Bouncing the Grinning Goat

by Shannon Hale, Tessa Aberjonois (Narrator)

Spark has stolen her brother’s armor and his sword, and now she’s looking for a job. But this job is going to bring much more than she bargained for, and even her wits might not be enough to save her. A short story from Guys Read: Other Worlds, edited by Jon Scieszka.

Performed by Tessa Aberjonois.
1 online resource (1 audio file (36 min.)).

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Short Stories, Adventure, Fiction, Audiobook, Middle Grade

1 pages, Audiobook

First published August 27, 2013

About the author

Shannon Hale is the New York Times best-selling author of six young adult novels: the Newbery Honor book Princess Academy, multiple award winner Book of a Thousand Days, and the highly acclaimed Books of Bayern series. She has written three books for adults, including the upcoming Midnight in Austenland (Jan. 2012), companion book to Austenland. She co-wrote the hit graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge and its sequel Calamity Jack with husband Dean Hale. They live near Salt Lake City, Utah with their four small children, and their pet, a small, plastic pig.

Reviews

[Howard]

4.5 Stars for Bouncing the Grinning Goat (audiobook) by Shannon Hale read by Tessa Aberjonois.

This was such a fun and creative short story for all ages. I really enjoyed it.

[Nicole]

It was great, it was fun, it had that Shannon Hale magic, and I wanted a whole book instead of just a short story! I love her Goose Girl series and Princess Academy series.

[LizthePrude]

Super short story, but fun. Wished it could have gone on longer.

[Jacob]

It’s an enjoyable light fantasy story. I stumbled onto it, seeking a quick audiobook, and was pleasantly surprised. The narrator is a bit pitchy, which can detract from the story. There’s a bit of a disconnect between the world, which is definitely not what I would call juvenile, and the juvenile-minded MC. I can’t tell if the side characters are deliberately entertaining the MC’s fantasy or they really buy the MC’s shenanigans. This character, matured a bit to match the setting, could be a solid novel. This is a mid 3 considering what it is - worth a quick listen

[Margaret]

A fun short story. A young girls goes out to adventure, runs into some situations, teams up with others, tries a few different solutions (because they don't always work), and generally does some adventuring. Light fantasy

[Philmore Olazo]

Fun.

Incidental conflict and the dire need to resolve a problem that occurred because of a lie (the problem would still be there, yes, but because of the lie our protagonist was forced to respond).

I would really really like to continue with this story.

[Henna]

3.5 stars

[Annie]

This nimble story charmed me completely. It would be great fun to follow Spark's further adventures!

[Lu Rose]

Great short story the author keeps u engaged thru out the story line.

[Margie Williams]

What a great, exciting, too short book. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

[Gloria]

The oldest girl named Spark is about 16 and is very tired of helping take care of her younger siblings. She stole her older brother's armor, and just wants food when she takes up the job of bouncer at a tavern. Using her creativity and the tools she has with her (alright, it's mostly lies about where she's from and what she can do), she does a good job as a bouncer. When her brother finds her, there's also a warning that a group of ranging bandits were in the area. After rousing the people of the town to help, she finds another special ability..... and that seems to start off a series - or maybe not.

[Lora]

Fun mild kids short story of a girl and her (mis)adventures when she runs away from home. I stumbled across this as an audiobook at the library.
It gets a star for one of my favorite book candies: a title I don't understand at all until I have read the book, and then I understand all of it. I always love that.

[Nickie]

It was nice to have a strong female character. She used her wits and played to what she knew in order to save the day. The ending was very short and didn't explain in depth how events came to take place which was my only drawback from this story.

[Jessica]

Fun read, super quick. It's nice reading about a strong female character, using her wits and some luck to prove herself in the world. It's the kind of story that could have been developed more but works for the short story it is.

[Jim]

It was kind of funny & short. The reader's voice was appropriate for the character, but kind of high pitched for my taste. The story had some good elements that were well constructed, but some issues, too. It was OK.

[Dianna]

3.5 stars

[Tammy Cable]

Cute story, enjoyed that the main character was a girl! I wonder why this is a story that guys would consider?

[Michellenbrad]

Very short fun read. (I listened to the whole book on a run this morning). I think it would be a great introduction to Shannon Hale's style for my 8 and 10 year old girls.

[Julie]

A fun fantasy short story. The protagonist has a lot of spunk, so despite being female, boys can enjoy her too.

[Hemant Jain]

Interesting tale of a girl who discovers her potential and powers. Wriggles out of a situation on sheer wit.