The Goonies: The Illustrated Storybook Book Review
By Paul Rudoff on Oct. 8, 2021 at 6:00 PM in Books

Insight Editions recently released the hardcover book "The Goonies: The Illustrated Storybook". Read on to find out more about it...
"The Goonies: The Illustrated Storybook" is a re-telling of the 1985 motion picture, adapted by Brooke Vitale, and illustrated by Teo Skaffa. The hardcover book measures roughly 9"x11", contains 40 pages, and features a dust jacket with the same front and back artwork as the book underneath. If you know nothing about The Goonies, read the synopsis from the inside cover:
They are the Goonies. The rejects. The kids who were always a little ... different.The story is abbreviated to keep it simple for children, but it hits all of the necessary beats. Off the top of my head, the only elements of the movie that were left out were the other kids in town interacting with the Goonies (such as during the wishing well scene) and Jake Fratelli's (Robert Davi) faux hanging in the jail cell as part of their jail break. There might be a couple more, as I don't recall Rosalita (Lupe Ontiveros) appearing in the book at all, but there wasn't anything major that I remember not being in the book.
They've been friends all their lives, but now the Goonies were being forced to go to their separate ways. They were about to lose their homes, and their parents couldn't do anything about it. It was their last day together. The Goonies never imagined where it would take them.
It all started with the treasure map in Mikey's attic. All the adults in the Goon Docks had given up on that old treasure years ago. But to the Goonies, this was their chance for one last adventure.
That map led the Goonies into the tunnels beneath their town. They faced dangerous criminals, stumbled across the faded bones of other explorers, and triggered lots and lots of booby traps. They did it all because they knew that old treasure map might also lead them to do what their parents could not: save their homes.
They may not be traditional heroes, but the Goonies are good enough.

The illustrations by Teo Skaffa are cute, and reminiscent of the Ghostbusters Little Golden Books. All of the beloved characters look like their movie counterparts, with Andy looking exceptionally like the super cute Kerri Green and Mama Fratelli bearing quite the resemblance to the legendary Anne Ramsey.

"The Goonies: The Illustrated Storybook" is Highly Recommended for Goonies fans young and old. Insight Editions says that it is suitable for ages 5-8 in Grades K-3. The physical book carries a suggested price of $18.95 US and $25.95 CAN.

The Goonies (1985) movie is available on 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo Pack (which I reviewed) and in a 4K UHD/Blu-ray Gift Set with a lot of pack-in bonus items. Back in 2010, for the film's 25th anniversary, Warner Bros. released a 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Blu-ray Gift Set, which contained a board game, magazine reproductions, and storyboard cards. None of those pack-in items are included in the 4K/Blu gift set, so even though that same Blu-ray disc is included in the 4K/Blu set, you might want to pick up a copy of that set for those extra items. I used to own it (before Hurricane Sandy destroyed it), and although I could do without the space-hogging board game, I really liked the magazine reproductions and storyboard cards.
This item has been provided by Insight Editions for review on this site.
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