The Adventures of Adam and the Incredibly Mysterious Zorkins by Ronnie Glaser, chapter book, 118 pages, published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform in 2016.
Adam Brown is ten years old, with an older sister, Lizzie and best friend, Howie. Behind his house are some woods that he likes to play in and explore. As Adam and Howie go on adventures, Adam sometimes hears singing that no one else hears. The voices help him out when he’s in trouble. Whilst in his treehouse in the woods, he hears the singing again, and finally meets the Zorkins. These two tiny magical beings want to befriend Adam, but can he keep them a secret?
This chapter book is a quick read, perfect for early independent readers. It would be nice to share aloud with younger children also. The story is easy to follow and the characters are interesting. The language is age appropriate, but not repetitive. I liked the adventures (and mishaps) that Adam and Howie got into. They are quite lucky the Zorkins were looking out for them!
It took about half the book to get to the point where Adam actually meets the Zorkins, which surprised me. I thought the Zorkins would make themselves known to Adam much sooner. Instead they stayed out of sight, but still accompanied him on adventures until they were ready to show themselves.
All the characters were likeable, except for the school bully, Bobby. He was a mean lump of a boy. I didn’t really get a clear picture of what the Zorkins looked like, just that they were humanoid in appearance and very small. There wasn’t enough description for me, but I don’t think that would matter much to the intended audience. I did like the way the Zorkins complemented each other, with one being somewhat brusque and irritable, while the other one was calm and reasonable. They were funny little creatures.
The Adventures of Adam and the Incredibly Mysterious Zorkins is suitable for lower and middle primary school children.
*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.