Mel Foster and the Demon Butler

Mel Foster and the Demon Butler is a 2015 gothic children's novel by Julia Golding. Golding also writes under the pen names of Joss Stirling and Eve Edwards. Mel Foster and the Demon Butler has been published by Egmont Publishing in August 2015. The publishing deal was announced in January 2015. The novel is the first book in an adventure series. The next book, Mel Foster and the Time Machine, was published in April 2016.

Plot
Mel Foster is an orphan, growing up in Victorian England, when he is sent away from the orphanage to work on a ship called The Albatross. When The Albatross gets stuck in ice, Mel accidentally discovers the body of a giantess frozen within the ice. Mr Wallace, a scientist travelling on the ship, convinces Captain Mariner to bring the "monster" back to England, to show Queen Victoria, who will surely pay handsomely to see the monster.

Mel, left to look after the frozen specimen accidentally revives the giantess back to life. However, Eve Frankenstein is not actually a monster. Luckily, she does not want to eat Mel―she wants to protect him.

While Eve and Mel become firm friends in the Arctic, back in England there is definitely something fishy going on in Buckingham Palace. The Queen's creepy butler has a peculiar influence over his monarch. It turns out that this butler is hatching a plan that could destroy the British Empire. It is up to Mel, Evie and an assorted bunch of monsters to save the Empire!

The Setting
Mel Foster and the Demon Butler starts off in the Arctic during Queen Victoria's reign. Most of the novel is set in London, England.

Main characters

 * Mel Foster: Mel is the main character in the book. He is an orphan with a mystery surrounding his parentage.
 * Eve Frankestein: Eve is the daughter of Frankenstein's Monster

Secondary characters

 * Doctor Foster: The man who delivered Mel Foster to the orphanage after he was born
 * Viorica: Viorica is Lady Viorica Dracula, Count Dracula's little sister and part of the Monster Resistance
 * Abel and Cain Jekyll: The twin sons of Dr Jekyll (or should that be Hyde?), they are the leaders of the Monster Resistance

Publishing Details

 * Author: Julia Golding
 * First published: August 2015
 * ISBN 978-1405277341
 * Publisher: Egmont Publishing
 * Age range: 9+ years
 * Genre: Children's Fantasy Adventure Series