nicknocker

The Nicknocker

A middle grade novel

Martin Tuck struggles with self-esteem when his mother, consumed with personal troubles, abandons his family. One night, a tiny, green scallywag blusters into his life. It’s a Nicknocker, elfin maker of house noises. Is he real or imagined? Martin can’t decide, but the strange creature opens his eyes to new ways of coping. When a developer threatens to destroy the last, much-loved patch of forest in the neighborhood, also the Nicknocker’s home, Martin joins the battle to save it. Even though he’s just a kid, he musters the help of friends and family to argue against the project at the city council meeting. Despite the wild success of their presentation, the city moves forward with the project. Martin must dig deeper if he hopes to save the forest and uncover his true strengths. Watch The Nicknocker book trailer.

Praise for The Nicknocker

"Tracy Sabin crafts a clever lesson-laden tale for adventurous middle grade readers with his imaginative book, 'The Nicknocker.' Between bullies at school and clumsiness he can't outrun, young Martin isn't having the best time, but when the Nicknocker shows up, he embarks on a dream-like elven adventure that could change everything...or make it worse. Imbued with a creative range of new powers, Martin must navigate his world with a host of new secrets, while learning plenty of long-term lessons along the way. Sabin's illustrations at the beginning of every chapter are subtle but fun, helping to drive the story along. [...] the creativity and innate wisdom throughout make it a very rewarding read."

-Self-Publishing Review

"'The Nicknocker' by Tracy Sabin is a whimsical children's book that brings to life the everyday little noises we hear and turns them into a world full of wonder. I enjoyed the author's creativity as stories such as this usually focus on creatures either doing good deeds or getting into mischief. However, the Nicknocker simply does what it does. In a sense it can be seen that just being yourself is good enough; you don't have to do anything extraordinary to have a place and purpose in this world. This might be why Martin was able to build up the courage to fight for his new friend and face obstacles no child would normally be able to confront. This story was well written and teaches many good lessons. Sabin did a truly wonderful job with this book."

-Readers' Favorite Review