Ginny Goblin Is Not Allowed to Open This Box

Ginny the goblin is a small, behorned, acid-green creature, and the titular box is large and round, with a gift tag attached to it. The story’s real star, though, is the voice of a sly, magically omniscient narrator. It knows how Ginny is feeling (“But she really wants to know what’s inside”) and what the house rules say (“Not until dinnertime”), and it comes up with ever-sterner security measures (“What if we put the box way up on a shelf?”). What it’s really doing is egging Ginny on as she wields ingenuity, initiative, and flat-out superpowers to get to the box: “She should not, for any reason, catapult little goats at the top of the shelf to knock the box down.” The lighthearted line drawings by Thomas (88 Instruments) bring a mid-’60s cartoon vibe to the pages, a feeling of urbane restraint that reins in Goodner’s feverish visions. Never fear—readers do get to find out what’s in the box (“Now I’m really curious about what’s inside!” the narrator confesses), but the joy is all in the getting there. Ages 4–7. [em](July) [/em]