Gobbledy: A Novel

by Lis Anna-Langston

Overview

Ever since eleven-year-old Dexter Duckworth and his brother, Dougal, lost their mom, everything has been different. But “different” takes on a whole new meaning when, one day just before Christmas (or Kissmas, as they call it), Dexter finds a golden rock in the forest that hatches into an adorable alien. Gobbledy is smarter than he seems and is lost on planet Earth. Before long, Gobbledy takes Dexter, Dougal, and their best friend Fi on an adventure of friendship, family, and loss—one that requires them all to stay out of trouble, protect Gobbledy from a shadowy group called the Planetary Society, and prepare for their school’s Winter Extravaganza Play, where Dexter has to be a dreaded Gingerbread Man.

Gobbledy is a fun-filled holiday story that adds up to two brothers, three friends, unlimited jars of peanut butter, a ketchup factory, and one little alien far, far from home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684630677
Publisher:	SparkPress
Publication date:	10/20/2020
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Lis Anna-Langston was raised alongside the winding current of the Mississippi River on a steady diet of dog-eared books. She attended a creative and performing arts school from middle school until graduation and went on to study literature at Webster University. She is a Parents’ Choice Gold and a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Winner. She draws badly and sings loudly, and loves ketchup, starry skies, and stories with happy endings aliens. Lis Anna-Langston lives in Columbia, South Carolina. You can learn more about her at www.lisannalangston.com.

Editorial Reviews

2021 Independent Press Awards Winner in Holiday: Children's
2021 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards Silver Winner in Young Reader: Fiction (8-12 Years)
2021 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Holiday
2021 Book Excellence Awards Finalist in Holiday
2020 New York City Big Book Awards Winner in Holiday
2020 Wishing Shelf Book Awards Gold Winner in Books for 9-12 year olds

“Hugely entertaining as well as emotionally moving.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A delightfully entertaining novel by an author with a genuine flair for originality and the kind of narrative storytelling style that will fully engage the imaginative attention of appreciative young readers ages 8-11, Gobbledy by Lis Anna-Langston . . . will prove to be an immediate and enduringly popular addition to elementary school, middle school, and community library collections.”
—Midwest Book Review

“This charming alien-in-the-attic story boasts engaging characters, witty storytelling, and a furry little beast that will eat anything, all wrapped up in a warm holiday package.”
—Booklife

“A fantastically fun fantasy adventure, perfect for 9 to 12 year olds. A GOLD MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended!”
—The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

“Lis Anna-Langston creates an engaging and action-filled fantasy . . . Gobbledy is evocative and unexpected in its twists and turns as Dexter, Dougal, and friend Fi learn about the kinds of magic that stay in one's heart forever, even when everything seems to end.”
—Diane Donovan, Donovan’s Bookshelf

“In Gobbledy, Lis Anna-Langston offers her readers a sparkling novel of discovery, adventure, and the abiding consolation of friendship . . . Eleven-year-old protagonist Dexter’s progress from bumbling troublemaker to triumphant (but still bumbling) hero is sweet, utterly convincing, and thoroughly engaging. This novel’s generous heart won me over from the get-go.”
—John Gregory Brown, acclaimed author of A Thousand Miles from Nowhere

“In my opinion, Gobbledy is not only a story for grade school readers but also a story for the whole family. I think this is an excellent story to read aloud to children as well, especially during the Holidays. I felt the structure of the story, the remarkably interesting characters, and the warm-hearted events created by this brilliant author were exceptional. I thought this clever author developed the magical Gobbledy character and the other characters very well, showing a plethora of emotions, and I believe that overall, the story teaches a young reader good values, trust, and strong character traits.”
—Bruce Miller, founder of Team Golfwell blog

“Gobbledy is a novel for the ages. If I were you, I’d gather the family and read it together.”
—My Bookish Bliss

“The Wonder Years meets A Christmas Story meets E.T. in this magical novel with dialogue that snaps, crackles, and pops, and a narrative that skips, jumps, and hops from one delightful surprise after the other. Yet beneath the magic and fun there is an undercurrent of sorrow and loss each character is trying to move through, for this will be the first Kissmas without Dexter and D-man’s beloved mother. How these characters—and their furry little alien sidekick—navigate this strange and complicated time in their lives will amaze and inspire you. Young adults and old adults alike will love the adventures that await inside these pages.”
—Cathy Smith Bowers, former Poet Laureate of North Carolina, and South Carolina Authors’ Hall of Fame Inductee

From the Publisher

2020-09-15
In this novel, a boy gets into even more trouble than usual after encountering a cute (and hungry) alien creature.

Kissmas—a child’s pronunciation of Christmas that stuck—won’t be the same this year. Six months ago, Dexter Duckworth, 11, lost his mother, leaving him, his father, and his 8-year-old brother, Dougal, with a hole in the family: “Not a bad hole, but a big hole. The kind of hole that sneaks up on me late at night when I remember.” Dexter’s science project, a “Cricket Colony,” goes badly awry when he enhances an enclosure with a rock from the forest on which a strange bug seems to have hitched a ride. It’s furry, ravenous, and growing larger all the time. It soon becomes evident that Gobbledy, as he’s dubbed, is an extraterrestrial alien who needs help and protection. A comedy of errors ensues as Dexter tries to avoid getting grounded for life. Anna-Langston, whose middle-grade fiction has won numerous prizes, successfully balances comedy and drama in this latest outing. Dexter’s narrative voice sounds convincingly fifth grade in his sense of humor, but he also expresses thoughtfulness and compassion; the family’s palpable grief and their attempts to restore normality for this first Christmas without their mother are poignant yet understated. Meanwhile, Dexter’s misadventures build upon each other for great comic effect, culminating in a school Winter Extravaganza where his role as Gingerbread Man goes hilariously wrong. As he comments, “Trouble is a plague. Trouble follows fun. Trouble is my mortal enemy.” The alien’s plight, too, is affecting, and the devotion he inspires in the cast reveals the story’s warm heart. Powell, a prolific artist and illustrator, contributes engagingly humorous and skillfully crosshatched drawings.

Hugely entertaining as well as emotionally moving.

Kirkus Reviews