Name: Gregory and the Grimbockle
ISBN: 9780991110933

Melanie Schubert

Jared Kraft

Ten-year-old Gregory is about to find out that the enormous mole stuck straight beneath his nose is not just a mole, but is actually a humpy crumpy portal of skin that hides a creature called the Grimbockle.What¿s more? The Grimbockle is just one of the many strange little creatures called Bockles tending to the mysterious threads that connect all humans from one to the other. It is a very important job and one that has long been carried out with incredible secrecy......that is, before tonight.

Gregory and the Grimbockle

Deepika Ramesh

When I borrowed this book from Netgalley, I had no clue that I was signing up for a good adventure. It just sounded curious, but 'Gregory and the Grimbockle' was way more than that.

A sad boy, with a magical creature's help, understands the mysterious ways in which our feelings work. The book subtly tells the readers that kindness is the panacea. Our heads could be full of darkness, but a tiny act of kindness could be the much-needed spark to dismal the darkness. It teaches children AND adults to be non-judgmental and kind, and do thoughtful things within one's limits to light up others's lives. 

I squirmed a bit when I went through the details on the slithery dark things which popped up from humans's heads. But that can be endured, for the book's motive is truly noble.

Dee B. 

There are moments in your life when you wish you can do/read/watch x-thing again for the first time, just to relive the magic. This book does that for me. Gregory is that exact kind of outcast that you feel sorry for. Watching him come into his own is beautiful. The soundtrack adds perfectly to the fantastical world of the Bockles on their journey to fix the humans (Lord knows we need fixing). If only it were really that easy in real life, am I right? For fans of Terry Pratchett and Madeleine L'Engle.

Lysh (She/Her)

Disclaimer: The author sent me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

"Gregory and the Grimbockle" is an adorable middle grade novel about life, relationships, and adventure. 

Gregory is an ordinary boy with a huge mole just above his lip. One day a Grimbockle (a tiny creature with magical abilities whose job it is to look after the exoodles that connect hoo-mans to each other) falls out of this mole and the adventures begin! 

This novel is oodles and oodles of fun. I read the first half to my class of 10-11 year olds and they remarked at how funny and different it was. They giggled the whole way through. Some even noted how closely Gregory's experiences with exoodles and friendships resembled their own! I adored the moral of the story and it is certainly something I would have connected to strongly as a child. This will influence the way I think about my relationships with other hoo-mans (and my moles and freckles) for years to come. I see this novel connecting well to other middle grade books next year and fitting into my teaching units for Year 5. 

Additional to the novel itself, the publisher has provided a set of compositions to accompany each chapter with the idea that this would add to the reading experience. Although I enjoyed these by themselves I found it difficult to read and listen at the same time. It may just be my circumstances of reading aloud to a class of 18 kids that made this difficult and I'm sure listening in solitude whilst reading in my head would have been a more enjoyable experience. That being said, the music certainly excited the students and we listened to this separately before reading each chapter to set the scene. If you are an educator teaching English and music then this would be a great way to talk about musical themes and expression of ideas before students compose music for their own book chapter. 

I enjoyed the adventures of Gregory and his Grimbockle, and I'll never look at cockroaches or moles in the same way again. Schubert has done a beautiful job at bringing the world of the Bockles to life and I'll certainly be purchasing a hard copy of this novel for my class collection in the new year. 

Recommend for ages 8-11
Rating: 4/5 stars
2017: 46/50 books

Lisa van der Heijden 

*4.5 stars

I find it really hard to review middle-grade books. As a (young) adult my thoughts and experiences are more complex than generally presented in children’s books. A good middle-grade book transports me back in time and reminds me how it was to be a child. And Gregory and the Grimbockle did just that. 

Since it got a free copy of this book from the author it is my job to write down my honest opinion about it. So I will begin by saying that the beginning of the story did not appeal to me at all. Another child that looks ordinary, who is treated badly by his surroundings and has a unique appearance: a weird looking mole right under his nose. As a child, I have read at least a dozen books that started with somewhat the same description of the main protagonist. However by the time I read the first couple chapters my opinion had changed dramatically. 

Gregory and the Grimbockle is a unique, heart-warming story about a young boy – Gregory – who learns that treating all the people around you with kindness is very important. This also applies to the mean(ish) people in your life. This story has a very cute magical realism part of it (exoodles). The grimbockle is a very extraordinary creature that has a big impact on Gregory’s life. 

The execution of the grimbockles was really good. They have their own way of talking, their own particulars and culture. Especially Gregory’s grimbockle was a cute little thing that says the funniest things: “Yes, it’s my name, but I is not a boy. I is a hebockle.” “You is blinding us with your ferocious little sun.” Gregory himself was a sweet, little boy. I think a lot of children will be able to recognize themselves in him. He undergoes a lot of growth during the story that was lovely to read about it. 

Although it is a children’s book it had some curious associations for me. The story begins that the grimbockle climbs out of Gregory’s mole! This made me think of the Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Next Gregory’s eyes needed to be coated with carrot juice before he can see the exoodles. This reminded me strongly of the glamours from the shadowhunter books. Lastly, there is a scene in the book where the grimbockle and Gregory use different substances to grow and shrink in size. Of course, this reminded me of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland!! 

The only tiny little issues I had was that the ending felt a little rushed. I would have loved a more subtle ending. 

Overall this was a very cute, loving book with a very important message. I am very happy that I got the chance to read this book and I know that little Lisa would have loved the story if I read it when I was young. You should definitely consider reading this book if you love children’s literature. Als, I think this book would be a lovely present for a little bookworm.

Gregory and the Grimbockle

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