Hobgoblin and the STANKY EIGHT

OCTOBER 2026

Book #4 — Hazy Fables chapter book series

In the funky-smelling follow-up to Hobgoblin and the Seven Stinkers of Rancidia, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, our pungent protagonists learn that trouncing a tyrant was just the beginning of their fight to protect democracy.

It’s been years since Hobgoblin, Niffy the skunk, and the Seven Stinkers became national heroes by saving their proudly putrid nation from Fiddlefart, the wannabe ogre king. With the victory parade still fresh in their minds (and their noses), a new threat has emerged to take the place of the old one. When a radical anti-stink group called the Clean Crew sweeps in with a plot to scrub out Rancidia and capture the Onion Palace, our heroes must form an unlikely coalition to protect their country and once again save their stinky way of life. In this uproarious, adventure-packed adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Hobgoblin and his friends learn that protecting a democracy isn’t a one-off kind of thing—it requires a nonstop, everyday commitment to community, camaraderie, and collaboration. And though it continues the story of reader-favorite characters, Hobgoblin and the Stanky Eight can be enjoyed as its own stinky standalone for readers unfamiliar with the preceding book.

or from bookshop.org.

Select Praise FOR HOBGOBLIN AND THE SEVEN STINKERS OF RANCIDIA:

★ A Kirkus Best Book of 2019

★ Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award Winner

★ A Kirkus Reviews Most Anticipated Middle-Grade Book for Fall 2019

★ "Readers will giggle through every page of this smart political satire.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Engages hard-to-please tween readers with imaginative adventure, fun illustrations [and] silly fart references…Read it together at bedtime to share laughter and a positive message of empathy and inclusivity.” —The Seattle Times

“[A] hilarious second coming of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs…This story is like nothing you’ve ever read before…You’ll instantly fart with glee[.]” —Literary Features Syndicate

2019 Powell’s Books Staff Pick

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

Laura Borio is an illustrator living in Turin, Italy. A prolific illustrator of children’s books published all over the world, Laura’s books include the EEK-a-BOO series and Klyde the Kraken Wants a Friend from Hazy Dell Press, Read This Book in the Dark from Macmillan Publishers, and Griselda Snook’s Spectacular Book from Litter Tiger Press.