The Mischief Monster

I always loved Bruce Coville's books when I was a kid so I was very excited when I found these to read to my five year old. I was not disappointed! My son absolutely loved this series and asks me to read them to him over and over again. I love that they are chapter books but are at a low enough reading level that he can follow the story without problems. I don't think it will be long before he can read them on his own either.

Both my kids (6 & 8 years) love this series. They are fun read-a-louds, but short enough that my emerging reader 6-year-old can look forward to tackling these in the next year or so. My older daughters doesn't want to miss out on the silly magical adventures this group of friends go on. One of our favorite new discoveries this year.

Moongobble books have 2nd-3rd grade humor that is clean and witty. Adventure, plot twists, and sufficient pictures to capture young readers. Boys or girls interested in wizardry would like it, even if you prefer avoiding magic of any sort. This wizard is going to get kicked out of the group and the young boy wants to help out. Kindness and perserverence are elevated in the face of disappointment and mocking behaviours without being moralistic. It's cute and your boy won't notice.

The Mischief Monster picks up the story of Moongobble and Edward after the events in The Evil Elves (published in 2004). Moongoble has completed his mighty tasks and is now a full fledged wizard. Alas for him but fortunately for us, this does not mean he is still not turning things into cheese or otherwise miscasting his spells. Edward is working in the garden, lamenting how dull things are since there have been no more adventures and Moongobble doesn't have any customers when a tiny monster shows up, just as Moongobble is turning Urk the toad into a tiny pink cat. Of course our intrepid band must return this little monster to her mother. But where is the Rusty Knight if he is not in his house? Will Urk ever become a toad again? Will Moongobble ever learn to cast a spell? All these questions will be answered! This book shares all the features with its predecessors that make it practically self recommending. My sons (age 7 and 9) got a big kick out of the spells gone wrong and Urk's surly attitude. They very much enjoyed the generous number of Ms. Coville's illustrations. My impression is, however, that this book is really too juvenile for ages 9-12. It is a better bet for age 4-8, particularly if you dislike the violence in Spiderwick or the bad language in the Shluffmuffin saga. For the independent reader of chapter books in 1st-2nd grade it would be great, as it is a very nice hardcover, perfectly sized with a handsome slipcover. Adults should probably do a quick pre-read as there was one word that some might find objectionable (this was also the case in The Evil Elves but it got eidted out of my review). The Mischief Monster leave us with another quest for Moongobble and Edward so there should be at least one more volume in the saga, a good thing since young Moongobble fans are always asking for more.