You ever look at a toy train set and wonder if you could actually live in it? Not in a "that's cute" way, but in a "my life depends on avoiding a giant cockroach" way. That’s the vibe of Measle and the Wrathmonk. If you grew up in the mid-2000s, this book was everywhere. It had that weird, lime-green plastic cover that smelled exactly like a pool float. Honestly, that smell is burned into the brains of an entire generation of readers.
Ian Ogilvy—yeah, the guy who played The Saint on TV—wrote this back in 2004. It wasn't just another "orphan with a destiny" story. It was grimy. It was a bit gross. It was basically Roald Dahl on an adrenaline bender.
What’s a Wrathmonk Anyway?
So, here’s the deal. In this world, a wrathmonk isn't just a wizard. It’s a warlock who has gone completely, 100% off the rails. They’re insane. Basil Tramplebone, the main villain, is the poster child for this. He’s thin, tall, and uses black shoe polish to keep his hair in place. He’s also the guardian of our hero, Measle Stubbs.
Measle is ten. He's scrawny. He lives in a house that’s falling apart, under a permanent rain cloud. Basil spends all of Measle’s inheritance money on a massive, incredibly detailed model train set in the attic. Measle isn’t allowed to touch it. He just has to watch.
One day, Measle gets cheeky. He tricks Basil into leaving for the bank and sneaks into the attic. But Basil realizes he’s been played, comes back, and decides that if Measle wants to play with the train set so much, he can live in it. He shrinks Measle down to about half an inch tall.
Survival in the Attic
Suddenly, the world is terrifying. Dust bunnies are boulders. A common house bat is basically a dragon. And there's a cockroach that is now the size of a transit bus. This is where the book gets really interesting. Measle isn't alone in the train set. Basil has been shrinking people for years.
There’s a whole crew of "plastic" people stuck on the tracks:
- Frank Hunter: An electrician who wired the set.
- Kitty Webb: A Brownie scout who was just trying to sell cookies.
- Lady Grant: A town councillor who made the mistake of asking Basil to fix his roof.
- William O. Durham: A salesman who tells terrible jokes.
The weirdest part? They aren't actually plastic. Basil feeds his victims glazed donut crumbs and pink lemonade. If you eat them, you slowly turn into a stiff, plastic-like statue. Measle discovers that if you feed them real food—specifically carrots—they turn back into humans. Well, tiny humans.
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Why It Worked So Well
Most kids' books at the time were trying to be the next Harry Potter. Ian Ogilvy didn't care about that. He leaned into the "stink." The Guardian once called it a book that "smells superbly foul," and they weren't wrong. It felt dangerous. When Basil eventually turns into a giant cockroach at the end, it’s genuinely nightmare-inducing.
The pacing is frantic. One minute they’re hiding from a bat in the rafters, the next they’re trying to use a pocket mirror to reflect a spell back at Basil. It’s a classic "small vs. big" trope, but executed with a lot of grit.
The Legacy of Measle Stubbs
Even though there were sequels—Measle and the Dragodon, Measle and the Mallockee—the first one remains the gold standard. It even won the Georgia Children’s Book Award. There was talk for years about a movie. Warner Bros. had it for a bit, then an animation studio called Prana. Sadly, it never hit the big screen. Maybe that’s for the best. Some things are better left to the imagination (and Chris Mould’s scratchy, gothic illustrations).
If you’re looking to revisit this or introduce it to a kid, keep these things in mind:
- Don't skip the sequels: They actually build out the lore of "Mallockees" (good wizards) and explain why Measle's real name is Sam Lee.
- Look for the original covers: Seriously, the 2010 reissue changed the title to The Train Set of Terror! and used a generic cover. It lost all the soul of the original green vinyl version.
- Read it aloud: The prose is punchy and works great for bedtime—if the kid doesn't mind dreaming about man-eating bats.
The book basically proves that you don't need a magic wand to win. You just need some carrots, a bit of luck, and the sense to stay off the tracks when the train is coming.
Next Steps for Readers
If you're feeling nostalgic, you can still find used copies of the original "scented" edition on sites like AbeBooks or eBay. For those who want more of that specific "creepy-funny" vibe, check out Chris Mould’s other illustrated works or the Eddie Dickens trilogy by Philip Ardagh.