A wild goblin appears!
Title: Nobody Likes a Goblin
Author and Illustrator: Ben Hatke
Rating: 10
Readability: 10
Source: Raincoast Books for review
Description from Goodreads:
Goblin, a cheerful little homebody, lives in a cosy, rat-infested dungeon, with his only friend, Skeleton. Every day, Goblin and Skeleton play with the treasure in their dungeon. But one day, a gang of “heroic” adventurers bursts in. These marauders trash the place, steal all the treasure, and make off with Skeleton—leaving Goblin all alone!
It’s up to Goblin to save the day. But first he’s going to have to leave the dungeon and find out how the rest of the world feels about goblins.
What I Thought:
Oh. My. Gosh.
This story is amazing. If you come from a big nerd family like ours, this is one book you’ll absolutely have to add to your inventory.
Our hero? Goblin.
The villains? Adventurers, farmers, elves.
The quest? Save the kidnapped best friend.
This book has everything in it that you would expect/love from most RPG or fantasy stories.
The suspense is real, the action is rewarding, and the conclusion is perfection.
The text is perfectly readable. The pacing is great to read aloud and my daughter liked reading it by herself as well.
Hatke’s illustrations are wonderful, and the little touches are so fun to seek out. (My daughter’s favourite are the two baby dragons on one of the pages. She thinks they’re just swell.) Every time I read it I discover a new gem to love.
You also don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy this classic hero’s journey. My daughter has only ever played games like Minecraft, Lego, and Plants vs Zombies, but she still adored this book. The first time I read it to her she made me just sit and reread and reread and reread and reread.
And I loved it so much I read it a few extra times just for me.
Extras:
Ben Hatke has written some awesome other books that I’ve seen kicking around Instagram but haven’t had the chance to read yet. But since we love this so much we’re off to the library today to find them! Check out his website here.
My husband and I have been playing Skyrim again, and this book just made me feel so guilty for raiding all those caves! They’re just living their lives! Minding their own business! And here I barge in, magic waving, and steal all their stuff. The nerve.
TL;DR:
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August 30, 2016 at 12:48 pm
I need this book for my almost 3 year old. I have been playing World of Warcraft since vanilla and I have thought the same thing while questing. Here I come, kill everything and steal treasure while they are minding their own business. LOL.
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August 30, 2016 at 2:14 pm
Hahaha love it 😂
WE’RE THE MONSTERS AFTER ALL!!
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August 30, 2016 at 3:29 pm
We are…..lol 🙂
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August 31, 2016 at 12:22 pm
Sounds like a fun book! Will have to check it one of these days. 🙂
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August 31, 2016 at 1:54 pm
Do it! We just love it!
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September 1, 2016 at 5:39 am
Hahaha, 50XP! \õ/ I loooove this concept. And never looked at it this way either obviously…poor monsters getting their loot stolen from them 😥
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September 1, 2016 at 7:12 am
I know eh?? We’re such jerks 🙈
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September 1, 2016 at 10:52 am
I never had a handle on what goblins actually look like
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September 1, 2016 at 12:10 pm
I think Ben Hatke has a good hold on them!
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September 1, 2016 at 1:19 pm
How cute! I bet my daughter would like this.
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September 1, 2016 at 1:26 pm
Mine just loves it!
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September 1, 2016 at 8:53 pm
Omigosh! I think my entire family would love this book! Maybe a Christmas present!
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September 1, 2016 at 9:35 pm
I can whole heartedly recommend it!!
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September 1, 2016 at 9:03 pm
Sounds so cool really need it in the pile
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September 1, 2016 at 9:35 pm
It’s so different and fun!!
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September 5, 2016 at 10:34 am
Awesome review! We loved this book so much. So did you see the Art & Adventure video on Ben Hatke’s website? My kids think he’s the coolest guy ever now.
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September 5, 2016 at 11:22 am
I haven’t! I’ll go look it up right now!!
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