Primary Genre(s): Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Holiday
Published: 20 October 2020
Page count: 232
My Format: eBook
Cover: Adorable
Pacing: Great
Ending: Satisfying
Do I Recommend: Yes
Commission Link (U.S.): Buy Gobbledly
My rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis
From the Award-Winning Novelist Lis Anna-Langston comes a new fun-filled holiday story that adds up to two brothers, three friends, unlimited jars of peanut butter, a ketchup factory, & one little alien far, far from home.
Ever since eleven-year-old Dexter Duckworth and his brother, Dougal, lost their mom, everything has been different. But “different” takes on a whole new meaning when, one day just before Christmas (or Kissmas, as they call it), Dexter finds a golden rock in the forest that hatches into an adorable alien. Gobbledy is smarter than he seems and is lost on planet Earth. Before long, Gobbledy takes Dexter, Dougal, and their best friend Fi on an adventure of friendship, family, and loss—one that requires them all to stay out of trouble, protect Gobbledy from a shadowy group called the Planetary Society, and prepare for their school’s Winter Extravaganza Play, where Dexter has to be a dreaded Gingerbread Man.
My Thoughts
I was invited to read this book and participate in the Book Tour by the wonderful ladies at TheBookReviewCrew.com who are hosting this tour for the author. I am so happy to I chose to participate! This is an adorable and entertaining story! Here are my pros and cons for Gobbledy:
Pros
- Two young boys are in the midst of their first Christmas since their mother died. They, along with their Dad, are struggling to adapt without mom’s presence, help, and holiday spirit. I thought the topic of death was handled very well considering the audience for the book. There were certainly poignant moments within the story when the boys and their Dad were missing mom, but there were also a lot of happy moments for balance. The mourning is there, but it never gets morose or depressing.
- Gobbledy is a very creative creature! He is a silly, mischievous, and very hungry alien who found himself smack dab in the middle of a surburban attic! Kids will absolutely adore Gobbledy’s antics and they will be shocked by what and how much he eats!
- The brothers and their next-door neighbor Fiona were delightful. I enjoyed how much they worked together, looked out for each other, and how smart and curious they were. Their friendship is awesome.
- The Dad is really special. I absolutely loved him. Here we have a man struggling to work full-time and raise two young, precocious boys and really not doing a very good job of it at the beginning of the story. Parenting alone is hard and adding grief to the equation just intensifies the stress! But Dad really evolves in the story and he learns how to communicate with his sons and that makes all the difference in the world. I really appreciate middle grade books that portray parents as loving and caring, even when they are stressed and overwhelmed.
- Two scenes actually made me tear up a little bit! No spoilers but one scene between Dad and the boys was particularly heartfelt, and a scene with Gobbedly and his rocks was pretty heartbreaking. I expected this story to be funny (and it is!), but it also has a lot more depth and emotion than I anticipated.
- I wonder if Dad (who works at a ketchup factory) ever figured out how to keep the red and green Christmas ketchup from turning brown! 🙂
Cons
- None. It is just too awesome for cons!
Summary
I truly enjoyed this book. I expected a cute, humorous, holiday story and this book is definitely all of those things! I didn’t expect the heartfelt and hopeful side of the story, but I’m glad it was there because it gave the book an amazing depth. It was kind of unputdownable to be honest – I finished it in one sitting!
You will definitely laugh and you may actually cry… but I’m 100% confident that kids and parents alike will enjoy this book.
Be sure to read below for information about the author, where to buy a copy, where to read other reviews on this book tour, and a giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy and a $50 gift card!
Thank you Lis Anna-Langston and The Book Review Crew for providing copy of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. I was honored to be a part of this book tour!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lis Anna-Langston is a 2020 NYC Big Book Award winner, a Parents’ Choice Gold Book Award winner, a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award winner and the Dante Rossetti First Place Award winner for YA Fiction. She is the author of Tupelo Honey, Skinny Dipping in a Dirty Pond and the short story collection, The End of the Century. Born in the South she loves writing about misfits, screw ups, outlaws and people who generally don’t fit into nicely labeled boxes. She loves zany, wild rides and is the recipient of many awards including; a two time Pushcart nominee, a five time WorldFest winner, Telluride IndieFest winner, Helene Wurlitzer Grant recipient, New Century Writers winner, a finalist in the prestigious William Faulkner Competition, & Second Place Winner of the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Award. She writes Young Adult, New Adult and Middle Grade novels and loves every second of it.
Her fiction has been published in Word Riot, The Blotter, Petigru Review, Hot Metal Press, The Smoking Poet, Eclectic Flash Literary Journal, Paper Skin Glass Bones, 491 Magazine, Fiction Fix, The Monarch Review, 5×5 Literary Magazine, Red Booth Review, Hint Fiction Anthology, Chamber Four Literary Magazine, Emyrs Journal, Literary Laundry, Barely South Review, Flash Fiction Offensive, Flashquake Literary Journal, Steel Toe Review, Cactus Heart Press, Empty Sink Publishing, Prick of the Spindle Literary Review, Per Contra, Storyacious, Gravel Literary, Bedlam Publishing, The Merrimack Review, Vine Leaves Literary Journal, Kaaterskill Basin Journal, Sand Hill Review, Conclave. Milk Journal and The MacGuffin Literary Review.
She is a punk rock Harper Lee word ninja who loves fast moving rivers, improvisational French gourmet cooking, wild encounters with great films and the sounds of chinchillas dreaming.
Author Links
website: Lis Anna-Langston
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lis.anna.langston/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8333600.Lis_Anna_Langston
BOOK LINKS
Book links: GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNESANDNOBLE | AUTHOR
BOOK TOUR DATES AND OTHER REVIEWS
“Hugely entertaining as well as emotionally moving.”
―Kirkus Reviews
“The Wonder Years meets A Christmas Story meets E.T. in this magical novel with dialogue that snaps, crackles, and pops and a narrative that skips, jumps, and hops from one delightful surprise after the other. Yet beneath the magic and fun there is an undercurrent of sorrow and loss each character is trying to move through, for this will be the first Kissmas without Dexter and D-man’s beloved mother. How these characters–and their furry little alien sidekick–navigate this strange and complicated time in their lives will amaze and inspire you. Young adults and old adults alike will love the adventures that await inside these pages.”
―Cathy Smith Bowers, former Poet Laureate of North Carolina, and South Carolina Author’s Hall of Fame Inductee
“Gobbledy is a novel for the ages. If I were you, I’d gather the family and read it together.”
―My Bookish Bliss
“A delightfully entertaining novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that will fully engage the imaginative attention of appreciative young readers ages 8-11, Gobbledy by Lis Anna-Langston . . . will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to elementary school, middle school, and community library collections.”
―Midwest Book Review
“In Gobbledy, Lis Anna-Langston offers her readers a sparkling novel of discovery, adventure, and the abiding consolation of friendship . . . Eleven-year-old protagonist Dexter’s progress from bumbling troublemaker to triumphant (but still bumbling) hero is sweet, utterly convincing, and thoroughly engaging. This novel’s generous heart won me over from the get-go.”
―John Gregory Brown, acclaimed author of A Thousand Miles from Nowhere
“In my opinion, Gobbledy is not only a story for grade school readers but also a story for the whole family. I think this is an excellent story to read aloud to children as well, especially during the Holidays. I felt the structure of the story, the remarkably interesting characters, and the warm-hearted events created by this brilliant author were exceptional. I thought this clever author developed the magical Gobbledy character and the other characters very well, showing a plethora of emotions, and I believe that overall, the story teaches a young reader good values, trust, and strong character traits.”
―Bruce Miller, founder of Team Golfwell blog
GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY GIVEAWAY
Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a $50 gift card and a signed copy of Gobbledy! The giveaway ends December 16, 2020.
CLICK HERE ——-> Gobbledy Rafflecopter Giveaway
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(image from Goodreads)
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KayCKay Book Reviews 
It sounds like an adorable book! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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