Thisby Thestoop and the Black Mountain

November 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-Thisby Thestoop was adopted by goblins as an infant due to the poor penmanship of a minotaur who had eaten a big lunch and was hoping the goblins would save her for a later meal. Instead, they read the note lying by the infant as an adoption letter; and that's how Thisby came to earn the job of gamekeeper in a dungeon of monsters at Black Mountain. Tweens will instantly connect with innovative, hardworking Thisby and cheer her on as she works to make sure the princess is safe during a royal visit. Simple illustrations are provided throughout the book that help ground readers in the fantastical setting. Overall, the story is an intriguing page-turner. VERDICT An exciting read for those who enjoy fantasy and adventure novels with a strong main character.-April Sanders, Spring Hill College, Mobile, AL

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2018
The saying goes, "Write what you know." Gorman seems to know a whole lot about monsters.This fantasy novel is filled with monsters, and they're not always familiar ones. There are wereplants and a slughemoth and a tarasque. Readers may assume the author made them up, but most of them come from actual folklore. Thisby Thestoop is in charge of feeding--and sometimes grooming--the monsters. Castle Grimstone, where she's grown up, has to look nice for tourists. It's designed to be an attraction for bored and foolish adventurers--fertile ground for a writer. One charm of the book is that everything that happens feels slightly counterintuitive and, better yet, slightly cynical. This extends to the pacing. When readers expect an epic battle, they may get the history of a city. Sometimes basic plot exposition is delayed until many chapters into the book. But there is a proper adventure story, complete with a search for a missing prince. The characters are so odd and engaging, though, that the plot hardly matters. The cast is only moderately diverse, however: a white protagonist; a pair of black-haired, olive-skinned twins; and a black adventurer/tourist who pops in now and again.Another saying goes, "Artists have to know the rules before they can break them." This author knows the rules of fantasy really well, and if the pacing sometimes defies convention, he makes up for it with spectacular monsters. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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February 12, 2018
In this peril-packed page-turner, first in a series, a pampered princess and a resourceful orphan girl struggle to stay alive in a monster-infested dungeon. As the gamekeeper for the dungeon of Black Mountain, 12-year-old Thisby Thestoop knows how to handle hungry trolls, rampaging wyverns, and cranky goblins. But when Princess Iphigenia and her brother, Ingo, come to tour the mountain and see its horrors, Ingo is kidnapped, and the dungeon’s inhabitants are thrown into turmoil. Thisby and Iphigenia attempt to rescue Ingo as ancient evils in the dungeon’s deepest depths threaten to escape their long captivity. Comic book writer Gorman makes a strong children’s book debut, deconstructing the creature-filled caverns and trapped tunnel tropes prevalent in classic role-playing games (who feeds the monsters or oversees proper distribution of treasure, for instance?) while delivering a fast-paced, high-stakes adventure. Clever Thisby and forceful Iphigenia make a delightfully odd pairing as they form an unlikely friendship amid the chaos and danger, and Bosma’s ghoulish b&w illustrations
further help bring the characters and creatures to life. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Jen Linnan, Linnan Literary.