GLOBUSZ BOOKSAs the Goose FliesKatharine Pyle
Human-reviewed summary and review
As the Goose Flies by Katharine Pyle — Summary & Review
Katharine Pyle · en
Step through a hidden wall into a world where nursery rhymes and fairy tales come alive, and join Ellen as she embarks on a magical quest to recover a forgotten story lost to time.
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The short version: Step through a hidden wall into a world where nursery rhymes and fairy tales come alive, and join Ellen as she embarks on a magical quest to recover a forgotten story lost to time.
Stefan's verdict: Worth considering for readers who enjoy fairy tales and nursery rhymes; less useful if readers seeking fast-paced or action-heavy plots.
3 min review467 wordsOriginal book: Moderate, due to some archaic language and a layered, dreamlike narrative struct
imaginationstorytellingcourageempathymemoryadventure
Globusz Books summary
What the book is about
As the Goose Flies follows Ellen, a curious and brave girl who discovers a secret passage behind her grandmother's bookcase, leading her into a vibrant world inhabited by characters from nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Ellen meets Mother Goose and borrows a white gander to carry her on a journey to find a forgotten story. Along the way, she encounters playful pigs troubled by a mischievous goat, a lonely giant's wife trapped atop a beanstalk, and a helpful woman who shares the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. Ellen's kindness and courage help resolve conflicts, such as persuading the troublesome goat to leave the village peacefully.
Her adventure continues as she travels to the gray country to rescue the giant's wife with the help of a little old woman, and visits the House of the Seven Little Dwarfs. There, Ellen learns of underground dwarfs causing mischief and devises a clever plan involving a scare-gander to protect the dwarfs. Ellen also faces danger from a menacing gray wolf, which she and the gander trap in the gingerbread house from Hänsel and Gretel, eventually handing it over to a huntsman. The journey leads her to a golden castle where she witnesses Aladdin and his slaves, and despite warnings, Ellen's curiosity draws her into a trap where she is imprisoned.
With the aid of her loyal gander and a summoned genie from a magic lamp, Ellen escapes captivity. She then crosses a misty border into the mysterious land of the Queerbodies, magical beings who live beyond and engage in wondrous crafts and puzzles. Ellen gains a magic key and, accompanied by a resourceful lad who can create things from nothing, she navigates challenges including a sleeping dragon and locked doors. Inside the Queerbodies' house, Ellen discovers a room filled with golden jars containing fragments of forgotten stories, called wondercluff.
Ellen helps reconstruct a lost fairy tale about Princess Goldenhair, a kind and resilient princess oppressed by a wicked stepmother who is ultimately revealed as an evil enchantress transformed into a raven. With magical aid from a banished fairy and the fairy queen’s intervention, Goldenhair triumphs and chooses a life among mortals. After restoring the story, Ellen returns home through the secret passage and shares her adventure with her mother and grandmother, who faintly remembers the tale from her own childhood.
The narrative blends familiar nursery rhymes and fairy tales with new twists and magical elements, inviting readers into a world where stories are living, fragile treasures that depend on memory and care. Ellen’s journey is one of curiosity, kindness, and courage, as she navigates dangers and mysteries to recover what was lost. The story leaves some mysteries unresolved, such as the full nature of the Queerbodies and the ultimate fate of some characters, adding to its dreamlike and enchanting atmosphere.
Beyond the summary
What might this book awaken in you?
Reading As the Goose Flies might awaken a sense of wonder about the stories we carry with us—how they live inside us, sometimes forgotten, waiting to be rediscovered. Ellen’s journey invites you to consider the magic hidden in everyday things, like a wallpaper or a nursery rhyme, and how curiosity and kindness can open doors to new worlds. At the same time, the book gently explores the tension between holding on and letting go, between the safety of memory and the risk of stepping into the unknown. You may find yourself reflecting on the stories you’ve loved, the ones that slipped away, and the courage it takes to seek them out again.
Before you commit
Why you might read this
Step through a hidden wall into a world where nursery rhymes and fairy tales come alive, and join Ellen as she embarks on a magical quest to recover a forgotten story lost to time.
Spoiler sensitivity: mediumThe summary reveals key plot points including Ellen’s journey, encounters, and the recovery of the forgotten story, but leaves some mysteries and the ultimate resolution open to preserve the book’s sense of wonder.
Themes worth noticing
The Power and Fragility of Stories
The book portrays stories as living entities that can be forgotten or lost, symbolized by the golden jars of wondercluff. Ellen’s quest to recover a forgotten tale highlights the importance of memory and storytelling in keeping magic and meaning alive.
Curiosity and Courage
Ellen’s willingness to explore unknown worlds, face dangers, and help others demonstrates how curiosity paired with bravery can lead to discovery and growth, even when the path is uncertain or risky.
Good versus Mischief
Throughout the journey, Ellen encounters characters embodying both kindness and trouble—mischievous goats, menacing wolves, helpful dwarfs—showing the balance between lighthearted mischief and genuine harm, and the need for compassion and cleverness to navigate it.
Compassion and Responsibility
Ellen’s concern for creatures others fear or shun, like the goat and the giant’s wife, reflects a theme of empathy and taking responsibility for others, even those who seem difficult or forgotten.
The Boundary Between Reality and Fantasy
The story blurs lines between the real world and the magical realm behind the bookcase, inviting reflection on how imagination and memory shape our experience of stories and life.
Questions to carry with you
- What stories from your childhood have stayed with you, and which have you forgotten?
- How do you think stories change when they are retold or remembered differently?
- What does it mean to be brave in the face of the unknown or the forgotten?
- How do kindness and cleverness work together to solve problems in the story?
- In what ways do the boundaries between reality and imagination shape your experience of stories?
If this idea interested you
Related books, with a reason to choose each one.
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Read the summary & review →A useful follow-up for exploring the subject furtherA Horse Walks into a BarDavid GrossmanDovaleh Greenstein’s stand-up routine starts like any other comedy show but quickly turns into a raw, unfiltered confession. This isn’t just about jokes—it’s a painful unraveling of memory and identity on stage. Can laughter really hide the darkest truths beneath?
Read the summary & review →Another entry point into this categorySeasonal Migration to the NorthTayeb SalihIn "Season of Migration to the North," an unnamed Sudanese man returns home only to find his identity pulled between two worlds. Mustafa Sa’eed’s shadow looms large—a man who mastered the West but paid a steep price for it. This novel cuts deep into colonial scars and the tangled web of belonging.
Read the summary & review →Explore the theme
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Continue the journey
Read the original when you are ready.
Globusz Books helps you understand the central ideas before deciding whether the complete book deserves your time.
Read the original if: you want the evidence, stories, examples, nuance, and full argument in the author's own voice.
The summary may be enough if: you only need the central framework or want to decide whether this book suits you.
Is this worth your time if you…?
readers who enjoy fairy tales and nursery rhymes
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