Book Review of Diddly Duggins and the Great Memory Misplacement
The Children’s Book Review
Diddly Duggins and the Great Memory Misplacement
Written by D. R. Long
Ages: 9+ | 290 Pages
Publisher: Trophy Ears Press (2026) | ISBN: 979-8-9943859-0-6
What to Expect: Fantasy adventure, grief and memory, found family, quest, humor, courage
An overlooked kid with a gift for drawing tumbles into a hidden magical world to recover the memories a mysterious event stole from everyone two hundred years ago—and to save the only family he’s ever known.
Diddly Duggins isn’t good at much, or so his teachers keep telling him. He can’t do math, he can’t sit still, and he definitely can’t stop doodling when he should be listening. He can draw better than anyone alive—even if no one but Cordelia, the elderly woman who raised him above their ramshackle museum of miniatures, seems to notice. When a shocking loss sends Diddly reeling, he discovers a secret world hidden just beyond his hometown, one populated by raccoon locksmiths, talking books, and a small stick-figure guide who insists this is only the beginning of something much bigger. To get back what he’s lost, Diddly will have to journey deeper into this world than anyone from his side of the door ever has and figure out just how far he’s willing to go to hold on to the people he loves.
D. R. Long writes with a confident, funny, and often unexpectedly tender voice—readers will find themselves laughing on one page and catching their breath on the next. Each character has a distinct way of talking and seeing the world, and the dialogue feels lively, quick, and energetic—especially between Diddly and his raccoon and stumpjumper companions, whose bickering banter never feels like filler. Beyond the straightforward quest story, the central conceit of a world that erased grief along with painful memories lets themes of loss, memory, and found family emerge organically. One small black silhouette spot illustration opens each chapter, and these simple, symbolic images (a stump, a set of roots) work nicely as visual chapter markers that echo the book’s memory-and-loss motif.
Diddly Duggins and the Great Memory Misplacement is a warm, witty, and surprisingly moving portal fantasy that will appeal most to readers who love their adventure served with heart. Handed to the right kid, especially one who’s ever felt overlooked or underestimated, this book has the makings of a favorite.
Buy the Book
Borrow the Book
About the Author
Growing up, Daniel Robert Long (Danny) hated reading and writing. They were tedious and boring. Why read when you can ride a bike? Why write when you can jump on a trampoline? But with the help of good books and better friends, he discovered as he got older that words aren’t just for school papers and tests. They’re for creation, invention, play, adventure. Words are for stories, and Danny loves stories.
Now Danny teaches writing at the University of Colorado Boulder and writes and edits for Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine. He’s also an occasional letterpress printer, bookbinder, and book artist whose work has appeared in museums in the U.S. and U.K.
When he isn’t writing or teaching, he enjoys spending time with his wife, daughter, cat, and dog—and dreaming up more stories.
