On the Island of the Mad Magician: An Interactive Tale from the Realm of Goblin, by Eric Grissom/Illustrations by Ava Grissom, (Oct. 2023, Frankenstein’s Daughter), $8.99, ISBN: 978-0988951679
Ages 8-12
One of my favorite books to come out in 2021 was a graphic novel about a goblin on a quest for vengeance that became a journey of self-discovery. It’s called Goblin, and there’s a sequel, The Wolf and the Well, that came out last summer. I start with that because Eric Grissom was wonderful enough to send me a PDF of his then-upcoming book, On the Island of the Mad Magician, just as I had a few ups and downs that kind of sent me out of control of my inbox, reviews, and life for about a year. But as I get on top of my inbox, past and present, I’m trying to do right by folks, and Mr. Grissom is on the top of that list.
On the Island of the Mad Magician is a choose-your-own-adventure type story, which is just so much fun. I grew up with the Choose Your Own Adventure series which has made a comeback in recent years. I enjoy choose your own adventure-type storytelling because 1) it puts decisions in the readers’ hands, and 2) it’s basically an RPG (role-playing game), which is awesome, because I teach kids RPGs here at my library.
Here’s the story: told in the first person, you are a kid working at your family’s inn, when a strange old man shows up on the same night that there’s a huge storm. Your mom puts him out when he tries to pay for lodging with what looks like a trinket; you follow as you do your clean-up for the evening, and quietly accept the man’s trinket: SURPRISE! It’s not just a trinket, it’s mysterious crystal pendant that transports you to an island. Now, it’s up to you: your choices will either steer you safely around dangerous adventures and return you home, or… not. There are over 40 possible endings, with a heck of a lot more choices on the way through. This is a book that you’re going to enjoy again and again, whether you burn up in a library (sigh… of course I did) or safely find your way off the island. Black-and-white illustrations from Ava Grissom add to the atmosphere and make this an overall fun read. Give this one an add to your fantasy shelves… heck, host a read-aloud and turn it into an RPG. It’s that much fun.
Mom Read It 