Fotinoula and the Christmas Goblin

I expected “cozy Christmas spooks” and this book definitely delivered!

It's currently June, but I don't care, I loved this wintery adventure. The primary audience is middle grade (Fotinoula is 11), so I will be reviewing this book from that perspective and for parents/guardians/teachers to recommend to kiddos at their discretions. Mild spoilers will be mentioned throughout this review, but I will keep them vague and hide them if necessary.

First off, educational opportunity is abundant. There is an incredibly helpful glossary for pronunciations of Greek words and names, along with a brief description of what the word is/means. These descriptions are presented in a way that is easy to understand and memorable while also challenging the reader to flex those brain muscles! I feel like I learned a bit of Greek, which is always fun. Fotinoula and the Christmas Goblin leans heavily into Greek folklore, so there is mention of Athena and other Greek gods, as well as a mixture of Christian theology (praying & “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost”), on top of the legends and magic of the Christmas Goblin. The story itself entwines primarily Greek culture (food, holiday traditions, character names, history, etc.) so if you need a story heavily set in Greece for educational purposes, I highly recommend this one!

As for the story, it is a spooky Christmas book, but I would deem it appropriate for middle graders (8-12), with awareness that it is spooky. It's not gory, but the main character deals with a curse that gives her nightmares and she lives in fear that her sister (4 years old) will be taken by the Christmas Goblin. There's stories of this happening before throughout the book and, again, it's not gory, but it might frighten some young readers. The Christmas Goblins are mostly pranksters, so nothing too sinister - other than the fact that they want to turn little kids into more goblins. Overall, it feels sort of like Home Alone (1990 Christmas film), but if the robbers were goblins.

Content disclaimers: No cursing. No romance. No gore. Just some mild spooks and creepy settings.