Publisher: Walker Books US
Format Read: Hardcover
Number of pages: 208 pages
Published: July 22nd, 2025
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Opening Lines: "Stitch wakes up, just as he always has done for the past five hundred and eighty-four days he has been waking up."
Stitch and his friend Henry Oaf are creations of Professor Hardacre, brought to life through his mysterious experiments. Since then, they've spent their days contentedly within the castle. Stitch follows a quiet routine of caring for brown mouse, marking each day of waking up on the wall with a piece of chalk, visiting Henry, and performing light chores.
Henry Oaf, the professor's first creation, now lives confined to a cage for misbehaving. He has a habit of getting overly excited and breaking things, which the professor dislikes. Neither Stitch nor Henry has disturbed the professor since he requested not to be interrupted some 328 days ago, when he went for a rest.
Then one day, a surprise knock breaks the silence of their quiet home. A young professor arrives, accompanied by his assistant, Alice. He claims to be Professor Hardacre's nephew. After learning about the professors prolonged rest, they conclude that he has passed away. Determined to carry on his uncle's legacy, the young professor takes over his research and launches his first, greatest scientific experiment, fixing Henry. But Henry has no intention of becoming anything different other than himself and so he runs away. With no choice, Stitch sets out from his comfortable life on a journey into the unknown to find his beloved friend.
Stitch is a reimaging of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for younger children. It's a surprisingly quick read filled with wonderful messages of having empathy for others, showing kindness and not being judgmental, while also questioning what qualities make up a person.
Stitch is a delightful, kindhearted character. His life initially was dictated by his routine but toward the end of the story he finds purpose in his friends and exploring the world around him. He's inquisitive and an explorer at heart. He's a coinsurer of words, taking Henry's amusing made-up words or combinations of two words and adding them to his vocabulary. Henry is darling, he exhibits characteristics of ADHD and is easily excitable but is just a big huggable bear. It's through their interactions that the author illustrates what it means to be a kind friend and that differences do not define the person. I loved how Stitch always leads with kindness even when others try to label him as a monster. It really is a wonderful story about not judging people based on what they look like or where they come from.
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