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February 11, 2014
I can’t think of any other time I’ve finished a book and wanted it to be longer. Wanted just a bit more description, a little more action, to spend a few more hours/days/weeks with the characters. In thinking this, I have to remember that the National Book Award winning novel Goblin Secrets is targeted towards 8-12 year olds and not grown-up dudes like myself. So, alas, the length of the book and the level of detail are likely appropriate.
Don’t think I mean to say this book is not written well. Mr. Alexander is a superb writer with a highly unique, intriguing style. So yeah - his words are wondrous....and I simply want MORE of them!
Goblin Secrets unfolds in the busy town of Zombay where a powerful river divides the orderly Northside and the chaotic Southside. Young Rownie of Southside, an orphan, lives with several other kids in a shack that’s ruled over by a mysterious and menacing woman named Graba. She has the ability to cast powerful charms and curses....and she also has massive bird-like legs made from metal and gears. Rownie escapes her clutches to join a troop of goblin actors who may be able to help him find his missing older brother. With the goblins, Rownie learns the fascinating magic of masks and how actors not only wear them, the masks wear the actors as well. But things are not all theater and fun with the goblins. The City Guard are constantly after them and the raging river which divides the city of Zombay is rising and in danger of flooding. A problem which only Rownie and the goblins may be able to solve. And Rownie can’t forget about angry Graba - who is always coming for him.
There is definitely a lot going on in this book - lots of new, exciting concepts. Which is why I was wishing for more great writing after I finished it. For example, the Graba character has these mechanical, gear-worked legs. And the Captain of the City Guard has mechanical eyes and also seems to be partially made of clockwork gears. There are other characters with these features as well. Why are they like this? What’s the significance of their mechanical parts? Give us more info on this cool, new stuff, Mr. Alexander! Another thing I wanted to read more about was the magic of the masks. The author has crafted several very profound, thought-provoking phrases when he writes of the masks and the performers yet I always wanted him to go even deeper and give us more rich, vivid details of this magic.
And another thing, this book is absolutely screaming for illustrations! I have to think it must be difficult for kids to accurately imagine the half person/half mechanical gear work characters in the story. And though we can picture what goblins usually look like after seeing movies like “The Hobbit”, the goblins in this book are more sophisticated and highly intelligent. A few pieces of artwork showing them would have been fantastic.
All in all, it’s a great book....if you like creative fantasy novels like I do. I plan to read Goblin Secrets aloud to Cecilia soon and I’ll be curious to learn if she can understand and mentally picture the more advanced stuff in the book. We will have some fun discussions about the story, no doubt. Definitely consider gifting this book to any mature 8-14 year olds you know, but realize that for the younger ones, it might be best enjoyed as a read aloud title. Which is completely fine because it’s certainly a unique, entertaining read for adults as well.
Oh, and there is a “companion novel” available now which is called Ghoulish Song. It’s not a direct sequel because it takes a side character from Goblin Secrets and sends her off on her own adventure. But it all still happens in Zombay so there will definitely be some crossover action and perhaps we’ll learn all we want to know about this mysterious city and it’s fascinating inhabitants.
Happy Reading!
Don’t think I mean to say this book is not written well. Mr. Alexander is a superb writer with a highly unique, intriguing style. So yeah - his words are wondrous....and I simply want MORE of them!
Goblin Secrets unfolds in the busy town of Zombay where a powerful river divides the orderly Northside and the chaotic Southside. Young Rownie of Southside, an orphan, lives with several other kids in a shack that’s ruled over by a mysterious and menacing woman named Graba. She has the ability to cast powerful charms and curses....and she also has massive bird-like legs made from metal and gears. Rownie escapes her clutches to join a troop of goblin actors who may be able to help him find his missing older brother. With the goblins, Rownie learns the fascinating magic of masks and how actors not only wear them, the masks wear the actors as well. But things are not all theater and fun with the goblins. The City Guard are constantly after them and the raging river which divides the city of Zombay is rising and in danger of flooding. A problem which only Rownie and the goblins may be able to solve. And Rownie can’t forget about angry Graba - who is always coming for him.
There is definitely a lot going on in this book - lots of new, exciting concepts. Which is why I was wishing for more great writing after I finished it. For example, the Graba character has these mechanical, gear-worked legs. And the Captain of the City Guard has mechanical eyes and also seems to be partially made of clockwork gears. There are other characters with these features as well. Why are they like this? What’s the significance of their mechanical parts? Give us more info on this cool, new stuff, Mr. Alexander! Another thing I wanted to read more about was the magic of the masks. The author has crafted several very profound, thought-provoking phrases when he writes of the masks and the performers yet I always wanted him to go even deeper and give us more rich, vivid details of this magic.
And another thing, this book is absolutely screaming for illustrations! I have to think it must be difficult for kids to accurately imagine the half person/half mechanical gear work characters in the story. And though we can picture what goblins usually look like after seeing movies like “The Hobbit”, the goblins in this book are more sophisticated and highly intelligent. A few pieces of artwork showing them would have been fantastic.
All in all, it’s a great book....if you like creative fantasy novels like I do. I plan to read Goblin Secrets aloud to Cecilia soon and I’ll be curious to learn if she can understand and mentally picture the more advanced stuff in the book. We will have some fun discussions about the story, no doubt. Definitely consider gifting this book to any mature 8-14 year olds you know, but realize that for the younger ones, it might be best enjoyed as a read aloud title. Which is completely fine because it’s certainly a unique, entertaining read for adults as well.
Oh, and there is a “companion novel” available now which is called Ghoulish Song. It’s not a direct sequel because it takes a side character from Goblin Secrets and sends her off on her own adventure. But it all still happens in Zombay so there will definitely be some crossover action and perhaps we’ll learn all we want to know about this mysterious city and it’s fascinating inhabitants.
Happy Reading!