Zorgamazoo

January 1, 2009
Gr 4-6-This novel, written entirely in Dr. Seuss-style rhyme, introduces Katrina Katrell, a feisty, adventure-loving heroine. When her guardian, Mrs. Krabone, a woman as evil as any of Roald Dahl's villains, threatens the free-thinking Katrina with a lobotomy, the girl runs away and meets Morty, a hairy, horned, and bumbling creature called a Zorgle. Morty, an unwilling hero, has been chosen by lottery to find out what happened to the vanished Zorgles of Zorgamazoo. Katrina and Morty join forces to solve the mystery and their journey leads them to the moon, where lots of fantastical creatures are held captive by Graylians from the planet Graybalon-Four. Humorous black-and-white illustrations and the use of different fonts add variety to the text. Weston maintains the rhythm and energy of sing-song rhyming couplets throughout the tale and holds his audience's interest with suspense and dashes of humor. Give this one to readers who enjoy a little nonsense."Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2008
Told entirely in rhyming couplets that are nearly impossible not to read aloud, this lively tale follows young Katrina Katrell on a fantastical journey from her home, through secret underground tunnels, into a hidden city, and even to the moon. Along for the adventure is a zorgle named Morty, a timid creature who has been tasked to discover the whereabouts of his missing brethren. The zorgles, along with the rest of earths most fantastical beasties, have been kidnapped in a diabolical plan that is much too complicated to get into but rather ingeniously involves ridding the world of everything magical and interesting, leaving it ripe for those dullards who have no time for the whimsical things, / for pirates and gadgets and creatures and kings. This scuffle between enchantment and tedium is the very stuff of childhood, where the greatest menace isnt scary creatures and such but listless imaginations and a lack of wonder. In that way, this book is a natural descendant of the works of Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl while hewing close to the droll atmospherics of Edward Gorey and Lemony Snicket.Ready your most nefarious whisper and spectacular boom, and read these bouncing, fanciful rhymes aloud to those who cant go it alone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2009
Adventurous Katrina Katrell believes in "creatures of many remarkable shapes." She helps one such creature, Morty Yorgle (a zorgle), find the missing zorgles of Zorgamazoo. In rhymed anapestic tetrameter Weston brings readers to planet Graybalon-4 and back, telling a well-constructed story with fully realized characters and plenty of humor. Fancifully frightening spot illustrations and typographical trickery create an inviting visual package.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2008
Katrina Katrell believes in "creatures of many remarkable shapes," such as ogres and hippogriffs, despite the chagrin of her guardian, Mrs. Krabone. Morty Yorgle believes in such creatures because he is one (specifically, a zorgle), and it's up to him to find the missing zorgles of Zorgamazoo. Luckily, scaredy-zorgle Morty meets the adventurous Katrina, who's on the run from Mrs. Krabone's plans to have the whimsy lobotomized out of her. In rhymed anapestic tetrameter -- 171 pages of it! -- Weston brings readers to planet Graybalon-4 and back, showing them the dull gray horror of Tedium Steam and the joy of its colorful opposite, Enchantium Gas. Though written in a form virtually unseen since the days of epic poetry, Zorgamazoo does not rely on its gimmick: Weston tells a well-constructed story with fully realized characters and plenty of humor. Still, the form stands out. The rhyme is almost flawless, the meter less so, but some lines are gems: "The phoenixes then set their bodies ablaze, / and took to the sky like a flock of flambes." Fancifully frightening spot illustrations and typographical trickery create an inviting visual package. Zorgamazoo will have readers thinking in rhythm long after they have come to "the finish / the curtain, / The End."

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)