Have you ever read a novel a novel in rhyme??It's shocking yet majestic, you should try it some time.Zorgamazoo written by Robert Paul Weston is the story of a neglected girl named Katrina who goes on an adventure with an unadventurous Zorgle named Morty, in this adventure they discover their purpose in life, the true meaning of friendship and the Zorgles of Zorgamazoo who've gone missing.Katrina is self-reliant,offbeat, and erratic sometimes. She's the type of girl who plays by her own rules, the only problem is there's no one to play with. Her parents left her when she was very young so she lives a miserable life with her guardian Mrs.Krabone until their return (if ever). Morty on the other hand lives vicariously through the stories of his legendary dying father. He's a full grown Zorgle who dreams of adventure, but that's all he does, dream. The theme of the book is adventure, but not just any adventure: the above-ground, underground, out-of-this-world kind of adventure.However, The most interesting thing about Zorgamazoo is that it's a verse novel. A verse novel is a narrative book of poetry; Zorgamazoo was specifically written in "anapestic tetrameter" the A-A-B-B pattern. So not only does the story have an amazing plot, but it rhymes... and makes sense too!The reading level suggests elementary,but on the contraryone may require a dictionary,to comprehend this story. It's an intimidating read at first but after a while you'll start thinking in rhyme, and before you know it every sentence you speak will carry a poetic beat.You won’t know what hit youyou'll experience a sort of breakthroughthis book could change your world view,this book: Zorgamazoo. 1. Genre- Sci- Fi Fantasy2. Awards-E.B. White Read Aloud Award Nominee, Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee, California Young Reader Medal, Silver Birch, Children's Choice Book Award, Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Kinderbuch 3. Grade Level- 5-64. This is a wonderful novel written entirely in rhyming couplets about a group of characters, ranging from human girls to mystical creatures, as they go on an adventure that will make children of all ages completely enthralled. I loved this book and I think many students would as well. As a follow up activity to reading the book, I could have the students make a biopoem. It is a poem written using a certain format that, when finished, gives a short biography of the person or character. The students would use this format and the information gathered from the story to make a biopoem for one of the characters. I would divide the students into small groups and they would create the poem each with a different prominent character such as Dulbert, Katrina, Krabby, and Morty, which they would later present to the class. This is a good book to do this activity with because there are a number of interesting characters in the book. Having the students write a biopoem and then present it will not only allow the students to practice characterization, but allow every student to understand every single character.
What do You think about Zorgamazoo Audio CD (2010)?
This is one of the best books I've ever found to read to your kids. This guy has a great gift.
—anja
Another of Savannah's Battle of the Books books. A book entirely in rhyme.... hmmmm.
—Mini
Third time reading this story and I love it even more.
—qeels
This book is clever, amusing, and fun to read!
—mmred
