Gribblebob's Book of Unpleasant Goblins by David Ashby (review)

Ashby, David Gribblebob's Book of Unpleasant Goblins; illus. by Jen Khatun. Pushkin, 2020 [224p] Paper ed. ISBN 9781782692348 $12.95 E-book ed. ISBN 9781782692355 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6

A chance encounter with the irascible goblin Gribblebob and his eponymous book alerts siblings Anna and Nils to a world of supernatural beings parallel to their own. Alongside otherworld denizens Jack Broadsword (a kind of heroic alter ego of classmate Bengt Arbuthnot) and perilously charming William Wynn, to say nothing of Gribblebob himself and his mostly invisible dog (who, when famished, is also vanished), the siblings race against the agents of a nightmare-wielding enemy to make sure she's not released from her magical book prison. The peculiarities of the supernatural characters are more engaging than the plot, but it provides our heroes the opportunity to traipse through our world in alternately creepy and comical fashion. Bengt's problems with a school bully provide a local analogue to the wider supernatural action, emphasizing that courage and heroism aren't solely the province of sword-wielding warriors and magical creatures. Pencil chapter heading illustrations underscore Ashby's harmonious balancing of heroic tone and verbal whimsy, and Gribblebob's habitual wordplay will tickle the fancy of language-loving youngsters.