A delightful read for kids who love fantasy already or are interested in exploring it. And, is a nice short story to read in an afternoon for adults looking for a simple, easy fantasy read.

About the Book

In the enchanting land of the Felicitens, Humplepumple wakes up to a baffling realisation—he is far from home, caught in a realm of blissful wonder. But beneath the idyllic facade, a dark cloud looms. The Terribly Stinking Terrifying Sorcerer threatens to cast his shadow over the Felicitens’ joyous realm.

Determined to outwit this sorcerer of deceit, Humplepumple, and his four newfound companions embark on a daring plan—a plan that involves luring the sorcerer to a sumptuous feast unlike any other. With delectable dishes and an abundance of surprises, their cunning strategy takes shape.

Humplepumple and the Sorcerer’s Feast is a delightful tale of friendship, bravery, and the enchantment of extraordinary plans. Join Humplepumple and his remarkable companions as they embark on an adventure, where wit and the power of unity are the keys to triumph. Full of twists and surprises, this whimsical journey will leave readers spellbound and hungry for more.

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This book was written with 14-year-olds in mind, but it will be equally enjoyed by adults, as the story can be interpreted on many different levels and offers warmth and humor that transcends any age group.

Like many children’s books, Humplepumple deals with the eternal struggle between good and evil, friendship and egotism, and love and hate. But unlike most other stories, the events in Humplepumple unfold for the most part in an intriguingly realistic earthly environment seen through the refreshingly naïve eyes of the Felicitens to see an honest look at our society and its decision-makers.

While this aspect of the book might elude the grasp of its younger readers, its overall educational effects certainly won’t. In this sense, Humplepumple truly combines the adage of ‘teach and delight’. Although somewhat moralizing at times, Humplepumple is genuinely innovative in its overall concept, makes a delightful read, and should easily find its own niche in a book market craving new heroes.

My Thoughts

This is a really fun and cute story. I loved “A Wrinkle in Time” and the rest of Madeline L’Engle’s series following that family. Many people only know the first book, but I read them all. This book actually gives me similar vibes to those, and I enjoyed it. If you’re into Japanese anime – like my husband and by extension me sometimes – this also had elements of an isekai story where the main character just shows up in a new world with little to no explanation. We don’t have those very often in Western literature, so I enjoy seeing the device used here.

The language was mostly simple and the use of having Humplepumple be from Earth so that he needs to learn everything is a great device to use for world-building. It weaves the details in without the dreaded fantasy information dumps. Both Humplepumple and his new friends are great characters. The book is short, so we don’t see much in the way of character building, but what we do see is good. I’d love to see more of that in later books.

The hints of romance are adorable and age-appropriate. Middle grades are when kids are first figuring all of that out, and I remember giggling about similar storylines when I was a kid. I didn’t appreciate how the Felicitens were rude about Earth brains, but I don’t think they meant to be rude. They seemed very innocent in their interactions, as though becoming smarter dulled their social graces. Perhaps there was a statement in that.

I am grateful to the author and Love Books Tours for including me on this tour. I look forward to reading the next book, especially since this one left us on a huge cliffhanger. It felt a little like we stopped in the middle of a TV episode where they have one of those To Be Continued… captions across the screen. I had to look again and make sure I hadn’t lost something.

Who’s It For?

This is marketed as middle-grade fiction. The author wrote it with 14-year-olds in mind. I’ll admit that isn’t the age group I’m most familiar with right now. It’s definitely too advanced for my almost six-year-old, but I know some 7 to 8-year-olds who read Harry Potter who would love this. If you or your kids love Harry Potter, Narnia, Gulliver’s Travels or similar books, they’ll love Humplepumple.

Content Warnings: Violence, Rude Language, Fear, Talk of Addiction, War, Religious Ideologies, and More. This is not meant to serve as a complete list of subjects that individuals may find offensive or triggering.

About the Author

When my children were young, I told them bedtime stories about Humplepumple, Mirca, the Terribly Stinking Terrifying Sorcerer and Farthog.

Some years later, when Harry Potter was published, my daughter told me that the stories I had told them reminded her of Harry Potter stories and that I should write a book. I have never read any Harry Potter books, but I think Humplepumple is more like Gulliver’s Travels.

In 2000, I travelled to Switzerland from Australia and wrote the book. Dr Beat Lehman edited and translated the book from German to English.

(From the Author)

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