Goblin Market

June 1, 2022
A young girl must face scary situations in order to save her sister from a goblin posing as a man. Elzbieta, who goes by Lizzie, enjoys her simple farm life and close bond with her older sister, Minka, despite their differences; Minka is outgoing whereas Lizzie is overwhelmed by social situations. One day, when Minka returns from the market after a day of selling bread and vegetables, Lizzie can sense something has changed. Minka has become smitten with a handsome new fruit seller named Emil. Soon after, however, she is struck down by a mysterious illness. As Lizzie tries to help her sister, she discovers that Emil is a zdusze, or goblin, and is responsible for Minka's state. With the assistance of neighbor boy Jakob, Lizzie enters treacherous Noc Forest to try to defeat Emil and save Minka. This broadly appealing, straightforward story reads like a folktale with its spooky, fantasy elements and uncomplicated, yet satisfying, good-overcomes-evil plot. The Polish-inspired setting is primarily noted through character names and foods, although the worldbuilding is light. Creepy imagery, like a bleeding tree and a carpet of snakes, will entice readers looking for some chills, while themes of sisterhood, love, and bravery make the story overall more likely to induce sentimentality than nightmares. Lizzie has synesthesia--sounds evoke colors for her--and is cued as neurodiverse. Characters are implied White. Sisterly love triumphs in this endearing, somewhat spooky tale. (Fantasy. 9-13)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 20, 2022
Set in an unidentified region of what cues strongly as Poland, Zahler’s (Daughter of the White Rose) folklore-based fantasy is rooted in the bond between sisters Elzbieta, called Lizzie, and Minka, who are vastly different from, yet devoted to, one another. Synesthete Lizzie, extremely anxious among people, thrives on solitude, while merry Minka, a talented painter, flourishes selling the family’s bread and produce at the village market. Lizzie’s perceptions involve seeing sounds in color: leaves rustling in spring are silver, Minka’s voice is pink, and a thunderstorm is “a vortex” that makes her dizzy and nauseated. After Minka returns from the market infatuated with handsome fruit purveyor Emil and the delicious plum he gave her, Lizzie is suspicious. Her suspicions turn to fright when Minka succumbs to a delirious fever, and her golden hair turns gray and falls out. Meeting Emil and finding that no hue attends his voice, Lizzie is certain he is behind Minka’s strange illness. Fueled by love for her sibling, Lizzie becomes entangled in the world of zdusze, forest goblins of lore who entice and capture girls. As elements of horror build to an extended climax teeming with fiends, Lizzie’s evolution from “shy, strange and fearful” to strong and determined
is believably wrought, even as Minka’s transformation is less credible. All characters read as white. Ages 10–14. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary.

July 1, 2022
Grades 5-8 In this reimagined version of Christina Rossetti's poem ""Goblin Market,"" sisters Lizzie and Minka live with their parents on a farm with a village nearby. Lizzie, the younger, is shy and has synesthesia: she sees sounds as colors and being in a crowd can easily overwhelm her. She prefers to help on the farm while her vivacious older sister, Minka, takes produce and bread to market. One day, Minka returns talking about a handsome boy, Emil, who gave her a perfect plum from the fruit he brought to market. Yet in the ensuing time, Minka becomes lethargic and fretful, longing for more fruit from Emil's stand. Lizzie, suspicious of Emil, has to pluck up her courage and overcome her fears to rescue her sister. While the story Zahler tells differs from Rossetti's poem, the spirit is similar, and Zahler employs descriptive language not unlike Rossetti's. The love the sisters bear for each other is obvious from the start, which is an element of Lizzie's success. The well-rounded and appealing characters in this absorbing tale nicely ground the fantasy elements.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2022
Lizzie "sees" sounds as colors and is sensitive to direct eye contact and being touched; her older sister, Minka, looks out for her and paints the colors Lizzie describes. One day Minka comes home from the market rhapsodic over a new vendor -- a handsome young man selling the most delectable fruit. Over the next few weeks, Minka grows pale for love of him, loses her hair, and falls into a coma-like sleep. The girls' neighbor Jakob helps Lizzie learn what is wrong with Minka: upon investigation, they suspect she's been enchanted by a zdusze, a goblin who steals away children and young women. The pastoral surroundings (and particularly Lizzie's description of rich sound-colors) create a lush setting for the folkloric ensorcelled-by-goblins plot, with its dreamy depictions of fruit and longing and with sprinklings of ethnological details from Eastern European cultures. On her quest to save her sister, Lizzie faces down many of her "worries" (going to the market, talking to strangers, knocking on people's doors) while also making use of her strengths (blunt honesty, unsentimental perception, bravery regarding snakes). The climax delivers some breath-quickening action, but this warmly reassuring tale, with its nontraditional protagonist, will keep readers engrossed from beginning to end. Anita L. Burkam

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from January 13, 2023

Gr 4-8-Despite their opposite personalities, sisters Elzbieta (Lizzie) and Minka vowed they would stay together forever. Beautiful and vibrant Mink loves going to the village market to purchase and sell food. Lizzie, the quieter of the two, prefers to be at home or in the Wood. Lizzie can see sound as color-and it can be overwhelming for her at times. One day, Minka meets a boy at the market who gives her the most perfect and refreshing fruit. Minka can't stop talking about him or the fruit. Soon after, Minka grows frail, loses her hair, and falls in and out of a deep slumber. When Minka runs off with the mysterious Emil, Lizzie and her friend Jakob rely on the power of love and their courage to save her from the zdusze's (goblin's) spell. Based on Christina Rosetti's 19th-century Victorian poem, "The Goblin Market," Zahler's immersive folktale narrative has just the right amount of spookiness and suspense for middle grade readers. Lizzie is a heroine whom readers will root for, and her sisterly bond with Minka is refreshing. Kids will want to enjoy this in one sitting. VERDICT A rich folklore setting, goblin magic, and a spooky atmosphere with a hopeful ending make this a top choice for upper middle grade and middle school collections.-Marissa Lieberman

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2022
Lizzie "sees" sounds as colors and is sensitive to direct eye contact and being touched; her older sister, Minka, looks out for her and paints the colors Lizzie describes. One day Minka comes home from the market rhapsodic over a new vendor -- a handsome young man selling the most delectable fruit. Over the next few weeks, Minka grows pale for love of him, loses her hair, and falls into a coma-like sleep. The girls' neighbor Jakob helps Lizzie learn what is wrong with Minka: upon investigation, they suspect she's been enchanted by a zdusze, a goblin who steals away children and young women. The pastoral surroundings (and particularly Lizzie's description of rich sound-colors) create a lush setting for the folkloric ensorcelled-by-goblins plot, with its dreamy depictions of fruit and longing and with sprinklings of ethnological details from Eastern European cultures. On her quest to save her sister, Lizzie faces down many of her "worries" (going to the market, talking to strangers, knocking on people's doors) while also making use of her strengths (blunt honesty, unsentimental perception, bravery regarding snakes). The climax delivers some breath-quickening action, but this warmly reassuring tale, with its nontraditional protagonist, will keep readers engrossed from beginning to end.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)