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Robin Gregory

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The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman Kindle Edition

by Robin Gregory (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 147 ratings

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Moojie Littleman is not just another disabled orphan, he is not just a kid who falls into a series of magical, mystical adventures involving goats, bees, and watermelons. He is, above all, the most unlikely hero ever known. Through friendship with alien outcasts, Moojie discovers his healing powers and a surprising destiny ... if only he can survive one, last terrifying trial.

Welcome to Moojie's mythical world of mayhem and merriment, where miracles are standard fare, mistaken identity is rampant, and the desire to belong can be dangerous.

From screenwriter and award-winning novelist, Robin Gregory, comes a masterful debut about family and first love--brimming with compassion, lyricism, and originality. Winner of 24 awards.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is young adult work for a crowd that has not yet relinquished its claim to awe."--Clarion

"The book's mysticism is lucidly presented, and its magical realism is effective, moving, and heartening. A lively, original take on a story of a boy with more limits--and more magic--than most."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review and Best Indie Books of 2016

" ... our thanks and congratulations for producing a book with such beauty and depth."
--Nicholas Beatty, Executive Director, Gelett Burgess Center, Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award

"In the great tradition of children's protagonists who subvert the adult world, Robin Gregory delivers a spellbinding narrative brimming with intriguing concepts that engage both heart and mind."--Book Viral

"Visionary, magical, and rich with optimism."--Monterey County Weekly

"Wow! Wonderful lyricism and magical reality. Captivating."--Lisa Rojany, author of award-winning Surviving the Angel of Death

"The lyrical prose and unique 'Voice' of this tale do not obscure the strong character and story lines that are sure to inspire generations of YA and adult readers alike."--Rea Nolan Martin, author of award-winning Mystic Tea.

"The characters and imagery come to life on the page. And I felt like I was there besides Moojie with all his problems. I would recommend this book to everyone."--Library Thing

"The prose is quite splendid. There are many moments of beautiful imagery ..."--Online Book Club

"A fantastic book that conveys the true depth and breadth of the human awakening process. A masterful piece of visionary fiction."--Tom Hoffman, author of The Thirteenth Monk

"... an extremely unique story delving into the mystery and intrigue of Moojie's supernatural life. [The] writing has a lyrical quality that is both playful and exciting..."--Nicholas Beatty, Executive Director, Gelett Burgess Center, Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award

"I could not put this mythical fairy tale down and read it in one sitting."--Vine Voice

"I unreservedly rate this book as 5 out of 5 stars, and am quite happy to say that it's one of the most fun stories that I've read in quite some time."--Online Book Club

"Enchanting and wholly entertaining."--Book Viral

"Moojie ripens unwittingly, in spite of all provocations. With all the wondrous adventures he encounters, he takes this reader through an enchanted, yet thorny path of an 'improbable' journey of truth and beauty."--Mehreen Ahmed, author of Moirae

From the Author

"In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher."
--Dalai Lama

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B019D8UCDO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mad Mystical Journey Press; 2nd edition (December 13, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 13, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3665 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 344 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,300,180 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,253 in Teen & Young Adult Magical Realism eBooks
- #2,417 in New Age Mysticism (Kindle Store)
- #2,809 in Metaphysical Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.4 147 ratings

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Robin Gregory

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Robin Gregory is a storyteller who was born in Florida, but currently lives in the Land of Oz—California. She was raised amid cowboys and hippies, poppies and rattlesnakes, which frequent her stories. She likes to talk to animals, and sometimes they talk back, but mostly they just eat and poop. Her novels include fainting goats, supernaturals, scoundrels, and a hero in the throes of love. You won't find blood-spurting limbs, vampires, or potty-mouthed dragons. As a rule. You can find her on Twitter @tweety_robin or robingregory.net

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Nancy Lee Drum

Fantastic book for Young Adult Readers and Adults, too!

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2024

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Moojie Littleman is a fantastic read but not only for young adults but for adults/seniors like me! I'm only halfway through the book but I can't put it down. The imagination and thought that went into this writing makes the reader feel like they are on a magical journey that touches your heart along the way. Excellent read!

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2016

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The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is an enjoyable read on many levels. That fact alone makes it refreshing. I absolutely loved the fact that the character had so many strikes against him, yet it is not a pity party. The elements of visionary fiction combined with a classical brit lit approach were intriguing. That being said, there were passages in the middle of the book that seemed to drag and had me forcing a read which detracted a bit from the overall experience until the final third which picked up the pace. Still, the fact that the book can be read on a more superficial, literal level as well as on a deeper level scores points in this reader’s book.

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Bobby Underwood

Magic and Life Lessons

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2016

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“The problem with science was that it explained how God worked but not how to work with God. The problem with the Holy Scriptures was that they didn’t teach a boy how to capture a Girl with Starlit Eyes.”

Whimsical, sometimes touching, and with a narrative that moves like summer fireflies too quick to catch, The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is filled with enough wonder and magic to capture the imagination of preteen and early teens. While it is clear from an adult standpoint that that is the audience at whom this wonderfully written fable is aimed, the lessons underscoring this account of Moojie’s life widen its appeal considerably.

The reader is an observer of this fantastic tale, but one invested in its outcome. In essence, the chapters are like slideshows of Moojie’s life. If there is a caveat — at least for an adult reader — it is that the swiftness at which the author shows us Moojie’s life and adventures — and misadventures — fly by so quickly, it leaves little time to appreciate the many imaginative trappings. It also makes it difficult at first to make an emotional connection with Moojie, who for the first quarter of the book is somewhat bratty. I suspect that young teens and preteens however, will love the blistering pace, and appreciate Moojie’s growth and confusion as he encounters a world filled with magical realism; which might be the key to finding love and family, the two things he most wants in the world.

It is obvious right away that there is magic that lurks within Moojie — including a very special power I won’t reveal. This is despite the fact that he is crippled, and has trouble speaking and writing. Though he is adopted, things are not all peaches and cream in Moojie’s life where love is concerned. Once Moojie loses someone — I won’t reveal who — his need for love and family increase, while the love around him decreases. But then he becomes involved with the Hostiles, who may not be hostile at all. This is when the narrative, already quickly flowing, takes wings.

The author creates a whimsical yet tender narrative filled with a plethora of detail, but because the story is told so well, it never bogs down. Moojie’s affection for Babylonia and how young love plays out is beautifully handled, as are the lessons about life and how we treat one another. Anything but heavy-handed, this book is like a light-show of Hostiles and Light Eaters, magic watermelons and Cave Dwellers, and lessons regarding how important it is to live by a moral code. In the end, it shows how important it is to find our place in the world, a place where we belong, and are loved — even if that place is not perfect.

Moojie’s life with his adoptive parents cover the first portion of the narrative, the time with his Pappy covering the middle of the book. The last third — and most exciting — has much action, and brings everything to a satisfying ending. It is this last third which will have teen and preteen readers racing to see how it all works out for Moojie. A life-altering decision he makes near the end, might come as a surprise. While it took me a while — as an adult — to make a connection, and I felt the first portion might have been trimmed a bit, the world created here, and the manner in which it is told, show a very talented and imaginative writer with a gift for storytelling. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if this takes off like a rocket once word begins spreading.

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RP Barons

A wondrous novel by a gifted writer.

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2016

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A wondrous novel by a gifted writer. Moojie is an abandoned handicapped orphan whose adoptive mother dies when he is young and is abandoned by his father to suffer an abusive life on his grandfather’s farm on the Californian coast at the end of the 1800’s. The constant threat of being sent away keeps Moojie on his toes as he yearns for meaning beyond his unloving grandfather, a deaf cat and an arthritic old horse who takes him high in the mountains where he discovers a mysterious clan of “Hostiles” who seem to live a different reality as they steal from, and are hunted and despised by the pioneers on the west coast. The parallels to the white man’s treatment of the first nations of America during its conquest are contrasted to what must have been a rich life in harmony with their natural surroundings which the conquerors destroyed with their missions and violence and hunger for land. This strange group living in a cave high in the mountains call Moojie “my lord,” recognize his special powers and teach him some of the magic which is normal to them, and become his new family. But they are destined for a greater end than to be hunted by the pioneers and though they accept Moojie, it is never on completely equal terms. For they are creatures from some parallel dimension or world that have come and will eventually have to face their own destiny, and the love that Moojie finds in beautiful Babylonia, the egg-snatcher, cannot be consummated as she is tormented and taken for “his” by one of the more powerful, but low-life, Hostiles. Moojie struggles to win the love of his Grandfather, to overcome his disabilities (his left hand is withered and he struggles on braces and crutches) all the while gaining power, wisdom and respect from the beings of “light” who become an unreachable family, but teach him laws like “make peace with your enemy.” All the while there is the threat of earthquakes, and perhaps worse doom in the form of an Aunt who threatens to take him away from what has become his successful adaptation to the farm life tending to cows and sheep and chickens. Then there is the looming presence of his abandoning father, as Moojie’s heart is rent again and again with experiences and memories and hopes and the magic of what will become his coming-of-age and resolution of his quest in a moving story that will be hard to forget. A magical novel full of mysticism, magic and a sobering struggle to overcome the trials and tribulations of a very special boy who respects no boundaries and carries a heart that has no limits.

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Ragnar

Moojie does it for me

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2016

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This book is in the coming of age, YA category. The person growing up is Moojie Littleman. On top of the usual problems we encounter escaping from the dreary world of childhood into the wonderful, sunlit world of adulthood, Moojie has physical difficulty walking and cannot do so without crutches.
Of his adoptive parents, his mother does wonderfully well, unlike his father who is of no use to him at all. When his mother is taken out in an accident his father, nice man that he is, departs the scene, leaving him to live with his grandfather, who often comes across as all three Billy Goats Gruff rolled into one. But living on his grandfather’s farm is very much better than his aunt’s plan, which would see him relocated to Ireland, land of the leprechauns and the little people.

The blurb refers to humour and magic realism. I have no idea what magic realism is, but there is certainly some magic and considerable humour, which often comes out in direct speech. The following quotation illustrates this well, and covers the grandfather’s grumpiness at the same time:

“Listen boy, I could use a little help around here,” Pappy said. “My cow thinks she’s a politician: she’ll eat from anybody’s hand, and she’s so blind she can’t see a train comin’. The goats need groomin’ and the fences need repairin’. And you’re goin’ to do it or so help me God I’m shippin’ you out.”

It so happens that the area of the farm also hosts a group of people called Light-Eaters, who are based in a cave which they can make invisible to normal mortals. This is just as well because some of these normal mortals want to bump them off on the grounds that they have written title to the land and the Light-Eaters don’t. Armed with this impeccable logic they designate the Light-Eaters as ‘hostiles’ with all that entails. The fact that they display no hostility doesn’t enter into it.

Moojie makes friends with the Light-Eaters all of whom, bar one, are willing to accept him for what he is. He becomes infatuated with one of them, Babylonia, also in the sights of the one Light-Eater who actually is hostile to him. Moojie often seeks these people out and the author makes the reason for this very clear, referring to ‘the only thing he cared about: finding and keeping a family’.

As the narrative develops, Moojie becomes increasingly self-reliant and in the end instrumental in saving lives during an earthquake. This occurs after the accidental death of his grandfather, Sean Finnegan. It transpires that Mr Finnegan has left instructions regarding his own funeral, which give further evidence of just how ‘ornery’ he was.

‘In accordance with Captain Sean Finnegan’s last wishes, Mayor Bingo had stopped the grandfather clock in the cabin before he was buried to confuse the devil and give his soul time to make it to heaven. In case that failed, he was buried facedown with his loaded shotgun so he could enter the gates of hell shooting.’

But with the death of his grandfather, the only family Moojie has left is his formidable but eccentric aunt. He had hoped to ascend with his friends, the Light-Eaters, but was rescuing people from death by earthquake and tsunami at the time they assembled to nip smartly upwards. Life can really get in your way!

This book is a pleasure to read and full of incidental pleasures. Two example of the many I could choose from:

‘Pappy didn’t seem to notice when the wagon ran over a sunbathing snake.’

‘It was Monday, and so beastly hot that the trout were hiding in the shade of the bulrushes.’

One turn of the plot struck me as highly unlikely, and that is taking account of the magic realism, but as a whole this novel works very well and is a joy to read.

One person found this helpful

PHILIP DODD

An odd, finely written fantasy, full of surprises.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2016

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The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman by Robin Gregory belongs among the company of books that I have read which have nothing in common other than that they are odd. Like The Golem and the Djinni by Helen Wecker and Little, Big by John Crowley it is an odd book, with its own strange world, which is why I liked it. Though rooted in the real world, the presence of magical, otherworldly beings in the story made it full of surprises, kept me on my toes, and my last remaining brain cell active. Its prose is very fine, original, fresh. Care has been taken over each sentence it seemed to me, which I appreciated. Often a sentence stood out as sounding poetic. That I admired. Moojie Littleman as the main character in the story I found interesting enough to make me want to know what happens to him. The other characters are well drawn, interesting, too. The cover illustration by Catrin Welz-Stein is a fine work of art. The Prologue, written like a parable, I really liked. It is good to have a rest from the kind of books you like best and feel safe with and to stray from your usual path to read something odd. More than a refreshing change, such a book as The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman can renew your sense of wonder and make you remember why you enjoy reading fiction in the first place.

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Peaceseeker

An extraordinary, one-off, all kinds of wonderful book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 12, 2016

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Robin Gregory is a bright child multiplied by herself. There is so much wit, wisdom, light, warmth and tenderness (and sometimes unbearable sadness) in this superbly written book. Moojie is a child with special needs and special powers (aren’t we all, to some degree?) and the author takes him on a journey through his hard life in a quest for love and belonging that leads to a kind of acceptance, understanding and belonging.

His improbable world of wonders bears some resemblance to the one that Lewis Carroll led Alice through, and much resemblance to the one we have the temerity to call ‘real’. How Moojie sees his world at first is bound up with how the unkind world sees Moojie. To what extent are the wonders surrounding our hero – the allegorically named Moojie Littleman - more improbable than the impossible wonders that so many people give credence to even now (praise the Lord!) when shaping their view of the world? If nothing is but thinking makes it so, then each of our realities is a figment of our own imagination. That’s good news. Robin Gregory’s imagination knows no bounds, but her feet are never far from ground we recognize: ignorance, prejudice and a willingness to kill in favour of one fantasy over another.

Moojie knows all too well how cruelly life can cripple you, but gradually learns how to sustain himself with his own spirit: falling back on the infinite power of his mind and the improbable wonder of words. Thoughts, after all, are only words that you get to decide whether or not to speak. Degrees of probability become irrelevant. Whenever ‘reality’ gets too much to bear, learn to harness the power of your mind. Leave the world of pain behind and embrace instead a world of wonders and infinite possibilities. The choice is yours but you must find the strength to make it. Just one quotation. “Who are you?” she asked again. “Nobody. Orphan. Mother dead. Father gone.” “I fear you misunderstand,” she continued. “Tell me who you are.”

This is a beautifully written, highly literate, intelligent, entertaining, open-minded, heart-warming book. I recommend it without reservation and would like to see it taught in schools.

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Kevin

Allegorical and Magical

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2017

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"…even rats have families, you know. Even monkeys and fish. Aren’t I as good as a fish?”
—Moojie Littleman

In the wake of an earthquake, a baby boy is found tucked inside a wooden fishing basket by the nuns of San Miguel de las Gaviotas. The word ‘Moojie’ is smudged across his forehead and is deemed as good a name as any.
Author Robin Gregory, in similarity to Neil Gaiman, has the rare gift of being able to re-imagine childhood fairy tales. The book has, in its beating heart, a bygone innocence, a C. S. Lewis/J. M. Barrie/Mark Twain type of story, populated by fey creatures and unrefined hillbillies.
Gregory can write. There is a poetry to her free-flowing writing style and I’m pleased to see an onomatopoeia or two being drawn from her quiver of literary arrows.
The dialogue is delightfully euphonious and some of the characters are positively Pratchett-esque. And to top it all, she invents synonyms that perfectly suit their purpose.
Poor, dear Moojie, orphaned, malformed, illiterate and clumsy, is left in the disgruntled care of his gruff grandpappy, a fellow with the sensitivity of a hangman.
Loved only by readers of this book, our kind-natured misfit discovers an otherworld of possibilities. Kindred spirits whisper to him from the woods and he answers a preternatural call of the wild, discovering cosmic codes and altruism.
Due to his being a conduit for prophecy, our maladroit boy wonder eventually finds his purpose, rivalling Forrest Gump, Bilbo Baggins (and Clarence, from 'It’s a Wonderful Life'), in the ‘unlikely hero’ department.

I thoroughly enjoyed Gregory’s mystical, offbeat story. Her prose is playful and there is a tenderness to her writing that perfectly complements Moojie’s empathy for humans, animals and nature.
The tale is altogether allegorical and folkloric, and I was very easily led into its magical hinterland. An impressive début and I very much look forward to seeing what this talented author comes up with next!

Stuart Kenyon

Improbably wonderful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2016

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The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is a whimsically enchanting book with a strong message at its heart. It is multi-faceted and defies genre classification as capriciously as the "hostiles" who inject the plot with magic and mystery.

The protagonist, Moojie, is sublime in his creation. Too rarely are the disabled given starring roles in fiction, and young Master Littleman doesn't disappoint. His is a trying childhood. Discarded by his biological parents, he is hit by tragedy and left with the hornery Pappy, with whom he shares a difficult, yet entertaining, relationship.

There's romance, strife, enmity, wizardry to throw into the mix, providing a rich collage for the reader, and this is complemented by the sumptuous style. The prose is almost poetic at times, with settings, characters and emotions painted masterfully.

In conclusion, Moojie's adventures are a must-read for Young Adults and anyone who enjoys good literature. You will enjoy every page.

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