Rickety Stitch and the Gelatinous Goo

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 13, 2017

Review

A beautifully colored GN for the older MG/YA readers. There are a few references that might confound younger readers or be considered offensive (medieval torture devices, dying a virgin, use of "damned", severance pay), plus elements like cursive writing which can be difficult for younger readers to decipher; and while language, alone, would not make it totally inappropriate for a younger reader, there is a sophistication and complexity of plot that might stop a less practiced reader. Told in homage to a knight's quest, Rickety is a skeletal troubador wandering the land with his buddy Gelatinous Goo. He cannot remember who he was before or what he seeks, but his dreams are haunted by a tune, "The Road to Epoli". When wandering the land, Rickety and Goo come upon an imp who dangles the possibilty of information, and a bed for the night, from his liege, the King of Grimly Wood, but the travellers find that they are, instead, intended for the main course of the King's dinner. Rickety is tricked into performing an unsavory task for the King in exchange for Goo's life. He crosses paths with L. Nerman Fuddle, a gnome that the King is convinced should be his next meal, and Xorgana the unicorn, protector of the Wood, and discovers that there is more to his story than he can remember. The end of the book sees Rickety setting off with renewed vigor on the quest to uncover more of his backstory. Filled with lush illustrations, subtle humor, a gorgeous cover, and the promise of more adventure to come, this book will fly off the shelf.

Overall Book Score: good