(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tomie dePaola. An imp, a goblin, and a scalawag attempt to outdo one another in the telling of scary stories. Each includes what they collectively believe to be the scariest creature of all--but when that creature actually does appear, it wins them all over by proving its own storytelling prowess. Previously published as Four Scary Stories (in 1978), this crative, metafictive, silly-not-spooky tale features lively, vivid-hued illustrations starring dePaola's recognizably round-faced characters with their easy-to-read thoughts and funny facial expressions.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) 4-6 Lizzie "sees" sounds as colors and is sensitive to direct eye contact and being touched; her older sister, Minka, looks out for her and paints the colors Lizzie describes. One day Minka comes home from the market rhapsodic over a new vendor--a handsome young man selling the most delectable fruit. Over the next few weeks, Minka grows pale for love of him, loses her hair, and falls into a ­coma-like sleep. The girls' neighbor Jakob helps Lizzie learn what is wrong with Minka: upon investigation, they suspect she's been enchanted by a zdusze, a goblin who steals away children and young women. The ­pastoral surroundings (and particularly Lizzie's description of rich sound-colors) create a lush setting for the folkloric ensorcelled-by-goblins plot, with its dreamy depictions of fruit and longing and with sprinklings of ethnological details from Eastern European cultures. On her quest to save her sister, Lizzie faces down many of her "worries" (going to the market, talking to strangers, knocking on people's doors) while also making use of her strengths (blunt honesty, unsentimental perception, bravery regarding snakes). The ­climax delivers some breath-quickening action, but this warmly reassuring tale, with its nontraditional protagonist, will keep readers engrossed from beginning to end.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) 4-6 Color by Natalie Riess and Kristen Acampora. Twelve-year-old goblin Beetle's old friend Kat Hollowbone is back in town. After a rough reconciliation with the sophisticated skeleton, Beetle comes to realize that Kat's aunt is the real enemy: she wants to tear down the mall, which is the haunting ground of Beetle's (nonbinary) spirit friend Blob Ghost. Beetle herself, in fact, might just be destined for a new type of relationship with Kat. Luminous art and creative panel placement make for a zippy read in this graphic novel, whose LGBTQIA+ ­representation is treated as matter-of-factly as its fantasy elements.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Louis Thomas. If only the (offstage) narrator allowed Ginny (Ginny Goblin Is Not Allowed to Open This Box) to have a pet goat, then she might not seek out a kraken, basilisk, and space alien as potential pets instead. (In a clever twist, Ginny has the last laugh.) Elaborate monster-seeking scenarios, the catchy titular refrain, and lively ink and gouache illustrations make Ginny's second humorous outing perfect for reading aloud.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Min has a powerful secret: she's a fox spirit disguised as a human; she can shape-shift and use magic to alter others' perceptions. Min enthusiastically wields these powers when she ditches her "dismal life" on the barren planet Jinju to track down her brother Jun, a Space Forces cadet who's gone AWOL. Lee's richly detailed, cohesive, original vision is a lively mash-up of outer-space sci-fi and Korean culture and folklore.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) 4-6 Oddmire series. This series-starter is a riveting adventure set in a fully realized magical world that feels both timeless and of today. Townspeople whisper that one of Annie Burton's twins is a changeling meant to have replaced the real baby. But the siblings' lives are uneventful--until a goblin lures them into the Wild Wood, where only a changeling can stop magic from ebbing away. Vivid writing makes for moments of humor, pathos, and suspense.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(1) YA Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Historian and diplomat (and spy) Brangwain Spurge has been sent from Elfland to the neighboring goblin kingdom. He befriends his host, goblin archivist Werfel. Unbeknownst to them both, however, their nations are preparing for war. Pen-and-ink illustrations resembling medieval lithographs represent Spurge's not-always-reliable spy reports; with touches of humor, whimsy, irony, and menace, they're well suited to both the acerbic wit and the affecting tenderness of Anderson's prose.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(4) 4-6 Snared series. Orphan "trapsmith" Wily Snare maintains the underground traps guarding a wizard's treasure until eccentric adventurers spring Wily from his dungeon. The group of marauders wants help plundering other protected riches, but instead Wily convinces his new friends to help defeat the Infernal King and his mechanical soldiers. Despite an abrupt resolution, earnest heroism and some entertainingly sinister booby traps elevate this fantasy series-starter.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) K-3 Translated by Bill Nagelkerke. A boy named Finn and his dog wake to find that goblins have taken over. Boy and dog chase the sprites across twelve double-page spreads (through a garden, beneath the earth, etc.) that harbor mazes and items to find ("Finn searches for a lamp to light the way"). This seductive large-scale offering's art suggests M.C. Escher on a color bender.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Louis Thomas. "Ginny Goblin is not allowed to open this box. Not until dinnertime." The (offstage) narrator concocts increasingly elaborate schemes to stop the cunning Ginny. Finally, at dinner, Ginny (and the now-curious narrator) are overjoyed to discover cake inside for dessert...once Ginny finishes her peas. Goodner's droll, effectively repetitive text and Thomas's carefree pen-and-ink and gouache illustrations capture a child's insatiable curiosity and boundless ingenuity.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) YA In Wintersong, Elisabeth (Liesl) miraculously escaped the Goblin King's underground realm alive. Now Liesl travels with her violinist brother to Vienna as his composer. Yet as a painful new distance opens between the siblings, so too does the veil between the Underground and the nineteenth-century world. Fluctuating between mania and melancholy (Liesl, per the author's note, has bipolar disorder), this historical fantasy overflows with beautiful and terrifying emotions.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) 4-6 Beast & Crown series. Cursed into half-beasts by a ritual, Ji and his friends are gradually becoming even less human. Fleeing the Summer Queen's minions, our heroes make a desperate journey to break the spell before they are sacrificed to empower her fanatical heir. This stirring sequel to Beast & Crown considers weighty questions about morality, conflict, and the measure of one's worth, bolstered by the strong bonds of the heroic quintet.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) YA When her father is imprisoned, fourteen-year-old Lizbet does what any good medieval Christian daughter would do: vows to free him. But in her travels with brown-skinned Strix, a witch who makes things out of broken bits, Lizbet finds herself taking and embodying more liberties than she ever thought possible. Set in an alternate Holy Roman Empire, this is a bewitching old-world fairy tale comprised of picaresque episodic encounters.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) YA Anouk desires more than serving the witch who transformed her from animal to human. When the witch is murdered, Anouk and her fellow beasties have three days to find the killer and the spell to keep them human. Fans of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse should enjoy this complex if somewhat confusing world where goblins rule the underbelly of Paris and magic comes at a cost.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(4) 4-6 Fairy-Tale Matchmaker series. This fourth series entry finds former tooth-fairy-in-training Cory working hard in her new role as matchmaking Cupid. Cory is likable, but other characters are rather flat and their adventures feel disjointed; a protracted scene in which goblins kidnap Cory prior to her mother's wedding seems particularly misplaced. Still, series fans should enjoy this book's ogres, witches, and humorous magic.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(2) 4-6 Color by Alex Campbell and Hilary Sycamore. In pursuit of the ogre who kidnapped his sister Maddy, Jack (Mighty Jack) and his sword-wielding neighbor Lilly travel to a bizarre fantasy world. They are soon separated; Jack discovers that Maddy's life is in grave danger, while Lilly ends up in an arranged marriage to the oppressive Goblin King. Dynamic panel layouts and ever-present sound effects ("CH-CHUNK!" "SPLORT!" "FOOM") convey the nonstop action in this graphic novel.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) YA Nineteen-year-old Elisabeth has abandoned childhood play with the Goblin King in favor of family duty. When his underground kingdom seduces her sister away, Elisabeth must again play his games and discovers an alluring world all her own. This historical fantasy, set in nineteenth-century Germany and written in lush prose, features a young woman's self-actualization through music, passion, and sexual desire.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Beth Bogert. Three goblins torment a town by tangling children's hair. The children, all with challah-related punny names (e.g., Franklin Frenchtoast, Dana Dipitinsoup), work together to trick the goblins and trap them in twisted dough, creating the challah. An author's note discusses challah's connection to Jewish traditions, something the twee narrative doesn't make clear. The pastel-toned illustrations give the story a dreamy, folktale-like look.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) 4-6 Monster Mania series. A wide-range of legendary "monsters" are discussed in this series. Each volume focuses on a specific category and details stories from ancient times up through modern pop culture. Color illustrations and photographs feature various depictions of the creatures. The occasionally crammed paragraphs and hurried texts still provide lots of information for curious readers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Monster Mania titles: Sea Monsters, Beastly Monsters, Magic Monsters, and Undead Monsters.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) 4-6 Boot boy Ji and his friends escape their lives of servitude and attend the Diadem Rite, a mystical ritual to choose the heir to the crown. They survive the ritual but are transformed into creatures and must search for a cure while evading the future king, who wants to complete the sacrifice. The friendships among the central quintet are well developed in this winning fantasy-adventure.

Reviewer: Russell Perry