Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse (urspr publ 2013; utgåvan 2016)

Goth Girl may not be the most innovative story (relying on a myriad of literary tropes and Riddell’s illustrative talent to drive an expected plot), but that doesn’t stop it from being a charming little book. Ada Goth is tasked with solving a mystery by a ghostly mouse named Ishmael, forcing her to sneak around her family’s gigantic Victorian mansion and make alliances with the help to foil the dastardly plans of the gamekeeper. The book could have gotten quite gristly if Riddell had pressed on why the gamekeeper wanted to have an actual hunt with guns rather than with butterfly nets, but since this is a book for children he keeps it relatively light. In true Victorian gothic fashion, though, there is a certain darkness underlying the relatively ridiculous events which I am sure will please readers of the genre ( )

A wonderful story of a young girl meets a exciting adventure. Twists and turns everywhere, great story line and will jolt you with elation. Definitely a great read with detail that will take your breath away. ( )

I love this book. The characters are quirky and the story is great. I have given this to my son to read and he is enjoying it too. ( )

Another book I picked up as a potential for the Chatterbooks group.
I know they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I have to confess it was the appearance of this book that drew me to it. The purple colour of the dress on the cover [my favourite colour] is echoed by shiny purple edges to the pages. The cover also has a sort of rubbery feel to it. Very tactile and visually appealing.
I was also intrigued by the miniature booklet in the back featuring the mouse's life story. An original touch.
The story itself owes much to other works. From the mouse's introduction: "Call me Ismael" to the nanny who runs off with the chimney sweep, there are literary allusions galore. I'm reasonably well read, and I'm not sure I caught them all. Bottom line is that I don't think it matters too much. It is still an engaging little tale, though at times it does perhaps try a little too hard. To my mind, it is something of a cross between Lemony Snickett and Professor Branestawm with a dash of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
I wouldn't say this has entered my pile of children's favourites, but I enjoyed reading it. I hope the group will too. ( )

This is a perfect book! Excellent for children who like a quirky sense of humour, and even better for parents who read aloud. The text and pictures complement each other perfectly, and it is a really beautiful little volume that matches other titles by Chris Riddell.
Ada Goth lives with her widowed father and some accommodating (but not always honest) servants in a huge gothic house. She is both sympathetic towards her difficult father, and prepared to work around his rules when she wants to, which makes her a very appealing heroine. The basic story involves her in adventures with a ghostly mouse and two visiting children to foil some unpleasant guests who are taking advantage of Lord Goth's grief-induced vagueness.
There are plenty of visual and verbal quirks for the children - the rather sad mouse, and the mysterious bear-nanny are very sweet, and Ada has lots of gumption. But the real joy of this little book is in the clever double-level jokes. There are far too many to mention, almost every paragraph has a sly literary allusion, and they are so cleverly written that you either get them and laugh, or miss them without any interruption to your enjoyment of the book. Personally, I was especially glad to see Becky Sharp's early career remembered - you'll have to read the book to see what I mean! ( )