Overview

Synopsis: Hobgoblins are not real. They are things of legends, myths, and fairy tales. And that's what Peter and Andrew would have told you-before they met A Nubbins! But now as one brother is lured into the murky world of the supernatural, the other must turn to outside help and ancient lore for answers. Can he solve the mystery of A Nubbins before he loses his brother forever? The Mystery of A Nubbins is a richly imagined adventure that feels like it stepped straight out of the Golden Age of Illustration. Each chapter opens with a pen & ink sketch, while fourteen traditionally painted oils are reproduced in full color and sprinkled throughout the novel. Kirkus Reviews: A heartwarming brother dynamic blends well with a hint of the supernatural. Readers' Favorite Five Stars Review: The Mystery of a Nubbins has a setting that is designed to delight young readers; it is imaginative, and the terrific descriptions of the woods and what it feels like to wander through them transported me back to my own childhood and the adventures I had growing up. I enjoyed the lyrical nature of the prose, the deft characterization, the symbolic illustrations, and the spellbinding suspense that keeps youngsters turning the pages. -Romuald Dzemo, Readers' Favorite

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Reviews

""A heartwarming brother dynamic blends well with a hint of the supernatural.""-Kirkus Reviews Wiist's middle-grade novel follows two brothers whose summer of '83 entails run-ins with extraordinarily bizarre kids in the woods. Peter and his younger brother, Andrew, trek through the forest near their family home. They plan to build forts (one apiece) until their construction is interrupted by someone shooting rubber bullets at them. They soon encounter a boy, who, despite packing a loaded ""toy gun,"" is playful. He's peculiar, as well-evasive when asked his name and frighteningly nimble when hopping between trees. Peter and Andrew continue to return to the woods as the summer rolls on, and the boy even works on Peter's cabin-like fort when the brothers are away. Peter meets a girl who's just as mysterious as the boy. The boy claims he has a rare comic book for trade, but is this a sign that the two figures from the forest are somehow trying to rope Peter and Andrew into something nefarious? And will learning who or what the boy and girl truly are help the brothers keep themselves safe? The ambiguity in Wiist's story rarely wavers. In several instances, the boy and girl appear to be typical adolescents, as evidenced by the boy's affinity for comic books. But there's so much mystery surrounding them (they easily speed through labyrinthine sections of the woods) that they come across as eerie. At the same time, the brothers' relationship is endearing in its believability. Andrew, for example, may annoy Peter with his socially awkward inability to lie or keep his mouth shut, but there's no doubt that the siblings have each other's backs. They propel a story that effectively reflects the era, with nods to specific movies and TV shows (and kids wielding spud guns). Wiist also supplies the book's colorful full-page artwork, which sublimely depicts such images as a bird's-eye-view of Peter's cliffside fort-in-progress and Andrew aiming his trusty slingshot. A heartwarming brother dynamic blends well with a hint of the supernatural. -Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

W.S. (Bill) Wiist is a writer, illustrator, and designer in central Pennsylvania. His hobbies include hiking, antiquing, and plein air painting with his wife, Nancy. He loves all genres of books, but middle-grade holds a special place in his heart. Laura Parnum is the author of the award-winning middle grade novel Peril at Price Manor and The Haunting of Bellington Cottage, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Her stories blend humor and heart with a touch of horror. When she's not writing, she's editing other people's stories and helping out at local elementary school libraries. She currently serves as Co-Regional Advisor for the Eastern Pennsylvania region of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Laura lives with her family in Philadelphia. They have a turtle that bites and a snake that doesn't.

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