The Riddle of the Gnome: A Further Tale Adventure (Further Tales Adventures)

By P.W. Catanese

Book Overview

Riddle me this: A gnome suddenly appears.with a proposition for a young boy -- "Help me and I'll cure your curse."

Twelve-year-old Tom lives alone on an island in the middle of a river. Nobody dares approach him because the boy is cursed -- he brings bad luck to anyone around him. One day an odd little man -- a gnome, perhaps -- comes to see Tom, ignoring the boy's warnings to keep his distance. The hot-tempered, shifty gnome makes an astounding offer: He'll rid the boy of his hex, if the boy will embark on a mission for him. If Tom agrees will it really mean the end of his lonely existence?

With no answers and nothing to lose but bad luck, Tom sets off through the green valleys and peaks of Londria, but he quickly realizes the stakes of this gnome's game are high. And time is scarce. As the chips stack against him in a land riddled with obstacles, Tom wonders if he could be trading his curse for something far worse.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416912525
• ISBN13: 9781416912521
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

A great read-together book

I'm always glad when the story I read with my son is interesting to me as well. This story, as with all of Mr. Catanese's "Further Tales", is well-crafted and compelling. Tom, a boy forced to live in isolation because he causes bad luck to those around him, is given an opportunity from a beastly little gnome to finally break the curse he has endured. The question is, what are the gnome's motives, and what will he require of Tom? The story has some nice underlying messages about appearances not being the most reliable way to judge others, and even about adoption. I recommend this and all of the "Further Tales".