Moongobble and Me: The Dragon of Doom, by Bruce Coville

Large Print Reviews

Moongobble and Me
The Dragon of Doom
By Bruce Coville

Moongobble and Me: The Dragon of Doom
By Bruce Coville
Read by Ryan Sparkes and the Full Cast Family
Full Cast Audio, (2004)
An Unabridged Audio Recording on 1 CD
ISBN: 1-932076-50-6
Genre: Children's Fiction, Fantasy

Reviewed by Rochelle Caviness - August 4, 2004

The Dragon of Doom is the first installment in Bruce Coville's new series, Moongobble and Me. In this charming, and wickedly entertaining children's story, we are introduced to Edward, a young boy who lives in the never changing town of Pig Bone East of the Mountains. Nothing interesting ever happens in Pig Bone. Nothing ever changes. That is until one fateful day when Moongobble moves into town.

Moongobble is a magician in training. Despite his advance years, he has only recently come to the study of magic, and he has a long way to go before he becomes well versed in his new craft. In the meantime, all his spells seem to have a nasty habit of going astray and turning things into stinky cheese. For Edward, Moongobble's arrival is a fantastic boon. There are no kids Edward's age in Pig Bone, and he doesn't really have any friends. Almost immediately upon meeting each other, Moongobble and Edward become quick friends. Moongobble also hires Edward, with the approval of Edward's mother, as his paid assistance. Along with Edward, Moongobble is assisted by Urk, a talking toad who looks like a 'mudball with warts'.

Edward soon learns that Moongobble has a problem. He needs to pass a magical test in order to join the Society of Magicians. This is a test that he must pass, for only members of the society are allowed to practice magic in the kingdom. Given enough time and practice, Moongobble would have no problem passing the test. However, time is a commodity in short supply. Edward is willing to do anything he can to help Moongobble remain a practicing magician, even to the point of willingly facing the Dragon of Doom!

Moongobble and Me: The Dragon of Doom is an enchanting example of Coville's wit and ability to create a story that will captivate audiences of all ages. In this Full Cast Audio production of The Dragon of Doom, various actors take on the roles of the characters in the story, with ten-year-old Ryan Sparks narrating the story in the role of Edward, Robert Steingraber as Moongobble, and Daniel Bostick in the role of The Dragon of Doom and Flitbert the Bat. In addition, this unabridged audio production of the novel includes a whimsical musical score by Todd Hobin that was written specifically for this Full Cast Audio production of The Dragon of Doom.

The Dragon of Doom takes the listener on a magical, and oft times, comical adventure. Moongobble is a charmingly inept magician and throughly imaginative character, and younger readers will easily connect with Edward. The next installment in this series, The Weeping Werewold is due out later this year, and will be eagerly awaited by everyone who has listened to this wonderful story about friendship, and fallen under the spell of Moongobble and Me (a.k.a. Edward).

Related Reviews:

Moongobble and Me: The Weeping Werewolf (Book 2), by Bruce Coville.
The second book in the Moongobble and Me series finds Moongobble and Edward in search of a bottle of Weeping Werewolf's tears. Along the way they uncover a secret from Edward's past that will change is life forever.
Moongobble and Me: The Evil Elves (Book 3), by Bruce Coville.
In the third installment of the Moongobble and Me series, Edward and Moongobble must retrieve the Queen's Belly Button, an enchanted stone that has turned an entire village of Elves, evil. Most dangerous of all, anyone coming into contact with the stone may turn evil themselves.

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