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The Misadventures of Nobbin Swill #1
Crumbled!
This hilarious middle grade series with color illustrations throughout is The Sisters Grimm meets Shrek!
For Nobbin Swill, life is no fairy tale. His family has been the king's royal dung farmers for generations. It's a stinky job and someone has to do it, but Nobbin doesn't want to spend his whole life as a dung farmer.
On a dark, cloudy night, Nobbin catches a flicker of moonlight glimmering off something in the dung. It could be a button or a buckle, something that might fetch him a coin from the shoemaker. But it turns out to be a very valuable ring--the king's ring, and one that could offer Nobbin a life free from dung!
But Nobbin isn't a thief and would never steal from the king, so he makes his way to the castle. When he tries to return the ring, things only become more complicated, and he ends up having to help the hapless Prince Charming solve a mystery when the woodcutter's children--Gretel, and her younger brother, Hansel--go missing. Will the two be able to solve the case? Children will enjoy this hilarious mystery, with two-color illustrations throughout by author/illustrator Lisa Harkrader!
For Nobbin Swill, life is no fairy tale. His family has been the king's royal dung farmers for generations. It's a stinky job and someone has to do it, but Nobbin doesn't want to spend his whole life as a dung farmer.
On a dark, cloudy night, Nobbin catches a flicker of moonlight glimmering off something in the dung. It could be a button or a buckle, something that might fetch him a coin from the shoemaker. But it turns out to be a very valuable ring--the king's ring, and one that could offer Nobbin a life free from dung!
But Nobbin isn't a thief and would never steal from the king, so he makes his way to the castle. When he tries to return the ring, things only become more complicated, and he ends up having to help the hapless Prince Charming solve a mystery when the woodcutter's children--Gretel, and her younger brother, Hansel--go missing. Will the two be able to solve the case? Children will enjoy this hilarious mystery, with two-color illustrations throughout by author/illustrator Lisa Harkrader!
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2019
4 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Harkrader
73 books11 followersLisa Harkrader also writes as L. D. Harkrader.
Lisa Harkrader grew up in a small town in Kansas. When she was in the third grade, she wanted to be a writer and an artist. She also wanted to be a spy, a psychiatrist, and second baseman for the Kansas City Royals.Those last three haven’t happened, but she is a writer and illustrator who has published twenty-five books for children. She has received the William Allen White Award and two Kansas Notable Books awards. Lisa Harkrader lives in Tonganoxie, Kansas, with her husband and two children. And she still wants to be a spy.
Lisa Harkrader grew up in a small town in Kansas. When she was in the third grade, she wanted to be a writer and an artist. She also wanted to be a spy, a psychiatrist, and second baseman for the Kansas City Royals.Those last three haven’t happened, but she is a writer and illustrator who has published twenty-five books for children. She has received the William Allen White Award and two Kansas Notable Books awards. Lisa Harkrader lives in Tonganoxie, Kansas, with her husband and two children. And she still wants to be a spy.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 12, 2019
Crumbled is a delightful fairy tale. Nobbin Swill and his family are dung farmers. Yes, it’s a stinky job that really did exist. While shoveling dung, Nobbin comes across something shiny, the king’s ring. This valuable find just might be Nobbin’s ticket out of dung farming. I loved Nobbin. He is an honest, smart character who shows genuine empathy for others. I particularly liked how the author was able to weave several fairy tale characters into this story. And I learned a little dung history along the way. I think students from 2nd grade on up will enjoy the story of Nobbin Swill. Bonus: the cover says Book one, I hope that means there are more to come.
July 4, 2019
Source: ARC
I'm starting to feel that the twisted fairy tale mystery is overdone. And I wasn't amused by all the dung jokes. But I suspect that the target audience won't be as surfeited with this type of book as I am. And they will probably enjoy the humor.
I'm starting to feel that the twisted fairy tale mystery is overdone. And I wasn't amused by all the dung jokes. But I suspect that the target audience won't be as surfeited with this type of book as I am. And they will probably enjoy the humor.
June 19, 2019
Initial Thoughts: Not entirely original, but fun and humorous enough that I think it will be a hit with kids.
May 30, 2021
Fear not, this book doesn't have potty humor, it has take a look at fairy tales and chenge them humor. So I enjoyed it.
May 19, 2019
Don't Be Put Off by the Whole Dung Thing
Every once in a while I find a fart based book that's clever and fun, but most of the time the book is a lame excuse to just go all fart all the time and generally take the easy way out. So I had an open, but probably biased, mind as I approached this dung-heavy tale. Well, excuuuuse me for being such a know-it-all. This book starts with a heavy emphasis on dung and dung farming, but then it quickly turns into a sly and clever action/adventure mystery buddy story. Who knew?
The set up is that Nobbin is the youngest son in a family of dung farmers. (That was a real thing. They cleaned out the pit under the King's garderobe, that is, privy tower,) Anyway, Nobbin finds the king's signet ring in the dung and goes to the castle to return it. While there he meets Ulff, a gate warden who becomes his sort of sidekick, and then watches the fumble bum Prince Charming. This isn't too far into the book, and it's the point at which the book takes off.
From then on, Nobbin is tasked with accompanying Prince Charming as they search for two missing children, (Hansel and Gretel), dally with a witch, encounter a troll, engage in solving a half dozen mysteries, and generally wander around trying to figure out who is trying to undermine Prince Charming as the King's heir. Here's the good part. All of this is funny. Some of it is sly and clever. Some is slapstick. Some of the banter is a bit edgy. There are lots of references to other fairy tale characters, many of which are just pithy little asides. The Prince is an O.K. guy; the King isn't a dope. Nobbin and his Dad, who is a fourth generation dung farmer who doesn't understand Nobbin's reluctance to carry on the family tradition, have a few touching moments.
The whole tale is entertaining and smart, and all of the characters are appealing just a bit more than you would expect. The mystery isn't very demanding, but it works to keep everybody running around, and the resolution is satisfying, if open ended. This has a "come for the dung but stay for the clever bits" feeling, and that seemed just right for an engaging early middle grade read. A nice find.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Every once in a while I find a fart based book that's clever and fun, but most of the time the book is a lame excuse to just go all fart all the time and generally take the easy way out. So I had an open, but probably biased, mind as I approached this dung-heavy tale. Well, excuuuuse me for being such a know-it-all. This book starts with a heavy emphasis on dung and dung farming, but then it quickly turns into a sly and clever action/adventure mystery buddy story. Who knew?
The set up is that Nobbin is the youngest son in a family of dung farmers. (That was a real thing. They cleaned out the pit under the King's garderobe, that is, privy tower,) Anyway, Nobbin finds the king's signet ring in the dung and goes to the castle to return it. While there he meets Ulff, a gate warden who becomes his sort of sidekick, and then watches the fumble bum Prince Charming. This isn't too far into the book, and it's the point at which the book takes off.
From then on, Nobbin is tasked with accompanying Prince Charming as they search for two missing children, (Hansel and Gretel), dally with a witch, encounter a troll, engage in solving a half dozen mysteries, and generally wander around trying to figure out who is trying to undermine Prince Charming as the King's heir. Here's the good part. All of this is funny. Some of it is sly and clever. Some is slapstick. Some of the banter is a bit edgy. There are lots of references to other fairy tale characters, many of which are just pithy little asides. The Prince is an O.K. guy; the King isn't a dope. Nobbin and his Dad, who is a fourth generation dung farmer who doesn't understand Nobbin's reluctance to carry on the family tradition, have a few touching moments.
The whole tale is entertaining and smart, and all of the characters are appealing just a bit more than you would expect. The mystery isn't very demanding, but it works to keep everybody running around, and the resolution is satisfying, if open ended. This has a "come for the dung but stay for the clever bits" feeling, and that seemed just right for an engaging early middle grade read. A nice find.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
September 26, 2019
I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review.
I had a lot of fun reading this new release aloud to my 6 year old! Crumbled! is the first book in a new illustrated middle grade series that follows a boy who works as a royal dung farmer along with his family. One day he discovers the king’s ring among the dung and when he tries to return it he ends up being thrown into a new adventure as he helps the prince solve the mysteries plaguing the kingdom.
There are several nods to fairytales throughout which my son loved spotting. He also loved flipping back to the map to check where everything was and trying to solve the mystery.
I was afraid it would be heavy on potty humor, but it actually wasn’t and the author included a note at the end with information about actual dung farmers in history and what their job entailed.
I had a lot of fun reading this new release aloud to my 6 year old! Crumbled! is the first book in a new illustrated middle grade series that follows a boy who works as a royal dung farmer along with his family. One day he discovers the king’s ring among the dung and when he tries to return it he ends up being thrown into a new adventure as he helps the prince solve the mysteries plaguing the kingdom.
There are several nods to fairytales throughout which my son loved spotting. He also loved flipping back to the map to check where everything was and trying to solve the mystery.
I was afraid it would be heavy on potty humor, but it actually wasn’t and the author included a note at the end with information about actual dung farmers in history and what their job entailed.
June 23, 2020
Cute little story for young readers. The inclusion of characters and situations from a variety of fairy tales made this "retelling" remind me of the TV series, Once Upon A Time for kids. Nobbin gets to help Prince Charming solve several mysterious "cases" in the kingdom. I know the author will be writing more to enjoy.
I was glad the author added an author's note at the end, "History was a stinky place." This gives the reader a short, interesting, history lesson about garderobes and the necessity of having dung farmers. It's got just enough "yuck" value for kids that they will learn a little history without knowing it!
I was glad the author added an author's note at the end, "History was a stinky place." This gives the reader a short, interesting, history lesson about garderobes and the necessity of having dung farmers. It's got just enough "yuck" value for kids that they will learn a little history without knowing it!
July 13, 2019
*I received a free ARC from the publisher at BookCon*
This is a great book for younger readers. The writing is fun and engaging. I'm sure kids will like Nobbin and enjoy this first adventure. Parents will like the short chapters when their child asks to read just one more chapter before they go to bed. There are also some great lessons about looking beyond a person's appearance and not jumping to conclusions about them.
This is a great book for younger readers. The writing is fun and engaging. I'm sure kids will like Nobbin and enjoy this first adventure. Parents will like the short chapters when their child asks to read just one more chapter before they go to bed. There are also some great lessons about looking beyond a person's appearance and not jumping to conclusions about them.
April 22, 2020
My son loved this book! Delightfully written and an inventive way to work previously known fairy tale characters into a completely new tale. He listened for the 3 hours it took to read the complete book aloud, listening raptly to each word. He begged for the next book to continue the tales of the characters. We loved adding this series to our bookshelves for future reading: this time when he can read the words himself! Huzzah to Lisa Harkrader for this treasure!
September 7, 2020
LOVED THIS BOOK!
I took a break halfway through because I was reading and enjoying it WAY too fast. When I picked it back up, it was like I'd never put it down.
It was so magical and wonderful and even though you had an idea of the villain, you had no idea what was really going on until the end. Nobbin, Ulff, and Prince Charming are the perfect trio and I can't wait to see what other adventures they go on.
A new addition to my Favorite Books list. :)
I took a break halfway through because I was reading and enjoying it WAY too fast. When I picked it back up, it was like I'd never put it down.
It was so magical and wonderful and even though you had an idea of the villain, you had no idea what was really going on until the end. Nobbin, Ulff, and Prince Charming are the perfect trio and I can't wait to see what other adventures they go on.
A new addition to my Favorite Books list. :)
May 5, 2022
Who knew a young dung farmer would make a good detective? Nobbin Swill never imagined he could be. But one night he gets accidentally cleaned up and discovers the next morning that, without his family's usual coating of royal poo, he becomes a new person--one who assists the prince in solving a rash of crimes in their small kingdom. This mystery is both clever and funny, as it adds a layer of stinky reality to all the fairy tales it draws together into one village. It's excellent fun.
October 6, 2023
This book is a great middle-grade book and is a very clever story that is well-written. The illustrations are done well and are a perfect addition to the story. I found myself laughing throughout and found the whole book to be creatively written. This book is an excellent read for a middle-grade reader.
November 26, 2019
There are so many fractured fairy tales out there, but this is super quirky and will stand out on its own. A little Shrek-esque, and a sort of mystery to figure out as the absurd characters come together, with Nobbin Swill somewhat leading the way!
January 12, 2024
A completely delightful story, no matter what age you are. I loved seeing what the author Lisa Harkrader did with familiar fairy tales like the story of Hansel and Gretel and characters like Prince Charming.
January 1, 2020
Cute book, perfect for that 9-10 yr old. I liked the mystery with the fairytale characters.
May 1, 2020
This delightful middle-grade mystery incorporates multiple fairy tale characters and fast moving plot to create a very joyful read.
Read
June 29, 2021Children will enjoy this book. Little bit of history as well.
November 6, 2019
Tee hee hee heeee! Funny little tale with a touch of mystery and a lot of dung. It’ll sell well to upper elementary with a strong chance for some grade 6s.
September 13, 2019
I predict this fun tale will be popular in my 4th grade library. With the nod to fairytales that is so popular with my students, to the history lesson in dung farming complete with an informative author's note at the end, to the heroic quest of an underdog to better his life, this is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. I laughed out loud and enjoyed every minute. This is Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets the days before indoor plumbings meets fairytale land. You can't help cheer for Nobbin and follow along on his adventure. Heavily illustrated and easily accessible, this is sure to fit the needs of emerging readers. I already have a few in mind that I think might just love this book as much as I do. #LitReviewCrew
August 10, 2019
Younger and less confident readers will like she short sentences and large spacing of the text in this book. Set in the land of fairytales, there are many familiar characters in this story with a more historically-accurate job of dung farming. I liked the concept, but found the delivery lacking in much finesse or charm.
September 19, 2019
Super fun addition to the shelf I call 'bridge books.' Fantastic occasional illustrations and silly plays on old fairy tales vibes keep the action going.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews