My Memory Goblin Is Making Me Forget! - (Keep Your Rascals Under Control) by Helena Harastova (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Meet the memory goblin--the sneaky little rascal who keeps hiding Hugo's stuff, mixing up his notes, and turning off his alarm clock! Sound familiar?

Hugo has a problem many kids (and grown-ups!) will recognize--he keeps forgetting things. But it's not just him... it's the memory goblin's fault! In this playful and empowering story, kids will follow Hugo as he learns how forgetfulness works and discovers smart, psychologist-backed strategies to stay focused, organized, and in control.

Whether your child struggles with staying on track or just wants to understand how their brain works, My Memory Goblin Is Making Me Forget is a fun, friendly guide to getting organized--and keeping those rascals under control!

• Relatable and Fun - Turns everyday challenges like distraction and forgetfulness into imaginative characters kids can understand and talk about.


• Psychologist-Backed Tips - Offers practical, expert-approved strategies to help kids improve memory, focus, and organization.


• Empowering and Inclusive - Encourages kids to take charge of their thoughts and routines with confidence and simple, effective tools.


• Part of the Beloved Keep Your Rascals Under Control Series - Helping kids tackle big feelings and tricky habits through humor, storytelling, and science.

For more than 75 years, Albatros Media has been crafting original and innovative children's books that are both playful and educational, fostering curiosity and a thirst for knowledge in young minds. We deliver the highest quality children's books from novelty, picture, pop-up, and how-to books to nonfiction and fairy tales.

Review Quotes

"Could Hugo's daily setbacks be the work of a memory goblin haunting him? Hugo's forgetfulness leads to lost belongings, overlooked responsibilities, and messed-up schedules. Not fun. Hugo suffers so much that he imagines a "sneaky little trickster" who might be behind it all, undermining him. Artistically inclined Hugo even provides a droll labelled portrait of the creature! We follow Hugo through his disasters: missing a soccer session with his friends because he's looking for his cleats, neglecting to take his puppy for a walk, and forgetting about a field trip. Even his short-term memory is wonky. Then Hugo finally decides to make some changes. He implements common-sense steps: early preparation, checklists, calendars and scheduling planners, and other memory helpers, like mnemonics. He also enlists help from trusted adults and peers and rewards himself when he does well. Hugo's forgetfulness doesn't vanish, but he tames the goblin. A final spread summarizes all the strategies covered. This Czech import offers useful advice, presented in a gentle, nonpreachy way. In amusing vignettes against minimal backgrounds, tousle-haired, jug-eared, tan-skinned Hugo and other big-eyed, loose-limbed kids, who vary in skin tone, are rendered with specificity, along with the cute but troublesome goblin. A practical, visually engaging approach to a common problem." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Helena Harastova is a writer, translator, and mother. She graduated in dramaturgy from the Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts, having previously worked for the National Theatre in Brno, Czech Republic. Her most unusual pastime is proofreading texts for errors in spelling, grammar, and style.

Lucia Dercalikova, known online as Lumaluje, was born and lives in Bratislava, Slovakia. She fell in love with drawing in her childhood, primarily thanks to the illustrations of Adolf Born, which later influenced her own work. After studying fashion design at the Secondary School of Fashion, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she focused her work on children's illustration. In the same year, she illustrated her first book for a self-publisher in the USA, which led to collaborations with additional publishing houses. Her signature style, which combines playfulness, cartoon elements, and the appearance of hand-drawn, non-digital sketches, has already been featured in books in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and the USA.