌟🌟

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Monster Books (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

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