I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just didn't like this one at all. The pictures were bright and colorful. I just thought the little goblin was kind of creepy.

I always struggle with roughly drawn children's stories. While I didn't mind the story itself I don't think I would pay for this book. I wasn't thrilled with the style as a kid myself and I find my own kids are not interested in them as they are more refined illustrations.

This book was not what I was expecting. I am glad I pre-read books before reading them to my grandchildren. The idea of this book seems to be that we have to control "the goblin inside ourselves". First thing that bothered me was that the character was in Pre-Kindergarten, but the illustrations made him look like he was a pre-teen. Whenever Patrick did something inappropriate, he blamed the goblin, never taking responsibility. He had consequences, but they did not seem to have the desired outcome. I am sorry, but I definitely do not recommend this one at all.

I liked the story okay. It didn't really grab me, though. I'm sure the kids will enjoy the little boy's misbehaviour, but it doesn't seem to lead anywhere. I wasn't excited by the illustrations either. They were certainly better than I could do myself, but they just had an amateur sort of feeling to them.

The Goblin Goes to School
by Sara Daniell, illustrated by Alli Kappen
I read this book to my 4 year old daughter. Neither of us liked it ! The story did not flow good at all and seemed all over the place. The front cover shows a boy getting on a bus. But there is not a bus anywhere in the story. He is home then poof he is at school. No going to and from And omg the illustrations at some times look like and adult while others look like a much older kid!! They definitely don't look like a pre school kid . I also did not like the message this story sends. Patrick behaves badly and says that he's behaving badly. Then he blames his
bad behaviour on the Goblin. It's not ok to behave bad and then blame your actions on others I do not recommend getting this book. Many thanks to the Publisher , the Author , and NetGalley for a ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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I think I understand what the author was trying to accomplish here. The premise isn't bad. Unfortunately, the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

First of all, the synopsis is entirely misleading. The illustration on the cover is the only indication of the Goblin sneaking to school. In the actual story, Patrick and the Goblin are at home, and then they're suddenly both at school. The other part of the synopsis that doesn't make sense is about Patrick and his friends teaching the Goblin a lesson. That doesn't happen. In fact, Patrick is such a brat that he doesn't have any friends. The only resolution to the Goblin storyline is at the end when Patrick decides to leave his terrible friend at home the next day (as if that will suddenly turn him into a child with perfect behaviour).

The problem is that the book isn't quite sure of how to get its message across. I was reminded a little bit of Sam's Pet Temper by Sangeeta Bhadra, in which a little boy blames his outbursts on a pet temper that followed him home one day. That same idea might have worked here, except for one thing: Patrick behaves badly--and states that he's behaving badly--and then blames the behaviour on the Goblin. There's no metaphor and it's not subtle... and so Patrick comes across as a child who has major behavioural issues.

I'm also not a fan of the way the reader is expected to understand phrases like, "My teacher got mad and made me move my clip to yellow." This is obviously referring to some sort of behavioural chart, but not every school is going to use the same system (and I'm still not sure what the "clip" refers to, since there's nothing that looks like a clip in the illustrations).

As for the illustrations... Let's just say I'm not a fan. The first time we see Patrick, he looks like a teenager. One of his classmates actually looks like an adult male. But... these kids are supposedly in preschool! (I still can't wrap my brain around that. Do preschool kids usually get on a bus by themselves? Also, if this is his first day, as the synopsis suggests, you'd think someone would've explained the rules before meting out the discipline.)

Overall, this is a valiant effort, but it doesn't quite work for me. If a child has the emotional maturity to realize that he should leave the Goblin at home, why is he acting out in the first place? It just doesn't make a lot of sense.