The Halloween Goblin

A creepy goblin is scaring people all over town! Bogey Bill — whose favorite holiday is Halloween — likes to magically change normal things into spooky things. Violet, Leon, and their fairy friend Sprite need to send Bogey Bill back to the Otherworld. But their task gets harder when a pixie named Buttercup casts an annoying hiccup spell on the whole school! Can Violet, Leon, and Sprite trick TWO pixies at once?  

Bogey Bill is a scary-looking goblin who likes to scare people. Most of the time, his mischief doesn’t cause any harm. However, when Violet is playing with a little girl, Bogey Bill turns the girl’s stuffed rabbit into a snake! While Bogey Bill isn’t a nice goblin, the appearance of a cute garden gnome named Robert B. Gnome balances out the story. 

The Halloween Goblin has a fast-paced plot that revolves around Sprite, Violet, and Leon trying to stop Bogey Bill’s magic. Sprite and the kids aren’t afraid to ask for help when needed, and the addition of Queen Mab and Robert B. Gnome lets the reader know that not all fairies are the same—some are helpful while others cause problems. The interesting mix of fairies adds to the story’s suspense and allows for some fun fairy magic. 

Newly independent readers who love fairies and magic will enjoy The Halloween Goblin. The story uses easy-to-read text and a fast-paced plot with lots of fairy mischief. Black and white illustrations appear on every page, which will help readers visualize the characters and understand the plot.  

Sprite, Violet, and Leon work together to find creative ways to send the fairies back to the Otherworld. Even though trickery is involved in sending the fairies home, none of the tricks are mean. While most of the fairies are cute, Bogey Bill’s appearance and mean pranks might frighten some readers. “Bogey Bill is a very scary-looking fairy! He had yellow eyes and sharp teeth. His skin was gray.” However, Bogey Bill’s bad attitude will make the story’s conclusion a little bit sweeter.  

The Halloween Goblin ends with Finn the Wizard running for mayor. Sprite warns, “If we don’t stop him, he’s going to be mayor of your whole town!” This cliffhanger will leave readers eager to read the next book in the series. However, readers looking for fairy magic with a less scary goblin can read Katie the Kitten Fairy by Daisy Meadows. 

Sexual Content  

• None

Violence  

• None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• None 

Supernatural 

• Bogey Bill is a goblin that “has two main powers. He can make people feel afraid for no reason. And he can turn normal things into scary things.” 
• Fairies cause havoc in Violet’s world. For example, a fairy changes the picture on Violet’s shirt. “Instead of a purple flower, there was a picture of a purple monster’s face on Violet’s shirt! The face had long fangs. It had bulging eyes.” 
• To change Violet’s shirt back to normal, her cousin Leon says Bogey Bill’s name backward three times. After Leon says, “Llib Yegob! Llib Yegob! Llib Yegob!” The shirt “sparkled. Then it turned back into a purple flower.” 
• While at school, Bogey Bill casts a spell on the food. “Spaghetti was crawling around everyone’s plates, like worms! The kids and the lunch aides started to scream.” When the kids in the cafeteria say Bogey Bill’s name backward, the food goes to normal. 
• To make the kids forget about the spaghetti moving, “Sprite blew pixie dust into the room. . . The glittering dust swirled around the lunchroom. The kids and aides blinked. Then the kids began eating their spaghetti like nothing happened.” 
• Bogey Bill changes a little girl’s stuffed bunny rabbit into a snake. The girl begins to cry and then Violet reverses the spell. 
• To talk to Queen Mab, Sprite takes out a stone. “The stone glowed brightly . . . Then a picture began to appear. It was Queen Mab.” Queen Mab gives advice on how to trick the fairies and send them back to their world. 
• Sprite uses pixie dust to transport Violet and Leon. “Sprite threw the pixie dust on them. . . [Violet’s] body tingled as the garden disappeared.”  
• When Bogey Bill is tricked into saying something “sweet,” he is magically sent back to his world. 
• Buttercup, a pixie, gives Violet hiccups that won’t stop until someone frightens her. 
• When Buttercup is tricked, “a whooshing sound filled the air. A tunnel of wind appeared out of nowhere. The wind sucked Buttercup inside . . . Buttercup and the tunnel vanished.” 

Spiritual Content  

• None