Susan Hepler, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
This initial entry in the "Moongobble and Me" series has Edward telling about his first adventure with the hapless and error-prone magician called Moongobble. Edward's life is pretty uneventful in his medieval-ish town of Pigbone until he hooks up with the magician as his helper for a silver penny a day, an arrangement that Edward's mother vets cautiously. Their adventure includes tracking down the lost Golden Acorns of Alcona that are guarded by the Dragon of Doom. But since all of Moongobble's spells turn things to cheese, this adventure is not going very well until Edward decides to sneak up on the dragon's cave and see for himself what's going on. Second and third graders will appreciate the slapstick humor, the not-very-successful spells, the wisecracking toad Urk, and the hard-of-hearing Rusty Knight who accompanies them on this acorn quest. Short chapters, Katherine Coville's pencil illustrations, and a straightforward, simple plot make this an easy introduction to fantasy, and the ending promises at least two more adventures before Moongobble can earn his magician stripes. 2003, Simon & Schuster, $14.95. Ages 6 to 10.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 24))
A little boy named Edward is the first-person narrator of this transitional chapter book that also includes a bumbling beginning magician, backfiring spells, and a talking toad. The magician, Moongobble, is assigned the task of procuring three golden acorns from the Dragon of Doom who guards them, and Edward goes along on the quest journey as an assistant. Lots of dialogue, very short chapters with cliff-hanging endings, and pencil illustrations interspersed throughout the text help keep the action moving. But the plot and characters are really nothing new or particularly exciting in the world of wizard-wannabe fiction-though the subject will have instant appeal at this age range. The Dragon of Doom turns out to be a small, rather shy creature who merely projected his huge shadow with "smoke and mirrors" to scare people away. The troop of adventurers returns to Edward's village to await Moongobble's next assignment to prove himself worthy of membership in the Society of Magicians, and further volumes expanding the series seem destined to develop Edward's own interest in becoming an apprentice magician. 2004, Simon & Schuster, $14.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 6 to 9. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2004 (Vol. 57, No. 7))
Coville debuts a new transitional reading series with this novel about young Edward, his boring life in the small town of Pigbone, and the arrival a new neighbor, would-be magician Moongobble. Moongobble has need of an assistant (besides his talking toad, Urk) to aid him in retrieving items needed for practicing spells. A thrilled Edward signs on to accompany Moongobble when he sets out on the first of three "Mighty Tasks": to retrieve the Golden Acorns of Alcoona from the Dragon of Doom. Despite the somewhat unimaginative vocabulary, there is a wholesome silliness here to both plot and jokes. The wiseacre humor, while predictable, has heart, the characters are a largely good-natured lot, and the pacing is brisk. Katherine Coville’s expressive pencil illustrations (full-page, spot-art, and chapter headings) help break up the framed text blocks while providing an enriching subtext through their visual characterizations. Altogether, it’s an inviting package for emergent readers with a taste for humorous magic. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Simon, 69p, $14.95. Grades 2-4.