What do you think?
Rate this book
Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Academy #1.5
A Goblin Problem
A 96-page, full-color early chapter book, based on the iconic board game Dungeons & Dragons and featuring characters from the hit middle grade series Dungeon Academy!
Being a human at the prestigious Dungeon Academy is strictly forbidden. That’s why Zelli Stormclash must keep her identity a secret!
Disguised as a minotaur, Zelli does her work, tries her best to blend in with her monstrous surroundings all the while keeping to herself. Unless it involves bullies. Zelli hates bullies and has no problem putting a stop to their antics.
When a smaller student is teased by a gang of goblin bullies, Zelli steps in to save the day. But will the “Bully Crusher” take on more than she can handle?
Being a human at the prestigious Dungeon Academy is strictly forbidden. That’s why Zelli Stormclash must keep her identity a secret!
Disguised as a minotaur, Zelli does her work, tries her best to blend in with her monstrous surroundings all the while keeping to herself. Unless it involves bullies. Zelli hates bullies and has no problem putting a stop to their antics.
When a smaller student is teased by a gang of goblin bullies, Zelli steps in to save the day. But will the “Bully Crusher” take on more than she can handle?
96 pages, Paperback
Published May 17, 2022
9 people are currently reading
1827 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 7, 2022
a fantastic and epic tale of friendship! i adored the representation in this book and honestly can't wait for the next one in the series
Read
March 15, 2025I first came across this series on display in the kids section at my local library. While meant for younger readers it had beautiful art, and took place in the Forgotten Realms, so I was sold, ostensibly purely to check it out for my twin boys.
This book is a side-story to the main, much more involved trilogy that serves as the backbone of the series. That being said, it's full of the fun art of Tim Probert and has an important moral lesson in the story. It even had a plot twist I didn't see coming - well played, children's book. It's written at a much more simple language level than the main trilogy, but again, it's meant for elementary school kids so this isn't a complaint on my part. I'm glad I read it for completion's sake.
On a side note, the book is credited to Diane Walker, who is apparently the same person as Madeline Roux, the author of the main trilogy in the series.
This book is a side-story to the main, much more involved trilogy that serves as the backbone of the series. That being said, it's full of the fun art of Tim Probert and has an important moral lesson in the story. It even had a plot twist I didn't see coming - well played, children's book. It's written at a much more simple language level than the main trilogy, but again, it's meant for elementary school kids so this isn't a complaint on my part. I'm glad I read it for completion's sake.
On a side note, the book is credited to Diane Walker, who is apparently the same person as Madeline Roux, the author of the main trilogy in the series.
Read
August 20, 2024Read this chapter book with Keegan.
Adding only chapter books to my list to keep track.
Adding only chapter books to my list to keep track.
February 15, 2022
This is the perfect chapter book for D & D lovers and kids. The story moves quickly and I love the addition of the words read at the end of each chapter.
** I received this book for review from NetGalley**
** I received this book for review from NetGalley**
April 13, 2022
Reviewed from a Netgalley ARC.
This book follows a human girl named Zelli, who is in disguise at the Dungeon Academy. Zelli wants to help monsters who are being picked on.
This was an early chapter book about the importance of relying on your friends and standing up for what you believe in. I loved the inclusion of all the different Dungeons & Dragons creatures and how each one was explained for any kids that aren’t familiar. I also LOVED the illustrations a ton.
Overall, I think it was an excellent chapter book with a solid message. Would definitely recommend for children with an interest in D&D or fantasy in general.
This book follows a human girl named Zelli, who is in disguise at the Dungeon Academy. Zelli wants to help monsters who are being picked on.
This was an early chapter book about the importance of relying on your friends and standing up for what you believe in. I loved the inclusion of all the different Dungeons & Dragons creatures and how each one was explained for any kids that aren’t familiar. I also LOVED the illustrations a ton.
Overall, I think it was an excellent chapter book with a solid message. Would definitely recommend for children with an interest in D&D or fantasy in general.
April 10, 2022
D&D is my jam and I am so happy to see such diverse and different novels and books coming out to celebrate the game and the worlds it builds. I loved that this one was made for elementary school kids! I would rate this one a 2nd-5th grade read.
Zelli is an undercover human at the "villains" side of the D&D game: the dungeons academy. She was adopted by two Minotaur moms (one of whom works at her school as a PE coach). Disguised as a Minotaur, Zelli navigates school, friendships with students who are a little different like her and of, course bullies. And as everyone knows, goblins are the biggest bullies of them all. Hence the title: A Goblin Problem.
What I loved: the illustrations were colorful, diverse and whimsical, the characters were more than just stereotypes of each character race, and the world building was quick and lovely, the themes for kids were powerful and inspiring.
Zelli is an undercover human at the "villains" side of the D&D game: the dungeons academy. She was adopted by two Minotaur moms (one of whom works at her school as a PE coach). Disguised as a Minotaur, Zelli navigates school, friendships with students who are a little different like her and of, course bullies. And as everyone knows, goblins are the biggest bullies of them all. Hence the title: A Goblin Problem.
What I loved: the illustrations were colorful, diverse and whimsical, the characters were more than just stereotypes of each character race, and the world building was quick and lovely, the themes for kids were powerful and inspiring.
July 24, 2022
This is a fun jaunt into Dungeon Academy, with age-appropriate adventures and problems for the child who has transitioned into reading chapter books like the Magic Tree House series. Plenty of pictures, large text, and a helpful mimic telling you how many words you read at the end of each chapter.
My problem with this book is with the publishers. See, this beginning chapter book is a sequel to a book for much older readers, Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Academy: No Humans Allowed!. In "No Humans Allowed," we meet Zelli and her friends; in this book, they continue to have adventures. The natural progression of the young reader should ideally be to read and enjoy this series and then move on as they become stronger readers, to more advanced books - and believe me, kids will call this multi-level series out for the higher books being stories that happened before the books they already read.
Also, why is the author of the series using a different name on this? Diane Walker is Madeleine Roux, as stated in the back of the book. If your library shelves all juvenile chapter books (fiction) by author, this book and the more advanced Dungeon Academy books by Roux will not be anywhere near each other.
In sum, this is a good book. The publishers are making mistakes in how they're handling the multi-level series, and it's going to frustrate my young patrons.
My problem with this book is with the publishers. See, this beginning chapter book is a sequel to a book for much older readers, Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Academy: No Humans Allowed!. In "No Humans Allowed," we meet Zelli and her friends; in this book, they continue to have adventures. The natural progression of the young reader should ideally be to read and enjoy this series and then move on as they become stronger readers, to more advanced books - and believe me, kids will call this multi-level series out for the higher books being stories that happened before the books they already read.
Also, why is the author of the series using a different name on this? Diane Walker is Madeleine Roux, as stated in the back of the book. If your library shelves all juvenile chapter books (fiction) by author, this book and the more advanced Dungeon Academy books by Roux will not be anywhere near each other.
In sum, this is a good book. The publishers are making mistakes in how they're handling the multi-level series, and it's going to frustrate my young patrons.
September 18, 2023
The third book in the Dungeon Academy series, it's a much shorter book, that also feels to be targeting developing readers instead of the usual middle-school readers that were the target readers for the other two books.
Zelli Stormclash is the only human at the monster-filled Dungeon Academy. Though the monsters of Dungeon Academy promote cruelty and selfishness (kind of to a ridiculous extent), Zelli and her three friends can't help being kind, and do what they can to stop bullies throughout the school.
This book is certainly spot-on for its target audience. It's fun, age appropriate (maybe a little too easy?), and has a good lesson. So, I'd definitely recommend it for reading, but it does not feel a great investment for a young reader. Comparing it to a lot of other series for the age (Zita Space-girl, Bad Guys, Pacy Packer, even Baby Mouse!), I do not think my daughter will still be interested in reading it down the road. While those others, she could easily be reading when she was fifteen, maybe twenty, or even older!
Totally tolerable book, but with so many better choices out there, it's just not worth going out of your way to buy.
Zelli Stormclash is the only human at the monster-filled Dungeon Academy. Though the monsters of Dungeon Academy promote cruelty and selfishness (kind of to a ridiculous extent), Zelli and her three friends can't help being kind, and do what they can to stop bullies throughout the school.
This book is certainly spot-on for its target audience. It's fun, age appropriate (maybe a little too easy?), and has a good lesson. So, I'd definitely recommend it for reading, but it does not feel a great investment for a young reader. Comparing it to a lot of other series for the age (Zita Space-girl, Bad Guys, Pacy Packer, even Baby Mouse!), I do not think my daughter will still be interested in reading it down the road. While those others, she could easily be reading when she was fifteen, maybe twenty, or even older!
Totally tolerable book, but with so many better choices out there, it's just not worth going out of your way to buy.
March 17, 2023
Yes, this is a children's book, not YA, a kiddie's book, 1st to 5th grade. Yes, I'm a childless 40 year old with a couple of PhDs and my other reading at the time was a book on Heidegger's hermeneutics. Did I still enjoy this? You betcha!
A version for younger kids of the other middle-grade Dungeon Academy series, this one's for kids from 1st to 5th grade. It tells the continuing adventures of Zelli, a human pretending to be a minotaur in a monster academy.
This time she has to help a Goblin girl who is being bullied by a bunch of larger Goblins. Together with her kobold, owlbear and mimic friends she is going to help the goblin girl even if being nice is frowned upon at the academy.
A version for younger kids of the other middle-grade Dungeon Academy series, this one's for kids from 1st to 5th grade. It tells the continuing adventures of Zelli, a human pretending to be a minotaur in a monster academy.
This time she has to help a Goblin girl who is being bullied by a bunch of larger Goblins. Together with her kobold, owlbear and mimic friends she is going to help the goblin girl even if being nice is frowned upon at the academy.
April 12, 2023
I hated it, I think it sucked ass… Lol 😂 but I’m not the target audience. I thought I was because I’m like a big kid and I’ve been playing D&D for a very long time. I just have this really hard time getting through the concept of monsters all going to a school and having clicks, and them not being bad and just sort of misunderstood. When I was young and played D&D you would fight orcs, goblins, Liches, etc, and you’d kill them and take their loot and rummage around through dungeons, but now it seems you just go to school with them and try to be friends… Lol 😝
Kids… it’s okay to kill monsters and be heroes and get the treasure and rewards! 🧝🏻♀️🧙🏻♂️🧝🏻♂️🧙🏻♀️🏹🗡🔮🧹⚗️🛡⚔️🪓🔱
Kids… it’s okay to kill monsters and be heroes and get the treasure and rewards! 🧝🏻♀️🧙🏻♂️🧝🏻♂️🧙🏻♀️🏹🗡🔮🧹⚗️🛡⚔️🪓🔱
March 28, 2022
A cute story set in the DnD universe about not beling alone. Zelli is known for standing up to bullies. When she gets a request from a goblin for help, she is determined to help, but all by herself. Despite her friends saying they will help, Zelli sets out alone and soon founds herself in over her head. Luckily her friends show up to the save the day!
I loved the DnD academy this was set in and all the classes they had to take. The writing style wasn't my favorite, but it was still an enjoyable story!
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the DnD academy this was set in and all the classes they had to take. The writing style wasn't my favorite, but it was still an enjoyable story!
I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 28, 2022
I think this is a great book to get kids that are interested in Dungeons and Dragons acquainted with the world. Having all of the characters be kids at school is a relatable way to encourage kids to engage with the D&D style content. I think that the plot twist was good, I was surprised by it, which is always delightful as a reader. My only critique is that some of the writing felt a bit robotic and some of the dialogue didn't read very smooth. Overall, I will definitely recommend this title to kids that are looking to get involved with high fantasy roleplay.
July 18, 2023
These types of books are written to sell to little kids that like Dungeons and Dragons or think it's cool. It's a whole commercial thing, but this book is not as bad as many books like this that I have read. The main character is a strong girl with relatable emotions. The storyline is understandable and follows through. It's an ok read, especially when reading it with a kid that is really enjoying it.
June 24, 2022
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is a great chapter book for young readers set in the Dungeons and Dragons world. I liked the diversity of characters and especially liked the inclusion of the encouraging words read section at the end of each chapter.
October 7, 2023
A most excellent early chapter book. In addition to the strongly-drawn characters and opportunities for discussion, each chapter ends with a mimic in book form sharing with the reader how many chapters they've read with the cumulative word count: a great idea to celebrate learning readers' accomplishments.
January 16, 2025
Book 1.5 of Dungeon Academy. This book supplements the previous trilogy with just a fun little aside. Overall, this book is short and lacks and purpose to the main story. It is a fun look at our main group of friends, but it is more about the revisiting of old familiar characters, than any new information or deepening of character. ��
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
December 15, 2022
Won this on goodreads giveaways. Love this book . I love the artwork of the pictures and the great story line. A great book to read to your kids . Teaches them about friendship and teamwork. I highly recommend it.
September 8, 2024
We read it to our 9 year old as a bedtime book. She enjoyed it, I enjoyed reading it. The writing style was noticeably different than the others. I’d recommend it for anyone who is a fan of the series. It’s a quick read.
June 6, 2025
I’m not the target audience of this, but still enjoyed it as a side quest from the main trilogy (which is written at a middle grade level). Written for younger grades, this includes full colour illustrations and a very nice literacy additions (chapter tracker, reflective questions at the end).
June 12, 2022
Imma sucker for anything D&D. While an early reader chapter book, the moral is good for all ages. Great starter for any young adventurer.
July 18, 2022
Really enjoying reading this series with my daughter. It's a great deal of fun to share my love of dnd and a good moral to boot.
May 5, 2023
A cute, short audiobook
May 5, 2023
A cute short story audiobook
October 22, 2023
This book is a lovely early chapter book. While the fantasy elements make it fun to read, the overall message is a great takeaway for readers.
December 19, 2023
Cute, my 7-year-old enjoyed it.
May 17, 2025
10 year old started it but says it didn't interest them enough to finish it.
February 4, 2022
ARC thru Edelweiss and my workplace. Cute little d&d inspired story
April 30, 2023
Totally adorable children's book set within the dnd verse. Great illustrations and fun characters made this a nice escape for an hour to read.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews