Book
Zorgamazoo / by Robert Paul Weston.
Imaginative and adventurous Katrina eludes her maniacal guardian to help Morty, a member of a vanishing breed of zorgles, with his quest to uncover the fate of the fabled zorgles of Zorgmazoo as well as of other creatures that seem to have disappeared from the earth.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781595141996 :
- ISBN: 1595141995
- Physical Description: 281 p. : ill. ; 19 cm.
- Publisher: New York : Razorbill, 2008.
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Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at South Central Regional Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winkler Library | J F Wes (Text) | 35864000943793 | Junior Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2008 September #1
*Starred Review* 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 earth's 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 isn't 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 can't go it alone. Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews. - Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2009 Spring
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 2008 Horn Book Guide Reviews. - Horn Book Magazine Reviews : Horn Book Magazine Reviews 2008 #6
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 Horn Book Magazine Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2008 September #1
Preteen Katrina Katrell has always seen things others don't. Her bored and boring guardian Mrs. Krabone is so fed up she calls lobotomy specialist Dr. LeFang to take care of the problem. Katrina escapes but gets into further trouble, and reluctant adventurer Mortimer Yorgle, a Zorgle who lives in a parallel world beneath the ground with other fantasy beasts, comes to her rescue. The two set off to find the missing Zorgles of Zorgamazoo. What they discover is a nefarious plot from outer space to make Earth more boring by kidnapping fantastical beasts (which, by the way, are real) and upping the production of Tedium Steam. The planet behind the plot, Graybalon-Four, runs on the stuff. Much saving of the day ensues. Weston's debut fantasy in rhymed verse is at once silly and gross. If Seuss and Dahl collaborated early in their careers, something similar might have resulted. Though the language is often a slave to the rhyme, and that rhyme is sometimes a stretch, Snicket fans and reluctant readers not afraid of a peek at verse will likely feel right at home. (Fantasy. 9-11) Copyright Kirkus 2008 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Media Connection : Library Media Connection Reviews 2009 March/April
Katrina is a young girl with a huge imagination. Her guardian, appropriately named Mrs. Krabone, does nothing but condemn it. The story begins when Katrina sees a shadowy figure hiding in the subway. We come to know him as Morty, the zorgle who is on his own quest to find the missing zorgles from Zorgamazoo. Sound impossible? Well, then join Mrs. Krabby on her journey. Sounds perfectly plausible? Then pick up your boots and join Katrina as she journeys to magical lands to help Morty find his friends. The writing is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss with a Roald Dahl-like quality to it. The rhyming moves the story forward and keeps the magic alive. We are transformed to the imagination of our youth where we believed in things like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. It is the Mrs. Krabones and other adults of the world that try to stifle the imagination in order to have children grow up faster than they should or want to. The tone of the book is magical. It begs to be read aloud to a class of wide-eyed wonderers and believers. Highly Recommended. Karen Scott, Media Specialist, Thompson Middle School, Alabaster, Alabama ¬ 2009 Linworth Publishing, Inc. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2009 January
Gr 4â6âThis 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.âLaurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
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