This was a wonderful story!! Perfect children's book. There was mystery, and a little bit of action. The action was softened and is acceptable for readers 4-8. The plot was good, and easy to follow. The narrator was also very good. My only complaint is her voice for the girl in the beginning seemed to sound younger than the character's. The added sound effects were spot on, and brought another dimension to the story telling. I would recommend this book for kids as young as 4 and through 10. Looking forward to more books by this author!

From Trolls to Sprites, to Elves to Gnomes, this story brings a delightful dose of magic and adventure! I loved it! Children will be drawn into this book from the moment it begins. The lessons learned and adventure to be had will stay with readers long after closing the book. I highly recommend!
** thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you so much to NetGalley and One Elm Books for my audio book copy of The One Great Gnome by Jeff Dinardo Narrated by Simone Stevens in exchange for an honest review. It published January 17, 2021.
This was such a fun, family-friendly audiobook! The narration was very well done, and the sound effects were very neat, and well-placed. This was fast-paced, interesting and unique. Definitely add it to your middle-grade library!

This is a children’s mystical adventure story with Sarah as the main character.

I enjoyed joining her on her journey while she met new friends along the way.

The narrator was well chosen and brought the story to life.

I would definitely read other titles from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in an audiobook version in exchange for an honest review.

That was such an enchanting story to listen to and how much I enjoyed the narrating by Simone Stevens which was quite good.
A beautiful and magical adventure that we all dreamt about as kids or we still wish to open a door and then finding ourselves in another fantastic world where we can meet wonderful creatures such as gnomes or elves and becoming their friend or even their hero.

Moving from your old home in NYC to a new one in the rural Hadley, Connecticut leaving behind your best friend can not be an easy experience for the eleven years old Sarah. She found it so difficult to adjust in such new surroundings but everything changed after a chance meeting with a gnome named Vesper whom she will follow to his enchanted world where she will meet the One Great Gnome and live some captivating adventures.

An amazing middle grade book that you can not not like and find so much pleasure while reading. It is beautifully written with cute characters and a strong little heroine. It's about family, friendship, finding your courage and lessons to learn as it must be expected in such books.

A sweet young girl named Sarah, finds herself in a new home, far from what she is accustomed to- only to find an even more magical world is hers to explore. Full of magic, gnomes, fairies and trolls, Sarah takes a journey that's nearly as big as her heart.

I love that author Jeff Dinardo created this magical, mystical story that is underlined with plenty of real world truth and goodness. The story is engaging for children and adults alike. I found it to be the perfect length too.

In the audiobook version, the story-telling is especially poignant. I loved the voicing of the different characters and the use (but not overuse) of sound effects to draw you in to the story.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I LOVED the audiobook version of this story. There were sound effects, voices and music built into it. I don't usually see this level of effort in an audiobook unless it's Star Wars. It made me happy. I loved the different voices for the different characters. It's a short, fast paced adventure, but the sound effects make this novel fun. Totally recommend the audiobook version because of this.

Sarah moves into a new house - a real fixer upper - with her family. She finds a gnome who winds up being the real deal (as in he's really a gnome and he's really alive). Sarah winds up on an adventure to the underground world of gnomes, trolls and an evil elf with her new friend Vesper on a quest to find his family and find out where all the other gnomes have gone. The gnomes and trolls are sworn enemies, but can the enemy of the enemy become a temporary ally to vanish evil? Tune in to find out.

This novel swirls up through tunnels and kitchens and even dungeons in a quest to find and help the gnomes. Sarah seems to be key in helping restore balance to underground world. The OG and Vesper aide her on her quest. In the end, a little magic is returned to the above ground world.

A cute story for a middle grade child with many good lessons to be learned while imagining the world that could exist under our feet... if we can just find the right door!
Sarah, with the help of her new friend Vesper, was able to find that magical door to a world of gnomes. When she entered the door to start her adventure, I could see myself going along with her. As an adult that was fun, so a child would find it equally exciting!

The first children's book that I have reviewed. It was in audio format and just under 3 hours in length. The sound effects used with the narration added nicely to the story. My rating lost a star due to the narration... I felt that the voice of Vesper was wrong, his voice sounded more like a senior man then a gnome. The over use of "she said", "he said", "Sarah said", etc took away from the story. Maybe if I was reading the story it would not have stood out so much but listening to it made it very obvious.

Thanks to NetGalley and One Elm Books for the opportunity to listen to this wonderful children's story.

This was such a fun book to listen to. I listened to it with my kids and we all were entertained by the story.

I listened to this audiobook, aimed at primary school children, I would have thought, as the heroine is 11 years old. I thought the story was great for that age group, it was simple to follow, with enough fun , magic and mild peril to hold their interest.

I would have given it four stars where it not for some of the strange sound effects that there randomly added to the story, like a crackling fire for example. I thought this a little odd, as the whole skill of an audiobook is to transport you and to get you to use your own imagination, and I felt that these sound effects interrupted that chain of thought, and I found them rather intrusive.

The narration was very good however and kept the story flowing at the right pace. All in all a good and fun book for its target audience.

This was such a cute story! Sarah is a great adventurous character. It was a fun entertaining story! Vesper was a gnome that ended up being a good friend to Sarah. This was a awesome book! I listened to the audio of this book and the narrator was fantastic! Thank you to One Elm Books and Netgalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided the audiobook for review. It was wonderfully crafted for children using all of the old sound makers (a door closing, “landing with a thud”, running, etc.) 5 stars for that alone! The narrator also did a fantastic job with all of the characters. This book is just over 2.5 hours, a perfect length for elementary children. The story kept both my seven-year-old and myself engaged for over an hour each listen!

Such a creative story—a young girl living in a new home, discovers a mystical world below her garden shed. At times, it reminded me of the Lion/Witch/Wardrobe mixed with the The Wizard of Oz, with memorable, creative characters, teaching life lessons, and expressing love and friendship in many forms. I absolutely recommend the story to young readers (and parents!)

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the download/listen and ability to review!

Thank you to NetGalley for an audio ARC of One Great Gnome by Jeff Dinardo.
One Great Gnome is a short, easy-to-read story with memorable characters and a suspenseful plot. Eleven-year-old Sarah has moved to a new town and is missing her friends and her routine. Awaking a garden gnome sets up a series of events leading Sarah into a magical adventure. Jeff Dinardo keeps the story moving, adding unexpected details along the way. This book's audio includes sound effects that enhance the listening experience and add interest for younger listeners.

I have always been a big reader especially when I was a child, trips to the library filled me with delight and my Mum with dread, as she usually had to drag me out kicking and screaming. Thinking back to that time, the books I loved the most involved unlikely friendships, mythical creatures in magical lands and of course a happy ending. This book covers all those things and the narrator is delightful, it really brought the story to life.

We meet eleven year old Sarah who is very sad as she has recently moved from her old home in NYC, has left her friends behind and has to adjust to rural life in Connecticut. Settling is a struggle for her until exploring her new surroundings she ends up in a secret world, surrounded by gnomes and elves and the adventure begins.

This book is beautifully written and I would recommended to it to all children and even my adult friends who still believe in magic.

Thank you to Netgalley and One ELM Books for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

My rating scale
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Absolutely loved it! Gave me a warm fuzzy feeling or made me cry. And took me on an emotional rollercoaster.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Really liked it. Will read more by the author and other books in the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - It was just okay, didn’t move me, but don’t feel like I wasted me time reading it either.
⭐️⭐️ - Didn’t like this book and probably won’t read other in the series.
⭐️ - I did not care for this book at all and feel like I wasted my time reading it

This audiobook with sound effects is a winner for young readers! Narrator Simone Steven’s does a bang up job with the voices of the characters, the pacing, and the tone.

Sarah moves with her parents from Manhattan to a small town in Connecticut. To her surprise and delight she meets a gnome in the garden shed. When she follows him through the portal, she discovers a world filled with trolls, an evil elf, a sprite, and missing gnomes. What’s a girl to do? Save the gnomes from the curse of course!

I would recommend this book to families going on a road trip with young elementary age children. It is not too scary with enough suspense and bits of humor. Moms, Dad, Grandma, or Grandpa won’t hear anyone say, “Are we there yet?”

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

In the same vein as the Brothers Grimm, Dinardo takes the reader into a magical forest of gnomes and trolls. The story revolves around Sarah, a young girl who loves to read, and who has recently moved with her parents from New York City o rural Connecticut. Like Alice or Dorothy, she finds herself in a very different place, a magical place filled with those who will become her new friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. The narrator was good and helped the story to flow. I highly recommend this title for public and elementary/ middle school libraries.

Oh what a joy this was. A great children's books with all the elements of adventure, fun and mystery. Greatly narrated with sound effects. A short one but really nice. I wish I could see the illustrations when listning but in my mind I had a pretty good picture of it all.
Would recommend for adult for their inner child or children who like adventures.

This book was super cute. I mean which child doesn't want to meet a gnome and get sucked into their world? The narrator of this book was great, doing all different voices for the characters.
Alice in Wonderland has always been a favorite of mine and this had slight Alice vibes with Sarah finding her way to the gnome's world, so I knew right away that I would like it. It's very middle grade, there's nothing scary or too complex, but it's still very enjoyable.
It's a very short book, but it had a complete story that got wrapped up perfectly at the end. If you like middle grade, I recommend this one!

4 stars!

It was a cute, fun read! The audiobook narration took the story to the next level.

The One Great Gnome follows the adventures of Sarah and a garden gnome in a land filled with other gnomes, trolls, elves and secret passages.

It had all the elements of children's fantasy novel. Friendship with a mythical creature, traveling to a magical land, a thrilling adventure and saving the day at the end!

The story was wonderfully written and well crafted. It definitely stands out in the already existing pool of childhood fairytales.

Thoughts on audiobook: 5 stars!
I had a great time listening to it and it was a wonderful experience. Different sounds like that of a door closing, clinking of a sword, etc were added for extra effects. The narration was immersive.
I'd definitely recommend trying out the audiobook version!

I'd like to thank One ELM Books and Netgally for providing me a copy of the book.

Like many kids who were forced to move to a new home, Sarah can't help but feel lonely and lost as she explores her new farmhouse and garden far from her familiar apartment in Manhattan. When she happens upon a gnome and a portal in the back of the potting shed, Sarah finds herself with more company than she had bargained for. In a world fraught with gnomes, sprites, elves and trolls, Sarah must find a way to save everyone from a menacing evil and find her way home.
As far as portal fantasy stories go, this one doesn't really stand out to me. I know a few third-graders who would really love it, but it was a bit too simplified for my tastes. It was an enjoyable break from the obnoxiously mature fantasies I've been swamped with lately, but I didn't really connect with the characters, and the world building did not inspire my imagination. Still, if you're a young person looking for a short, happy story about secret portals, magical worlds, unexpected creatures and courage in the face of long-lived prejudice, this is a great way to spend an afternoon.