The Naughty Nork

This is the fourth in the series, and like another reviewer, I would recommend that you read the other books before this one. But its not all that confusing though its definitely not a stand alone like some books in his other series are. I read most of the stuff my eight year old does, and this is a satisfying evening for him. Its perfect to read through in one sitting in a few hours for him. I loved the way the story unfolds, and the cute characters each with their own quirks, and so did my son.

I read this book myself and then had my 6 year old daughter read it. She is learning how to read longer books and I felt this book would be a challange. It is over 100 pages and it has minimal artwork, all black and white. The story revolves around Oggledy Nork. Oggledy is a large monster with a curse on him. He is befriended by the book's hero, Edward and Moongobble, a wizard of sorts. The book is geared toward 9 to 12 year olds, but after reading it, I thought it was entertaining enough for my six year old Kyleigh (almost 7) to give it a try. She picked it up and could not put it down. She read through it and afterward gave me her insight. From her perspective, it is a fantasy story filed with magic and spells. During their travels to remove the curse from Oggledy, this group encounters others who have spells on them. She enjoyed the ending which has a little twist and helps young readers understand a little about life. I felt the story is simple enough for a 6 year old to enjoy, whole the book is written with enough detail to keep an 11 or 12 year old interested as well. Based on this "fun story" Kyleigh wants to read more from the "Moongobble and Me" series, and I agree. This is a great book to help a 6 or 7 year old ready to take the leap to longer story books.

This book is absolutely delightful and just what I expected from Bruce Coville. My daughters loved his books when they were in grade school and now I'm sure my granddaughters will also fall in love with them. I would say that this story is good for grade 2 and up. Easy to read and interesting storyline will keep your child entertained from beginning to end. A must buy book and it would certainly be great in the Easter Basket.

I admit it. I haven't read the earlier books in the Moongobble and Me series, having just received The Naughty Nork in the mail through the Vine program. I requested this book because of the interesting title and the lovely cover art, not such an unusual act for me since the time I was actually of the age of the target audience of this story. While the story may seem complex to some, it is well-written and unexpectedly humorous at times. The dialogue flows fast and lively from various silly characters and keeps young (and old) readers entertained until the denouement.

The main characters in the story are Edward, Moongobble the magician who walks around with mice in his hat, Oggledy Nork the ugly lumbering monster who is actually quite sweet, Urk the talking toad, Fireball the dragonfly, Snelly the female Mischief Monster and Susan, the ugly witch of the forest. There is an ancient spell on Oggledy Nork which has made him ugly and monstrous looking. Edward and his friends decide to go on a great adventure to try and remove the curse on him. It is quite hilarious watching Moongobble try to cast a spell since all his spells seem to end up in cheese. He must try to make Oggledy Nork look like something besides a monster since he can't go with them looking as he is. Since a spell has been cast on him already, Moongobble finds it impossible to do anything now. They enlist the help of Edward's mother who disguises him as a very ugly old woman. Once they reach Flitwick City they find that the old witch of the forest was the one to cast the spell. She tells them she will only uncast the spell if they will go deep into the forest and find the toad who put a spell on her years before. They find the toad but he won't play along. As they leave the magic eater follows them. In the meantime the old witch has become quite fond of Oggledy Nork and wants to keep him. The magic eater starts eating the magic spells around it and the old woman turns into a younger version who is also still fond of the Nork who has also changed into a handsome man. So all ends well. There are quite a few funny sections of story and it moves along rapidly. One of the funniest was when Moongobble had to put a bubble of silence around the Nork because his loud snoring was keeping everyone awake in the forest. Snelly burst his bubble when it started turning a horrible color. The sound was like thunder when it released and the smell was too obnoxious to mention. Also the ugly little mischief maker was turned into a beautiful young girl. This bothered her so much, she fussed the whole trip. Lots of humor in this little fantasy. There are illustrations throughout (not in color) that are also neat to look at. A chapter book for younger readers.