This was a fun, engaging middle grade book. I liked the writing, and it was an interesting story. I would definitely recommend for middle grade readers.

An adventurous book to be sure! My son and I loved reading this book and feeling as though we were right there in the story! I recommend Gregory and the Grimbockle to any child or adult who feels the need for adventure.

A funny middle grade read with a few illustrations to enhance the story. I would love to meet a Grimbockle now! A great adventure filled with magic and secrets.

YES! Another new book from the folks over at NetGalley! When I saw this book over at NetGalley, I just had to pick this beauty up as soon as possible! “Gregory and the Grimbockle” is a children’s book that is written by Melanie Schubert along with artwork by Abigail Kraft and it is definitely one fantasy read that children should check out!

SUMMARY

Gregory is a ten-year-old boy who does not have many friends and his family often ignores him whenever he is home. But, probably the biggest sore spot about Gregory is that he has a large mole on his face that everyone keeps picking at, despite the fact that it causes him great painOne night however, Gregory’s enormous mole suddenly opens up and out stepped a Grimbockle who has a cockroach steed and it was then that the Grimbockle tells Gregory about his job in collecting thread like creatures called Exoodles that appear on human beings and repair them whenever they are damaged. Gregory then wanted to help the Grimbockle with his duties and the two of them go on a wild adventure to fix all the exoodles on humans before it is too late!

PROS

Wow! Just wow! I never would have thought that I would be able to read a children’s book that is so full of imagination and adventure that it wounded up being one of the most unique books I had read for this year! Melanie Schubert has done an excellent job at writing this book as the writing is both witty and exciting to read through. I loved the way that Melanie Schubert used various phrases like “Grimbockle” and “Exoodles” to explain the bizarre world that the Grimbockle lives in as it reminded me of the wacky phrases used in books that are written by Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl. I also loved the way that Melanie Schubert had written Gregory as being an all loving hero who only wants to help the people he cares about and I like the fact that this story is set up as a coming of age story for Gregory himself as he learns to show compassion towards people, even towards people that treat him badly. The mysterious world of the Bockles was so magical and imaginative that I found myself fawning over the small world of the Bockles and how they are able to see the mysterious exoodles when no one else can! Abigail Kraft’s artwork is highly creative and detailed, especially of the images of Gregory himself as his facial expressions are usually drawn in an exaggerated way and yet, I have always loved the surprised look on his face as it reflects the bizarre situation he is thrown into quite well. I also loved the images of the Bockles themselves as they are portrayed as small purple creatures who have large eyes and have some features that make them look like little elves.

CONS

Parents should know that there is some scary imagery in this book, which mainly consist of images of the dark exoodles, which are black worm like things that pop out of people’s heads. This may cause some small children to be terrified about the possibility of having strange worm like creatures in their heads, even though this book is purely fictional (yuck, even that makes me feel nauseous typing this down). Parents might want to read this book first to see if their children can handle the scary imagery in this book.

OVERALL

Overall, “Gregory and the Grimbockle” is a fantastic fantasy adventure for children both young and old! I would recommend this book to children ages 7 and up due to some of the scary imagery.

There are moments in your life when you wish you can do/read/watch x-thing again for the first time, just to relive the magic. This book does that for me. Gregory is that exact kind of outcast that you feel sorry for. Watching him come into his own is beautiful.

The soundtrack adds perfectly to the fantastical world of the Bockles on their journey to fix the humans (Lord knows we need fixing). If only it were really that easy in real life, am I right?

For fans of Terry Pratchett and Madeleine L'Engle.

My initial thought on looking at the illustrations throughout this book was, “man, this is going to be a fun book! I wonder what it’s about? That little purple character looks quite impish.”

Gregory has “ an enormous oddly shaped mole above his top lip... like a great big dripping of chocolate that had melted down a table in the sun.” People are always trying to wipe it off. One night the “grumpy old women who lived down his street” basically tries to tear it off his face. Poor kid. Gregory is miserable. Later that night, something miraculous happens. Gregory meets a Bockle named Grim.

Gregory and the Grimbockle geared for 8 to 12 year olds is not only fun with its theme of out-of-this-worldly characters, but also has a good value driven message. Who wants to have weakened “Exoodle threads”? No “hoo-man” that’s for sure. The illustrations are hand sketched in a comforting quality, as if you are creating your own journal with a black graphite pencil on white pages. The two page spreads are impactful additions that help point out the focus for the upcoming chapter.

A book of 194 pages is nothing to sneeze at for an 8 year old, but it doesn’t seem overwhelming, nor complex for that age level. I think it is because the story is so full of great antics. Twelve year olds won’t think this book is simple either, because as I said before, the value driven message will more than likely affect them the most. Especially as they are stepping into their teen years and their “Exoodle threads” may or may not become thinner in regards to some relationships they might be moving away from. Even this adult found profound the message of the story. It made me pick up the phone and call my parents.

As the impish and dutiful worker, Grimbockle the repairer of the “Exoodle threads” shows you the ins and outs of his job, you fall more and more in love with him. He is adorable with his purple skin, red clothes and wavy hair. What an endearing creature Melanie Schubert has created.

Gregory and the Grimbockle has an accompanying soundtrack that helped make this book almost cinematic. I enjoyed the background music with its quiet lulls and dramatic rises while reading the book. Jared Kraft’s music compliments the feel of Ms. Schubert’s book and Abigail Kraft’s illustrations.

Ms. Schubert’s writing style reminds me of Neil Gaiman’s Unfortunately The Milk, in it’s creativity and the fun adventure you happen to experience while reading Gregory and The Grimbockle. Her story lets us step into a world, like Alice going through the Looking Glass, of human compassion, the importance of human relationships and most importantly does it all with an imagination that only a child or someone with a child-like imagination will appreciate.

I give this book 5 stars for it’s creativity, value driven message and the cinematic quality of the book’s sound track.

I recommend you give Gregory and the Grimbockle to your favorite 8 to 12 year old for Christmas.

There’s nothing adults want to do more than to wipe the smudge below 10 year old Gregory’s left nostril, but it’s not a smudge at all. It’s actually a mole and is about the only extraordinary thing about Gregory, who has hardly any friends and quite tenuous relationships with his mother, father and older sister, Marjory. That is, until the night he meets Grimbockle, a Bockle, riding his trusty steed cockroach, and his life is never the same.

Bockles fix the invisible (to hoo-mans) threads that connect people called exoodles. When relationships are strong then so are their exoodles. When they’re not, exoodles get thinner and fray. Grimbockle is on the maintenance team and through the course of the book Gregory’s eyes are opened in a way no human has ever experienced before.

Children will really enjoy the friendship between Gregory and Grimbockle and their expeditions on the Exoodle Expressway to fix exoodles. The various paint buckets that Grimbockle uses throughout the book reminded me of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Melanie Schubert has almost certainly been a big fan of Roald Dahl growing up.

The quirky way the Bockles speak almost felt as though I was listening to Dahl’s BFG. I found some of their speech annoying, mostly the constant use of “I is”. If I wasn’t as familiar with the language Roald Dahl used I probably would have found it cute but each time I read “hoo-mans” I kept hearing the BFG calling Sophie a “human bean”, and anything that reminds me of Mr Dahl is never going to be able to compete. I know it’s not a fair playing field but no one will ever be able to out-Dahl Roald for me.

I loved the message of the exoodles and I really loved that children are empowered in this book. They’re taught that there are things they can do to improve the quality of the exoodles in their own lives. For both children and adults I felt the image of threads that grow stronger or weaker with our actions was powerful and memorable.

During the reading of this book I had a slump and was having trouble concentrating for a few days. Today after a hug and some kind words from a friend I could visualise my exoodles getting stronger and afterwards I was able to concentrate again and finish this book. It seems appropriate that this is the book I was reading when this happened.

It has me thinking about my own exoodles, which ones need fixing and what I can do to help mend them. I expect any reader will feel the same and while it sounds so simple, a smile, a hug, a note or some kind words really can make the world of difference.

My favourite character in this book was Gregory’s neighbour, old Ethel, whose mission in life seems to be pouncing in front of him as he walks past and trying to pull the mole off his face. I really liked Abigail Kraft’s illustrations. While the description of the Bockles was lovely to read, Abigail’s illustrations brought them to life in a lighthearted way. This book even has its own soundtrack by Jared Kraft that you can download.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley, New Wrinkle Publishing and Independent Book Publishers Association for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback.

I thought this book was absolutely adorable! It was well written and the way the characters (the bockles) were written just made me love them all the more. The way the author "disguised" what the moral of the story was very ingenious in my opinion. It's a hard thing to do well but I think that the author achieved a good balance, especially for the target age range. I will be recommending this book for my nieces and nephews as it's also just a very cute read overall.