The Marvelous Land of Snergs

October 3, 2022
Based on the 1927 E.A. Wyke-Smith book of the same title that’s notable for its influence on The Hobbit, this archly voiced update from Cossanteli (The Halloweeds) reads like a classic children’s adventure in the vein of Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland. Landing on the same day at the Sunny Bay Home for Superfluous and Accidentally Parentless Children, the two newest residents quickly start chafing at the facility’s strict rules. Pip, the youngest of the Fantastic Flying Frangipanis, shows up when a tiger eats his furious father; Flora, who stops speaking after her mother forbids her constant chatter, arrives after her parents go down with the Titanic. Lured by the promise of freedom, Flora is abducted by a purple-clad woman with a puppy, resulting in a chase that sends both children, portrayed with light skin, through a mysterious gate. On the other side, they are guided by memorably depicted Gorbo, a well-meaning but comically absentminded Snerg—a hobbit-like line of cheerful tree-dwellers who are fond of food and stories—as they try to find their way home, encountering fanciful creatures, attending a Queen’s feast, and ending generational enmity. Ample whimsy and episodic escapades give the quest a friendly, low-stakes feel; interior artwork from Castrillón (Dear Little One) enhances the fanciful vibe. Ages 8–12.

August 1, 2022
A reworked version of a classic 1927 British fairy story by E.A. Wyke-Smith that strongly influenced J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Cossanteli takes two wayward orphans from the rule-bound confines of the Sunny Bay Home for Superfluous and Accidentally Parentless Children (presided over by Miss Watkyns, a spit-spot mistress distinctly akin to Mary Poppins) into a magic land of goblin-infested swamps and tunnels, armored knights, giant crocopotami, and like terrifying threats. There are also witches good and evil and, most prominently, Snergs, who are a race of short, merry, food- and story-loving folk with names like Wilmus and Pompo. Punctuated by the occasional feast (and sharp comments about the shortcomings of bad parents), the round of exciting chases, captures, and narrow escapes culminate in multiple transformations, from a physical one for fiendishly clever and scary witch Malicia and inner ones for electively mute orphan Flora and her unschooled friend Pip to their Snerg guardian Gorbo's makeover from bumbling scatterbrain to hero, loyal and true. Castrill�n supplies elegantly antique montages and spot art, with occasional views of the light-skinned central characters. This story, with clever wordplay and echoes of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, will delight. A breezy refresh for a little-known story with all sorts of intriguing associations. (Light fantasy. 7-11)

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