Customer Reviews

Zorgamazoo

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is good!
This book is great!
It kept my kids up
Extremely late.

We read it together
My kids and I
The words were so clever!
I wanted to cry!

A book that's a poem?
In this day and age?
It's brilliant! Exciting!
And Stranger than Strange!

I can't say enough
About this little book
It's funny, adventurous
And deserves a good look.

Don't wait any longer.
You know what do do.
Pick up a copy
At a bookstore near you!

Quickly-paced, sharply-written and just insanely well-rhymed. I kept speaking the words aloud so I could appear cleverer than I really am. A classic adventure story told in a bizarre, Tim Burton/Roald Dahl way, if they had been stuck in a blender with Dr Seuss. Very good read for adults and kids!

My 6th grader and I read this book aloud to each other. Great vocabulary, fun verse, plus the story line and moral of the story were very excellent. A Must Read!

Katrina Katrell lives with a distant relative, Mrs. Krabone, who doesn't understand why the young girl is constantly daydreaming about adventures and mythical creatures. One day when Katrina and Mrs. Krabone are on the subway, Katrina is sure she sees a large, hairy creature wearing a tie and walking around the underground tunnels. Mrs. Krabone is finally fed up, and contacts Doctor LeFang to "cure" Katrina with his horrible Cranial Puncturing Mincer of Mind. Katrina catches wind of the plan, and manages to escape. By chance, she meets up with Morty, a Zorgle, and the very same creature she spotted earlier on the subway. It appears that Morty has been given a quest to find out what happened to the Zorgles of Zorgamazoo, an underground country village where the inhabitants have vanished. Morty is quite timid, but his new friend, Katrina, convinces him to proceed on what she's sure will be a grand adventure for them both.

Told entirely in rhyming couplets, Zorgamazoo is a creative and entertaining story for readers of all ages. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Weston's rhymes is that they never grow stale or seem forced. He does have to employ some made-up words (a nod to Dr. Seuss), but, in general, he manages to rhyme ordinary phrases that `tweens will be able to understand. The plot of the novel is also very clever, with nods to influential authors like Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket, but in an original package. Younger readers might be frightened by Mrs. Krabone and Doctor LeFang, who want to lobotomize Katrina. Some of the illustrations in the book, such as those of the Octomabots, a machine that is a cross between a bee and an octopus, and of Doctor LeFang's Cranial Puncturing Mincer of Mind, might be frightening as well. Other aspects of the plot, however, like Winnie the Windingo who constantly cries, and an ogre who is extremely attached to his glass eye, will lighten the mood. Overall, Zorgamazoo is a fun novel for readers who are interested in something a little bit different. It would also make a great read-aloud for a classroom or group of children or `tweens.

I had heard a great deal about this award-winning novel, and wasn't disappointed in how clever and unique it is amongst recent literature for `tweens. Weston's rhymes were simply amazing. While reading the book I couldn't help but be constantly reminded of the work that must have gone into composing an entire novel, completely in rhyme. For me, the storyline played second fiddle to Weston's literary craftsmanship. I did enjoy the novel quite a bit, and would definitely recommend it to `tweens as well as teachers seeking a fun read-aloud.

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This is easily one of my very favorite JF books. It's amazing to me that a book this length can be written all in rhyme. I loved the adventure, the humor and the pictures too. This is a fun book to read aloud with your kids. Mine loved it.

I played this book for my children as one of our summer "reading" club choices. The story itself is wonderful, but Alan Cumming really adds depth and energy to an already exciting tale.

If you are looking for a read-aloud book for the 10-12 range, this would be a good choice. However, as a read-it-silently-to-myself book, the rhyming structure and quirky names (often seemingly invented to make the rhymes work) grew tiresome. Kudos to the author for a fantastic vocabulary. Also, the illustrations and the many typestyles helped keep me interested visually even as my mind wandered on the verses.

I can recommend this book if you are looking for something to read to or with your pre-teen child. I can also see reading it to exercise and stretch your vocabulary, or as a read-aloud class project in school. I hope Robert Paul Weston will make another foray into authorship....maybe with a prose selection next time.

I got this book for my 9 yr old daughter to read with her grandma as both of them like poetry & I enjoyed reading the 1st few pages on Amazon. They have been reading chapters of it over the past week & they love it. It is a wonderful tale that has a few twists. It's well written & they way thye printed it is original (Daughter & grandmother's own words). I love hearing them reading it out loud. Buy it!

My kids love this book. Can't believe a whole book can rhyme. I am impressed. My kids love the story and the pictures included! And its on the Battle of the Books list for 4th grade!

I read this aloud to my 9 & 7 yr old daughters. They loved it and begged for me to finish from the moment we started. The story was fun and characters were great. I'm quite impressed that the author was able to create such a detailed world with descriptive characters while using advanced vocabulary for most kids, and do it all in rhyme. YOU and your kids will love this book.