Janet Crane Barley (Children's Literature)
Moongobble is a magician who is not very good at magic. Many of his spells go awry and end up turning things to cheese, cheese that is actually pretty good. Regardless of his lack of aptitude, he wants more than anything to join the Society of Magicians. To do so he must complete three Mighty Tasks. Already he has completed one Mighty Task, a story told in the first book in the "Moongobble and Me" series. But now in this second book, the next Mighty Task sounds absolutely impossible. He must gather tears from a weeping werewolf. How can he possibly get close enough to such a fearsome creature to gather its tears! He does have one invaluable resource. Even though he is not a very good magician, he is a very good man with loyal friends who will do anything to help him succeed in his quest. But could that possibly be enough? The delightfully tongue-in-cheek story where we know good will triumph over evil can be read by fairly young readers. It also would be a delight for either adults or children to read aloud. The illustrations, mostly drawn in murky grays, and the black borders surrounding all the pages give this book a dingy look that do not enhance this story. 2004, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $14.95. Ages 6 to 10.

Virginia Gleaton (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 17, No. 4))
Moongobble, a magician, must pass three tests to become a member of the Society of Magicians. In this second book in the Moongobble and Me series, Fazwad has chosen the second task for Moongobble to perform--to bring to Fazwad a bottle of the tears of the Weeping Werewolf. With the help of Edward, Fireball (a dragon), and Urk (Moongobble’s toad), Moongobble sets out to complete the task. The group finds the werewolf and collects his tears. They also learn the werewolf’s story and eventually find out that he is Edward’s long-lost father. This is a very easy and quick book to read. Students who read the Adventures of the Bailey School Kids books will like these, too. (Moongobble and Me). Fiction. Grades 3-5. 2004, Simon & Schuster, 71p., $14.95. Ages 8 to 11.