2012 Book 167: Goblin Secrets, by William AlexanderReason for Reading: This book won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2012
Review
Rownie is one of a flock of orphans under the "care" of Graba, a chicken-legged house-moving witch. His life revolves around running errands for Graba while scrounging enough food to live. When a troupe of goblins come to town, Rownie risks imprisonment by the guard and (worse) the wrath of Graba to see the play. He has soon joined leagues with the goblins in hopes of discovering more about the disappearance of his brother Rowan. Graba is very pissed off. This was a really cute book with a mixture of fairy tale, steam-punk, and Oliver Twist. But the execution wasn't as great as I'd hoped. I took a long time getting into the book...I felt like I should be enjoying it, but just couldn't concentrate. After I got used to the world, language, and characters, though, I enjoyed it a lot more. In the end, it was a good book, but it had potential to deliver more.
I didn't hear about this book until it won the NBA. Even though it had problems, I think I'll still give it a try. Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteIt could have been better, yes, but I don't regret reading it. :) I hope you enjoy it!
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