The Not-So-Goblin Boy by Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 978 1 921720 15 4.
(Age: 10+) The Not-So-Goblin Boy is well and truly aimed at
kids but especially boys! As an adult, I kept thinking 'eww' and
'gross' as I read the story of Samuel, the only human in a goblin
world, because of all the talk about farts. How do goblins greet
each other? They fart! How to they rob each other? They fart! What
are they most proud of? Their farts! Goblins are also expected to be
sneaky, lie and are generally gross. Unfortunately for me, the more
I read it, the more I enjoyed it and started giggling at the
different events and comments.
As the only human in this world, Samuel struggles to prove himself
as a good goblin and make his parents proud. He uncovers secrets
about his parents and is 'kidnapped' by goblin pirates. All of a
sudden, he is facing a future where he can actually be himself - a
human - in a dangerous goblin world whose leader is called The Grand
Stinker. He is enlisted to help find out who is the spy in the
Goblin World but will they be able to uncover the truth in time?
Boys aged 10+ will thoroughly enjoy the 'grossness' that is the
world of goblins but the author (a young Indigenous author,
excellent for our children to be exposed to) has also managed to
create a whole new world with some amazing inventions. One of the
ways to prove yourself a good goblin is to invent crazy machines
like goggles that detect radiation, bracelets that make you teleport
and the fart forcer that makes anyone you point at, fart
uncontrollably (of course)!
Kylie Kempster