HOW TO CATCH A GARDEN GNOME

The youngsters who in past installments attempted to catch mythical creatures including Bigfoot and Santa now find themselves trapped in a gnome’s bewitching garden.

Pages in, it becomes clear that the gnome is narrating, in a landscape that looks boundless. A curious dog and seven diverse kids, armed with a map and a net, follow a strange set of footprints that lead them to a magic door to the garden. The door disappears, so they are trapped in a place abloom with lollipops and candies, featuring a chocolate river with floating cookies. The youngsters, understandably, seem unbothered and amuse themselves by making hats for sale. Later, the enterprising children engineer several attractions, apparently to entice the gnome; they confuse our narrator, who constantly frets that the youths need help to depart (too bad our protagonist has so many chores to tend to). A dragon ex machina delivers the visitors to the magic door, and they exit, now showing zero regret at leaving the paradise of sugar. The meter is on the shaky side, but the illustrations are as bright and fanciful as usual and should be enough to ensure interest; readers will likely imagine themselves in a garden of goodies, building elaborate contraptions, and maybe lunching on the landscape, though the seven children are mostly too busy to snack.

Likely to catch interest among series fans.