Goblin Secrets

by William Alexander

Hardcover, 2012

Call number

JF ALE

Publication

Margaret K. McElderry Books (2012), 240 pages

Description

Hoping to find his lost brother, Rownie escapes the home of the witch Graba and joins a troupe of goblins who perform in Zombay, a city where humans are forbidden to wear masks and act in plays.

User reviews

LibraryThing member foggidawn

Rownie is a street urchin, one of several adopted "grandchildren" of Graba, a Fagin-like old woman who unofficially rules the southside of Zombay. Ever since Rownie's big brother Rowan disappeared, he's been sticking with Graba in hopes that she will be able to locate Rowan. Rownie eventually falls

in with a group of goblins who run a traveling theatrical troupe -- Rowan was an aspiring actor, even though acting is illegal in Zombay, so perhaps Rownie will be able to locate his brother in that world. Many adventures ensue as Rownie tries to evade Graba's clutches and locate his brother, all in the face of rising floods that threaten to destroy Zombay and all who live there.

So, this book has magic, goblins, theatre, steampunk (some characters have gearwork limbs or organs), and adventure. It sounds like just my sort of thing, but none of it is ever described fully, and some elements just don't make a lot of sense. There's plenty of action, but the backstory suffers in favor of chase scenes and confrontations. This may make it more appealing to reluctant readers, but I felt like there wasn't anything there to sink my teeth into, though with a little more space devoted to description, there could have been.

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LibraryThing member The_Hibernator

Rownie is one of a flock of orphans under the "care" of Graba, a chicken-legged house-moving witch. His life revolves around running errands for Graba while scrounging enough food to live. When a troupe of goblins come to town, Rownie risks imprisonment by the guard and (worse) the wrath of Graba

to see the play. He has soon joined leagues with the goblins in hopes of discovering more about the disappearance of his brother Rowan. Graba is very pissed off. This was a really cute book with a mixture of fairy tale, steam-punk, and Oliver Twist. But the execution wasn't as great as I'd hoped. I took a long time getting into the book...I felt like I should be enjoying it, but just couldn't concentrate. After I got used to the world, language, and characters, though, I enjoyed it a lot more. In the end, it was a good book, but it had potential to deliver more.

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LibraryThing member delphica

This was ... perfectly fine? Fantasy story about a city that outlaws actors but has a loophole for goblin theater troupes, and there's sort of a gearworks thing (steampunk for the middle reader set?) going on, and some intriguing comments about coal, which in the world of this book is apparently

manufactured from human hearts. I liked that it took itself fairly earnestly -- there wasn't anything too exaggerated or hyperbolic about it, which was a relief.

It's one of those books that is billed as the first in a series, and I will probably forget about it before the second one ever comes out. If I came across the second one, I wouldn't be opposed to picking it up, exactly, but I might not recognize it, either.

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LibraryThing member Phill242

The first in a series, this steampunk novel for kids takes place in one town. Rownie and other abandoned orphans encounter a goblin troupe and a grandmother a-la Baba Yaga.

LibraryThing member Inky_Fingers

Awesome book! I love everything about it. I love the simplicity of the language, and the weirdness of it, the author is always giving us something that we've never heard of before -- fish that live in sand, a mask that is the river, saying hello with a pebble -- a truly fantastic fantasy. The

villain is incredibly creepy and the heroes are all very individual. I reacted differently from other readers in that I kind of liked the pace at which information is revealed -- very slowly, so there is always another mystery pulling you through the book. I guess I found it refreshing. There are so many books that get bogged down in too many explanations. I really didn't want it to end.

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LibraryThing member scote23

Hmmm. I'm not really sure why this was picked as the National Book Award winner this year. I liked it better than "Endangered" but "Never Fall Down" was more powerful. I'll have to see how I feel after I read the other two.

LibraryThing member bp0128bd

The first in a series, this steampunk novel for kids takes place in one town. Rownie and other abandoned orphans encounter a goblin troupe and a grandmother a-la Baba Yaga.

LibraryThing member lillibrary

Listened to the audiobook read by the author and enjoyed it a lot. Like the most beloved stories in children's literature, this one centers on an ordinary child who has an extraordinary adventure and discovers something important about himself. Listening to this story made me feel as if this were a

book that was written long ago--it had the language and pacing of an old classic. I don't know how that translates on the page for the reader, but as a listener, I found it quite appealing. Filled with theatrical goblins, a mechanical legged witch, and a motley assortment of street children and suspicious pigeons, here is a book where horrible secrets are slowly revealed and a town's safety depends on finding a lost brother.

Highly atmospheric, this would be a great story to listen to at night, under the stars.

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LibraryThing member St.CroixSue

Dark, tragic, sad.

LibraryThing member MontzaleeW

Goblin Secrets (Zombay #1) by William Alexander is a interesting steampunk fantasy book for kids. I don't find many fantasy that mixes goblins and steampunk and this worked great. A fresh mix. Good plot, great characters, interesting story all around. The best of both worlds mixed and mashed into

something really special in this magical world. Loved it. I got this from the library.

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