The art was vibrant and cute. The story was very heartwarming and I loved the characters. I liked the mix of magic and the very real issues of friendship and family and finding your way.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Nell of Gumbling was charming tale of self-discovery. Nell must overcome obstacles and face her own insecurities and how those feelings can effect her relationships with friends. It's beautifully illustrated and tells an important tale that will be enjoyable for many readers both young and old.

This is a cute graphic novel and young readers will definitely like it, especially if they like other Emma Steinkellner books. I think this comic style is not my favorite, it felt a little cluttered and hard to follow. But I also struggled to get really invested in the story.

A fun graphic novel with humor and a fairly original plot. Not exceptional but enjoyable. Great for middle schoolers who enjoy fantasy graphic novels.

I love Emma’s graphic novels so much! I think going into this is really important to note that this feels more like a middle grade chapter book than a graphic novel. It felt similar to Amelia’s notebook that I used to read back in the day. I love the illustrations and would have loved more of them. It was fun to see the magical side of things and I think most kids would enjoy this one.

Gumbling may be a magical place full of fairies, pixies, and other fantasy beings, but it's also surprisingly normal. Nell and her friends deal with bullies and unrealistic expectations. They have dreams for their futures and face challenges in the way of societal requirements. They are jealous and petty at times, say cruel things when they are upset. In other words, they are normal kids. They aren't perfect. They make bad choices. But they ultimately recognize where they've gone wrong and find their way towards fixing it. The plot here is inventive in the specifics but relatable in the broad strokes. There's enough humor to keep it from becoming heavy. A solid read for a middle grade audience.

While I enjoyed the art and concept, the first part of the book just dragged for me. I can see the appeal with all the diagrams and world-building, but unfortunately I was unable to engage with the story.

Nell of Gumbling is a fun and delightful journey in the year of Nell and her determination to be the best artist despite a rough start. The character and world development was fun and exciting and led me to the next oage throughout the entire book. I loved Nell's character and her motley crew]. He determination to save her town was a fun and unexpected twist of sorts. I also really enjoyed the joyful illustrations and vividness of colors; it lended to the joy of Nell and her cohorts in her world. Just a fun and joyful experience to read!

Based on the cover and Emma's previous work, I thought this would be a true graphic novel, but it's actually quite word-dense, like even more than Wimpy Kid. This would be great for parents who want to buy a graphic novel that their kid won't be able to finish in an hour. The world-building is fun. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

Every day may not be magical to you but for Nell, she is surrounded by magic and magical creatures. Until one day a pair of siblings want to take the magic out of Gumbling. Nell of Gumbling is a fantastic story about friendship, belonging, and finding what you are good at. Nell is enduring and relatable, the side characters have depth and their own personalities that add to the richness of the plot. This is an excellent book for struggling readers and mythical creature lovers.

Netgalley license expired about 30% of the way through. I was enjoying this! Loved the queer rep and the well detailed character descriptions. Would have loved to see the rest of Nell’s journey through her apprenticeship, I have a feeling it was all going to turn out well in the end.

When a dastardly duo of would-be developers threaten to commercialize the enchanted world she lives in, it's up to Nell and a few of her magical pals to save the day. A fun tale told through a mix of diary and graphic novel format that shows kids getting involved, putting aside differences, and working together for a common goal. A great read for the middle-school set.

Growing up in Gumbling is not the fairytale it may appear to be to outsiders. However, Nell Starkeeper and her friends love their home and can’t imagine ever leaving. Everything is about to change now that some strangers claiming to be directly related to the last king of Gumbling have arrived. They want to put everyone out of business, evict many people who call Gumbling home, and turn it into a big fancy resort and theme park. Nell and her friends must put their heads together and find a way to save Gumbling or watch everything they’ve ever known be destroyed by two money hungry strangers.

I’m a big fan of Emma Steinkellner work, so I was extremely excited when I learned they had a new book coming out. We follow Nell, a 12-year-old artist, right as she’s about to start her seventh grade apprenticeship. What began as excitement turns to absolute disappointment when she’s matched with Mrs. Birdneck down in the dungeons working on the town archives instead of her idol, Wiz Bravo, a well-known artist. At least she has her best friend, Myra… until they reach their first big friendship hurdle!

This book is absolutely wonderful. I love that it teaches its target readers anything from figuring out friendship woes to dealing with people and classes they don’t like or don’t care about. Nell is bored by the archives and dislikes Mrs. Birdneck as much as Mrs. Birdneck dislikes her, but learns to accept her fate. She even learns how to connect with both Mrs. Birdneck and the archives she thought she hated! I really like that we also learned some of Mrs. Birdneck’s backstory, which really puts things into perspective for Nell and readers.

Speaking of friendships, Nell’s group of friends are such cool characters. Myra and Gil are her core friends, but she experiences her first big friendship hiccup with Myra when they find themselves at odds with each other. I love that we’re shown the two of them dealing with their problems in a healthy manner as well as seeing how friendships don’t always require one to be connected at the hip. We also see Nell make friends with characters she previously disliked or was jealous of, and we learn there’s more to meet the eye, which is another important lesson for readers.

Gumbling is such a vibrant world and the artwork really brings it to life. The story is presented as Mell’s journal that combines her art with her journal entries. It’s such a fun way to bring the story to life, but it’s also fast paced enough to keep its target audience (middle graders) entertained. I think this is an absolutely wonderful story and I look forward to seeing what Steinkellner publishes next.

Rating:4.5/5 or 8.43/10

Overall, Nell of Gumbling was an enjoyable Middle-Grade Fantasy read.

Characters-8

One of the best things about Nell of Gumbling was the characters. I loved the characters and how diverse and different they were. Nell had an interesting family dynamic with her two dads, and I loved their little family. There was also the edition of her sister’s duck which added a fun dynamic. Myra was Nell’s best friend, and she was my favorite character because she was a fairy. Gilligan was an interesting character because he was small and similar to a fairy, and lived in a tree stump. Violet was fun because of the journey she went on through the book, and I’ve always loved horses and music. No matter what you’re looking for, you’re sure to find a character that you enjoy in this book.

Atmosphere-9

Gumbling was an interesting place to read about, and I loved seeing how the world was built. The map at the front of the book was helpful because it shows you all the locations, so you can see how far things are from one another. The locations and atmosphere in the book were typical for a fantasy, a school for the kids, a community center, an inn, and a theater, but it was interesting to see how the world flowed with the story.

Plot-9

Nell of Gumbling had an interesting story because the kids in Nell’s class do an apprenticeship, and have a mentor for school credit. As an artist, Nell knew who she wanted to be her mentor, but her teacher had other plans. Nell learns to love Lore Keeping and ends up using her skill set. Nell of Gumblig was also a journey of self-discovery, and Nell found out about herself, her town, and her purpose.

Writing-8

Diary entries were a great way to tell this story. As a reader, I was learning about what was going on in Nell’s head, and how she felt about certain situations. You also saw the story as it was unfolding, from someone who was experiencing it for the first time. Adding the input from her friends so the reader knows about how they feel as well added to the overall reading experience.

Art-9

As a graphic novel, Nell of Gumbling was also told through art. I loved the art style in the book, and I thought it added to the overall story. I loved the color pallet used in the book.

Nell Starkeeper is your typical 7th grader living in a fantasy world, her best friend is a fairy, the community center is a castle and she is excited for her upcoming apprenticeship placement. She feels like everything goes wrong for her when she isn't placed with the artist of her dreams, but the town archivist. Bummer. What with new greedy developers in town and dealing with school mean girls, Nell has a lot on her plate, but when her bestie seems to have a new best friend what can Nell do?!
I adored this graphic! It's very different from the previous series that Emma Steinkellner has done, but her trademark amazing facial expressions and humor are still so great. Nell of Grumbling is written in a diary entry format, which is really reminiscent of a few 90's series I enjoyed. Well done! I hope to see more!

🧚*Thank you to @netgalley and @tbrbeyondtours and Emma Steinkellner for including to Nell of Gumbling: My Extremely Normal Fairy-Tale Life, tour. For the tour schedule go to https://tbrandbeyondtours.com

🧚Synopsis

🧚To everyone else, the Magical Land of Gumbling is something out of fairy tales. But to Nell Starkeeper, it’s just home. Sure, the town community center might be a castle, her dads run a star farm, and her best friend Myra is a fairy, but Nell is much more interested in finding out if she’ll get the seventh grade apprenticeship of her dreams with world-famous artist Wiz Bravo.

🧚She’s pretty sure her entire life has been RUINED when she’s instead matched with boring old Mrs. Birdneck in the town archives. And of course her perfect rival Leabelle gets to work with Wiz, and mean girl Viola won’t let Nell forget it. Meanwhile, suddenly Myra seems more into hanging out with Leabelle and saving the town from some weird strangers who keep talking about turning Gumbling into a fancy resort than being friends with Nell anymore. Can Nell find a way to save everything that makes her world magical, while figuring out where she belongs in it?

🧚I loved this graphic novel. It was so good and educational. The illustrations were amazing and I can't wait to read more books from this writer. It was a very original story.

If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’m addicted to graphic novels, and I love the middle-grade trend! What better setting than living on a star farm with a fairy for a best friend? Nell wants to be an artist but her teacher has other plans. Told in journal entries, heavy with art, we couldn’t help but to keep turning the pages. When a plot twist arrives, it’s up to Nell and her friends to prevent it from happening. This was a fun and engaging read that has me hoping for more from this author!

This is a very fun read with the highly personable narrator of Nell, your average 12 year old who lives in a fairy tale town. Her best friends are a fairy and a thumbkin, and she's struggling with her new internship and friendship AND a hostile take over of her town. It's such a fun read.

Nell of Gumbling is a middle grade story told partly in graphic novel, partly in journal form, and partly in text. The illustrations are very well done and really bring the characters to life. My only complaint really is that there was a mix of fonts and text size. I had a digital copy so I was able to enlarge it, but I'm not sure this book would be accessible to those with vision difficulties. I received an advanced digital copy thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.