A Monster Calls - A Simple Story That's Surprisingly Deep!

I finished A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness about a week ago.  This is one of those stories that really makes you think, and I wanted to mull over my reaction to it for a little while before I posted on about it.  The story centers on a boy named Connor.  Connor's mom is fighting cancer, and he has nightmares each night that terrify him.  The reader doesn't learn what the nightmare is until near the end of the books, but we are given the idea that it is the most awful dream that anyone could ever have.  The reader gets the sense of the horror of his nightmare, because when the yew tree in his backyard actually comes to life and threatens to eat him alive, Connor takes it all in stride.  He tells the Yew tree monster that he's seen worse.  At first, Connor believes it is just another dream, but he wakes up with reminders of the visit in his room.  The tree tells him that he will tell Connor three stories on different nights.  After he is done with the stories, Connor must tell him a story; however, Connor must tell his own story, and his story must be the complete truth.  This terrifies him, because Connor has been hiding from the truth of his mother's illness for so long.  Connor must learn to cope.  The book has beautiful illustrations, which add to the story brilliantly.