Unicorn vs. Goblins

Another fantastic book about Phoebe and her Unicorn by Dana Simpson. In this book we see Phoebe go to camp and to continue her rivalry with Dakota and she seems to get a bit of a crush on a boy too, or just excitement over a new friend.

I would recommend this book as highly as the first to Phoebe books.

I received a free galley to review from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun graphic novel that was more episodic rather than having an overarching plot. The illustrations were fun, the characters were pretty sassy, and the relationship between Phoebe and her unicorn friend is pretty entertaining.

A lovely continuation of the tale of these friends. Perfect for kiddos and adults who loved Calvin and Hobbes.

An excellent book. I recommend this series to anyone looking for something fun to read.

UNICORNS vs. GOBLINS by Dana Simpson is another cute, sassy graphic novel adventure. Phoebe is out of school for the summer, and she and her unicorn get into all sorts of messes. Add in some of her friends (and not so friends), and you have the perfect ingredients for a rollicking, humorous read. Recommended for kids and adults alike. All you need is a sense of humor and remember your childhood!

I have not read the two previous books in this graphic novel series, but I loved this book and now plan on reading the other books. The whimsy and humor between Phoebe and her unicorn is quite addicting and refreshing and even adults will find it satisfactory in the same way we laugh at Shrek in the movies. The short stories are light-hearted and a little girly, but would be fun for any reader (boy or girl). The illustrations are just fabulous. I was a little let down to find out the goblin was a very short story towards the end of the book, but overall all the interactions with Phoebe and her unicorn, her family, and her friends are all adorable. I would recommend this to ages 8+. Fans of Zita the Spacegirl and Cleopatra in Space will find enjoyment in this. Light-hearted and fun and highly recommended.

I was first introduced to Heavenly Nostrils via Net Galley with the 2nd book in this series, "Unicorn on a Roll". I liked that book alright, but the 3rd book really knocks it out of the park. From crazy campers to threatening-sentient-hair this book has everything a little girl (or her mom) would like to read and laugh at. Plus it has Goblins in it, who doesn't love Goblins?

This is a cute and humorous comic. I loved the imagery and the characters and read it through from start to finish in one sitting. I think some of the humour in this book was a little to complex for my eight year old son, but I enjoyed it none the less. A really pleasant read, on a quiet afternoon.

A comic strip collection where a little girl has a unicorn as a best friend. Since this is the third book but the first one I’m reading, I have no idea how that happened, but it only matters that it did.
First off, the introduction by Poesy Doctorow and her grown-up Cory is awesome.
The unicorn is drawn to be femininely beautiful, almost dainty, so it’s a bit of a shock to learn, right on the first page, how snarky she can be. She has as much snark as sparkles and rainbows; coffee makes a unicorn oversparkle. . . and I never thought I would ever write that word, or that sentence. She actually looks like the blonde waitress on “2 Broke Girls,” only prettier. The unicorn can’t use contractions, making her sound more formal; it’s just off enough to be funny. And yes, unicorns should be the only equines allowed to wear legwarmers and scarves. . . especially pink. But even though she’s snarky and incredibly narcissistic, Marigold the unicorn luckily always feels amused at all those around her rather than irritated, which saves her from being annoying; it’s like she’s in on the secret.
Phoebe is also quite interesting, a little girl who really doesn’t go out of her way to make friends because she already has the bestest one ever. Of course everyone except her frenemy have no idea there’s a unicorn around, but luckily her parents and her teacher “get” her. And she does make a few friends, from the even weirder roommate at band camp to the older girl she’s in awe of to the younger girl she calls “Small Auxiliary Backup Phoebe.”
Some highlights:
Candy dragon says “Rar!” Using your horn to roast marshmallows over a campfire doesn’t sound smart, Marigold. There’s something called the Curse of the Unicorn-Adjacent. And the image of a unicorn wearing a life vest while rowing will always stick with me.
At the end there’s a primer that shows some of the other animals and magical creatures, and particularly the differences between Marigold Heavenly Nostrils and her sister Florence Unfortunate Nostrils. A recipe for questing snacks and a brief mention of what a unicorn looks like when imagined by Lewis Carroll ends the book.
The reason I’m giving this such a high score is that while other comic strip collections have made me laugh and occasionally chuckle, this one brought a ton more laughs out of me. Now I just gotta figure out how much each laugh weighs. . .

It's always great to find comics for young girls. Great graphics and writing.

I have not read the first two graphic novels in this series but this one was fun to read anyway. Phoebe is a little girl who has a unicorn friend and they get into all sorts of weird conversations and shenanigans. I found this graphic novel surprisingly funny as an adult reader and think that both kids and parents will enjoy reading it. Some of the jokes are out in the open while others are more subtle, but that is what this really is - shorts each one ending in a cute punchline.

The unicorn, Marigold is hilariously conceited and open about it and that makes for even funnier exchanges between her and Phoebe.

This was a very enjoyable short quick read.

I have said before that I will continue to read about Heavenly Nostrils and like it forever. This book was no different. Funny, witty and clever, as always, this book was a great addition to the series. I did especially enjoy the Backstreet Boys reference.

I absolutely love these graphic novels. Dana Simpson has done it again, with another fabulous adventure of Phoebe and Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. This book is witty and fun, and I particularly like Phoebe's time at Music Camp. It's a book that I think both adults and children could read together and greatly enjoy. I'm already looking forward to book #4!

This is such a fun series!

Adorable. A quick, cute read. I'll be getting Kait copies when she's older.

Another charming addition to the series. Can't wait to have this on the shelf at our library!

Phoebe is best friends with a unicorn. Isn’t that amazing? The story follows Phoebe and her unicorn Marigold Heavenly Nostrils on their adventures. It was a really awesome and cute comic. At first it begins with Phoebe not wanting to going to summer camp, but going and liking it instead. Like I said with a few comics before, this one can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. The goblin part of the story doesn’t come until three fourths of the comic and even then it’s like really short. So, I felt like that was a weird thing to name the story with. But I guess it’s okay. The illustrations were awesome and beautiful. I really liked both Phoebe and Marigold, even with Marigold’s extremely high opinion of herself. They were both lovable and cute.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I might not have been familiar with the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series before receiving the opportunity to read this book, but my oldest daughter has read both of the other books in the series. In fact, she was the one who sat down to read Unicorn vs. Goblins before I got the chance.

Phoebe and Her Unicorn is a graphic novel by Dana Simpson featuring a young girl named Phoebe and her best friend, a magical unicorn named Marigold. This volume contains several connected storylines, including a trip to music camp, the start of a new school year, and a showdown with those titular goblins.

My daughter is a big fan of graphic novels. She is an advanced reader, but up until recently, she has been reluctant to read anything other than graphic novels. She’s on the autism spectrum, and I think she appreciates having the illustrations to go with her story. She has introduced me to many different series, and this is probably one of the cleverest that I’ve encountered. I was pleasantly surprised at the humor; it’s snarky, and snide, and it’s right up my alley. I can see why my daughter likes it too. She has reminded me that we picked up the first two Phoebe and Her Unicorn books during a Kindle sale at the end of last year. I know what I will be reading next!

I would absolutely recommend Unicorn vs. Goblins to middle grade readers. My daughter is also a fan of Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, Big Nate, Raina Telgemeir, Hereville, and Wimpy Kid, so I would imagine that there would be a lot of crossover with the fan base. I love that my daughter is being exposed to comics/graphic novels with a female protagonist, and I love that this book is family friendly. This might be the third book in the series, but it functions well as a standalone; readers who encounter this book first will not be lost. This is a lovely series, and my daughter and I are both looking forward to more of Phoebe and Marigold’s adventures in the future.

Cory Doctorow said it best in the introduction: "It's easy to compare Phoebe to Calvin and Marigold to Hobbes...if Hobbes was a snarky unicorn and Calvin was an awesome little girl". And, if Hobbes could also talk to Calvin's parents and friends and teachers :-) Phoebe is an awesome, relate-able, modern 9-year-old, whose best friend happens to be a magical (and snarky!) unicorn named Marigold Heavenly Nostrils. Hilarity ensues as they go about their days together - and in this volume, we find Phoebe attending summer camp, the duo saving frenemy Dakota from some goblins, Marigold meeting up with her sister (Florence Unfortunate Nostrils - and those are some unfortunate nostrils for sure!), and Phoebe starting back at school in the fall. I truly loved everything about this: from Marigold's constant vanity to Phoebe's down-to-earth likability to her parents (who are from my own generation - gasp! I'm getting old!) to how real it all seems (like, if I had a unicorn, I can totally see how she would help but also add to my daily struggles!) Now I definitely have to go back and read the first two volumes!

Phoebe is so realistic in how she uses her imagination. I would have loved a unicorn as real as hers. This will be a popular book and I think it will be a good imagination starter for the kids. On my to-buy list.

'Unicorns Vs. Goblins (Heavenly Nostrils #3)' by Dana Simpson is the third in the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series. It's just as funny as it ever was.

This time around, school is out and Phoebe's parents are up to something. The something in question turns out to be music camp. Phoebe's nemesis Dakota has a weird hair day for a while thanks to Marigold. Marigold also gets a visit from her sister named Florence Unfortunate Nostrils (I'll leave it to you to discover why they are unfortunate). Marigold and Phoebe even rescue Dakota from goblins, hence the title.

Phoebe is as adorable as ever, and one of the more normal comic strip kids, which is a total compliment. Marigold is still groaningly vain, but she cares for Phoebe. The music camp strips were fun and reminded me a bit of my own time in music camp, minus the lake monster, of course.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.