Shadow Goblins

The adventures of two young shadow goblins are played out in the fourth book in the Goblins series. Pungent and Stinglip are taught how to steal shadows by their eccentric teacher, Murkbag. But their first shadow-stealing trick goes disastrously wrong. Stinglip turns into a sheep, and the frightened pair find themselves lost in Black Wood in the middle of the night pursued by a scary black shadow.

This densely illustrated book with its double-spaced text is likely to appeal to less fluent readers in the upper range of this age group, while younger children will take pleasure in looking at the pictures as the story is read to them. Some children may find the plot a little confusing at times, and I found the somewhat rambling ending rather a disappointment. One of the best things about Shadow Goblins is Melling’s well-crafted illustrations. The website which accompanies the series contains further goblin related games, activities and competitions, which many children may well find more engaging than the book itself.