Fantastic dark, gorgeous fairy tale in lovely verse. Even if you know the goblin market is dangerous, you need to be careful! Luckily, these sisters have each other.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

What really makes this book stand out are the illustrations, but the verse is quite lovely too (if a little shaky at time). The book has a very dark, Grimm-like character to it, in which many young readers are sure to revel.

This book was just what I was hoping it would be. In a world that says we should grab at whatever happens to entice us, this beautiful story shows another way. It shows the reality that many things may tempt us that will actually bring harm and take us away from our true humanity. It shows the value of true friends who seek our good and are willing to fight for us. By implication, it casts a glimpse of Christ, the great Hero, who entered Goblin Market for our sake to rescue us. All of these great themes are presented in an age-appropriate way that is intuited rather than reasoned. The rhyme and few words per page make it feel manageable to young readers despite the quality vocabulary presented. My high first grade, low second grade reader read it easily while learning some new words. She felt the story's tension enough to thoroughly engage her, but not to frighten her. The illustrations are wonderful, adding to the magical and grim nature of the tale. As an educator I see great value in classical adaptions like this one that start young readers on the path of understanding deep themes that they will continue to encounter throughout their reading of Great Literature. This book also has the rare advantage of making not only a classic, but a classic of poetic verse accessible to children, hopefully kindling their appetite for more. I know my daughter will be curious to read the original Christina Rossetti after this.

*Digital review copy courtesy of Netgalley

The artistry in this book helps tell the story. The bold dark coloring with the sprinkles of color thrown in.

The storyline itself, and how it depicts both sisters being completely different. Yet the more cautious sister risked it all to save the more daring one.


It’s a beautiful story of true siblingship and friendship!


I volunteered to read this ARC through NetGalley

I received and ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my. This book is stunning. It's a mash up of good old fashioned fairy tales mixed with sisterly love and a gothic undertone. The rhyming, The rhythm, The illustrations. The feels. This book has absolutely everything you could want from a picture book and more.

‘Into the Goblin Market’ is a gorgeously illustrated tribute to the original poem ‘Goblin Market’ by Christina Rossetti. The original text itself is quite dark with layers upon layers of symbolism and themes that explore identity, womanhood, temptation and the like. I think choosing to focus more on the bond between sisters and the emphasis on intelligence and resilience in the face of challenges and obstacles was a good choice for an adaptation for younger readers. The writing is very lyrical and the pages are filled with beautiful gothic imagery (the colour scheme is kept monochromatic using only red, white and black ink.) Will this be for every child? No. but neither is every book or story. If you have a child who appreciates and is drawn to intricate illustrations, fairytales, poetry or stranger tales than this will be for them.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for sending me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A few months ago, I had a patron looking for books for kids featuring medieval-style illuminations. While I was utterly thrilled to remember the existence of The Inquisitor’s Tale (she was excited about it to), this would have been absolutely *perfect* for what she was looking for. The illustrations are gorgeous pen and ink - black and white with just hints of red for contrast. And the text pages are surrounded by intricate frames, very much reminiscent of medieval illuminations. It’s beautiful on my screen, so I can’t wait to see what it looks like in paper form.

The content itself…I’m not sure how much it would actually appeal to kids? It has an old school fairytale feel, but the source material is not exactly child friendly! I remember reading this poem in undergrad and having a VERY long discussion in class about how the goblin market is basically just a giant orgy, and the whole thing is a cautionary tale about female desire. That’s…an interesting angle for a children’s book! (to be fair, the message here is more about putting others before yourself, and saving someone even if you are also scared. And there are some nifty cameos from fairytale characters)

Into the Goblin Market is a tribute to the long famous Rosetti poem, Goblin Market. It is an illustrated story with stunning dark gothic imagery. The pictures and book are absolutely gorgeous and the story is lyrical and fun to read. I wish the illustrator would illustrate the original Goblin Market poem! I would recommend this to adults and children who like their stories to be a little be dark or strange, like Lemony Snicket's work. This book is definitely meant to be enjoyed as a physical book. I loved all of the details and style.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

We really enjoyed the book. The rhyming was fun and singsong-y and the illustrations were perfect for the story and lending an eeriness to the book. It helped me to talk to my kid about not overlooking the things we have just because of cool things we don’t. We will definitely read this one many times over!

This is a great age friendly retelling of the Goblin Market. Easy to read and the pictures are great for keeping students interest in the book. The life lessons are abundant and easy to create lessons from as teachers or home schooling. Overall a quality book

Classic fairy tale villains come to life in this children’s picture book ode to Christina Rossetti's poem “Goblin Market” in this ARC from Penguin Random House Canada. The female protagonist, Millie, displays great courage as she searches for her adventurous sister, Mina, when the Goblin Market comes to town. Will Millie’s bravery and wits be enough to save Mina? The illustrations are beautiful and eye-catching with their black and splashes of red. The rhythm of the writing adds a nice pace to the text. This book is for fans of classic fairy tales, strong female characters, and artistic writing and illustrations. #NetGalley

A enchanting and beautiful take on the classic poem of the Goblin market. This was such a gorgeous ode to Christina Rossetti's classic poem and the artwork for this book was absolutely stunning. This book was a really whimsical read and I definitely will be purchasing it for my own book collection when it comes out!

*Thanks Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I love poetry, fairy tales and plucky heroines and this book had them all! Children need to hear poetry spoken so I hope adults will read this aloud to young ones. The illustrations were unique in black and white featuring just bits of red. What a delight to see one of the sisters outsmart the tricky goblins.