Middle Grade Book of the Week: Goblin Secrets

Oh, there is nothing I do not love about this book.

Though it's aimed at middle grade students, it has this magical quality about it that keeps it irresistable to my 30-something year old self and has even hooked my eight-year-old son. He demands that we read it aloud together each night before bed and he never wants to be bothered before bed.

Amazing!

From the book's web page:

Rownie, the youngest in Graba the witchworker's household of stray children, escapes and goes looking for his missing brother. Along the way he falls in with a troupe of theatrical goblins and learns the secret origins of masks. Now Graba's birds are hunting him in the Southside of Zombay, the Lord Mayor's guards are searching for him in Northside, and the River between them is getting angry. The city needs saving — and only the goblins know how.

I should be upfront and say that a lot of Boy Wonder's obsession with this book lies in the fact that, if given the chance, he'd stay home in his underwear all day eating Cheeze Doodles and playing World of Warcraft. I don't let him play much, but he reads the manuals, the player's guides, and LOVES the lore. Goblins, to be specific. And Zombies, too.

And while there are no zombies in our book, the fact that the land is named Zombay leaves just enough hope in his young mind that there might be.

And as for me? Well, I'm a steampunk fanatic at heart and a witch named Graba with geared chicken legs beneath her heavy skirts? I knew I was in the right book. The imagination William Alexander has put forth here is phenomenal. I can't stop saying "How cool!" aloud as I read this.

Be sure the check out the Goblin Secrets website for a little backstory, a link to the author's site, and a neat mask-making activity available for download.

Happy Reading!

MIddle Grade Book of the Week: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

I feel like one of the few noobs in the world who missed the Kate DiCamillo train over the past few years. My son and I absolutely loved "The Tale of Despereux" in the movie theaters but I never traced it back to the book, or author, behind it.

I remember hearing about, but not seeing, "Because of Winn Dixie" and thinking the name odd because I lived in a town with a grocery store called Winn Dixie. But as I moved more and more into the middle grade arena, one can't help but be introduced to KDC and her body of work. There are so many folks out there on the Intertubes who praise "The Tiger Rising" and how their classrooms loved it, that its only a matter of time, perhaps minutes, before I join the fan club and read it. I'm excited, even.

But my personal journey with KDC starts with "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane." I admit I bought it on a whim because it was a special feature on BN.com and only $2.99 for my Nook. I'm cheap these days, I'll admit it. And when I couldn't stand another sentence in the numerous "get your baby to sleep through the night" books I'd been scouring, I opened up Mr. Tulane's story.

As I stated earlier, I'm not familiar with KDC's written style, but this was like nothing I'd read before. It was a bit dark. It had a main character that was not only a toy and unable to move or talk (but he could think) throughout most of the story, he was rather unlikeable. Cringe-worthy, dare I say?

"The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" isn't exactly a warm and fuzzy sort of book. It's full of sad people. Mean people. Sick people. Abused people. And one rather pompous china rabbit who goes on the journey of his lifetime to discover the meaning of love. Even it's happy ending has little barbs of regret and loss.

It's actually an amazing book with such a strong voice, I can't help but be excited for the next KDC books I nab.

Happy reading!