written by: Carole Marsh Longmeyer Illustrated by: Sarah McCarthy
Welcome to Goblinville written by Carole Marsh Longmeyer illustrated by Sarah McCarthy
Copyright Carole Marsh Longmeyer Published by Gallopade International www.gallopade.com A Bluffton Books book www.blufftonbooksandmore.com Spooky Art Director: John Hanson Candy-eating Editor: Janice Baker Death-defying Designer: Susan Van Denhende Silly, Illy-strations: Sarah McCarthy Written by: Pirate Carole Marsh Longmeyer Printed by: the zombies, vampires, ghosts, and etc. at Gallopade Publishing
The goblins came to Goblinville. They came from places far over the hill. They came from towns like Lizard’s Lick, Eville and Gnomeville and Give-Em-a-Kick. They came in ones, they came in twos. They wore odd outfits and funky shoes.
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Their names were Rogue and Cups and Knocker, Impy, Knave, Beaker and Hopper. Some were called Gwyne and Gob and Hob; There was even a short one whose name was Bob.
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They were excited to see the places they loved; Haunted Hollow, and up above… Moss Rock and Hidden Hut, And Falling Off Cliff, “Where you can fall on your butt!” Down below was Creepers Cave; They gave Fractured Finger a friendly wave. They steered clear of Thieves’ Den, And warned, “Don’t consider Hair Lair your friend!”
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They stopped at Old Hag’s Café for a snack: Slime Jell-O, turnips, and very, very hardtack.
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They went to Frock’s Fort for new duds to wear. Like banana bandanas and mice for their hair.
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But then it was time to get down to why They’d come to Goblinville, which made them cry: “We are just lowly goblins,” groused Impy. “They say we’re weak and dress sort of skimpy.” “We get no respect,” complained Knocker. “They say we are silly and off our rockers.” “It’s not fair,” said Knave, “for others to say we’re not brave.” “It makes me sad,” cried Gwyne, “when I am called ugly and can’t find a friend.” “It’s hurtful,” said Gob. “And it’s not nice,” said Hob, “to be bullied and called a slob.”
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Called grouchy and sly, Bumbling and shy, Scamps and tramps, And tricksters who lie: The goblins’ feelings were certainly hurt, And they felt just lower than Creepers Cave dirt!
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Instead of running about and playing the fool, They agreed to meet at the old Ghoul School, To discuss the matter and figure out, What they were good at and could brag about. What they could wear, what they could share, Anything to lead them out of despair. Not to be lonely, not to be sad, Not to always be considered bad.
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“Yes, we are goblins; we can’t help it,” Rogue said, “but we have our merits that should not make us dread disrespect and disdain, always being left out. Let’s list all our assets and them we will tout.” “I can make a big mess!” boasted Cups. “But I’m also good at picking things up!” “I can fix broken bikes and trikes,” said Knave. “With a screwdriver, I’m very brave.” “We play chess!” said Gob and Hob. “We even let others play, like Bobwho’s not very good, and gets in our way, but it’s sharing and friendship that should rule the day.” “You can count on me for a band-aid, when you bung-up you knee; I’ll spit on it good so it won’t hurt,” bragged Snee. “I’m good with hugs and kisses,” said Gwyne, which made the other goblins blush and grin.
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So as night drew near, the goblins yawned. They could agree they were worthy, and nothing was wrong. All they could do was try their best, And whether others would accept them, they could only guess. “What day is it?” asked Sleeve. “I think we forgot that it’s All Hallow’s Eve!” And so it was! October 31! The traditional night for Trick-or-Treat fun! A glance out the window showed them non-gobs were around And headed their way, and up the porch they did bound. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! “Trick-or-Treat!” Which caused the goblins to hop to their feet. “Oh, what shall we do? Shall we tease, shall we trick? Shall we scare them to death? Shall we throw them a brick?” “Of course not!” said Gwyne. “We shall show the non-gobs our true selves.” And she pulled a big bag of candy from the cloakroom shelves. “We are dressed in our best! We are made for this night! Let these kids have the privilege of giving us a fright!” Gob opened the door. Hob waved them in. They dished out the candy. And made a new friend…
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...Of each of the kids, who thought the goblins were swell. “This is the best place we’ve been to tonight! You’ve treated us kindly, you’ve treated us right. Your costumes and masks are really, really cool! Can we come back tomorrow and visit your school?” The goblins grew shy and knew not what to say. But they felt ten times taller and proud of the way That they’d been accepted and each made a new friend. “Yes, please do come and visit! We’ll see you at ten!” “You can stay for lunch! We’re having Fart Soup.” (This idea sure threw the kids for a loop!) One of the kids quickly said, “Uh, we’ll bring a sack lunch. And have a chess tournament, ’though I have a hunch that you guys might beat us, but that’s okay. What are good friends for, any old way?” High-fives and good-byes. Goblins went to bed. And visions of happy times Danced in their heads. “That was so easy,” whispered Cups to Old Elf. “All we needed to be was nice and our self.”
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About the author… Carole Marsh Longmeyer loves Halloween (and Christmas!). She lives on Hunting Lodge Road, which her husband, Bob, calls “Haunting Lodge Road.” Her favorite costume to wear on Halloween is pirate! Other books in this series are Ghost Banquet and The Mystery on Haunting Lodge Road.
About the illustrator... Sarah McCarthy felt that illustrating for Carole Marsh’s Halloween series books was her calling card. As a lover of all things spooky, Sarah was more than happy to make these monster-filled books come to life. Or rather...the “afterlife”? Check out more of her work on her portfolio website be.net/FrozenFire.
About the book designer... Susan Van Denhende loves dressing up in costume for Halloween almost as much as she loves getting free candy. She doesn’t do very well with all things scary and spooky though, and she’s pretty sure she would have chickened out at the things the kid in this book encountered. You can see more of her work at be.net/auroradesilva.
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ISBN 13: 978-0-635-12070-0
Come along with some real-life goblins as they visit their hometown for Halloween! They should be excited
and happy, but the goblins are glum. Why? Because they get no respect!
Criticized and bullied, they just don’t
get it. They are goblins, and good at what they do- and proud of it.
But they soon learn that showing up and
being true to one’s self is a good thing, on Halloween, and most any other time.
And no one is more surprised
than the “gobs” themselves, and the kids who come to their Goblinville stores to Trick-or-Treat!
P.S. You’re not a scaredy cat, are you? No? Gooooood.