Reviewer (text)
Corinne Fox
When the group of main characters consists of a troll, a pig and a court jester, you know that something zany is afoot. In this series debut by comic strip creator Rob Harrell, readers are introduced to Zarf Belford, a young troll in the kingdom of Notswin, where he attends middle school at Cotswin Middle School with his two best friends: Kevin the pig (son of one of the original Three Little Pigs) and Chester, the son of the king’s court jester. They spend their days trying to survive being on the lowest rung of the social totem pole, until one day, things get a little more dramatic --- Zarf gets into a fight with the bratty and obnoxious Prince Roquefort, when Zarf loses the resulting after-school duel, his “troll blood” takes over and he beats the stuffing out of Roquefort. Unfortunately, this happens just as the king goes missing and Roquefort ascends to the throne, meaning Zarf is thrown into prison. There, he meets a mysterious fellow prisoner, and after escaping, they, along with Kevin and Chester, set off to find the missing king to win the respect of the kingdom and be heroes of their own tale.
Harrell’s writing is speedy and crisp, and it is sure to keep kids’ rapt attention as they read.
The strongest element of the book is easily the humor --- especially the illustrations. Harrell draws cartoons and dialogue throughout the book, and they provide great entertainment both from the jokes and the pictures. Harrell’s writing is speedy and crisp, and it is sure to keep kids’ rapt attention as they read. All of the characters are likeable, each with their own unique qualities, and they all have moments of surprising depth that will connect to the budding maturity in young readers and to the parents reading along with their children. One of my favorite characters was Goldilocks, who is now a middle-aged lunch lady, and happens to be one of Zarf’s good friends and confidantes. She has some great moments of wit and helps the heroes out in numerous sticky situations. The story is simple enough, but still with enough intricacy to avoid being boring --- though the characters truly make the book.
The only big issue I had with the book was the inconsistency of the world. The universe is clearly established as a fantasyland, home to many fairy tales and magical/mythical creatures, and it has its own map and realm, making it clearly not connected to any place that actually exists. Yet there were tons of references to objects and pop culture from real life, such as Spiderman, Sharpies, Red Bull and cars. These took me out of the story and struck me as quick and easy ways to pander to young readers, which disappointed me because Harrell proves himself to be talented enough to not require such tactics. It just became confusing because there was never any indication as to why these things would exist in this fantastical world.
All in all, LIFE OF ZARF is a funny and entertaining read that will keep the kids laughing and the adults reading along snickering to themselves. The clever and humorous cartoons are a standout feature, as well as Harrell’s well-rounded and interesting characters. And there is just enough complexity to grab young readers’ attention and intrigue them to read more and to think more. It’s a great book that’s perfect for getting younger kids into reading, and I have no doubt that the future installments of the series will delight children just as much as the first one.
Teaser
It’s not easy being Zarf. As a troll, he's stuck at the bottom of the middle school hierarchy, way below the prince and knights (populars), ogres and giants (jocks) and even the lowly minstrels (band geeks). Plus, trolls aren't exactly known for their brain power or cool demeanor. But it gets worse. When the king disappears and Zarf's archenemy, the prince, ascends the throne, he makes Zarf's life even more miserable. And so it is that Zarf and his two sidekicks (a neurotic, mutton-obsessed pig and the not-funny son of the court jester) set out to find the missing king as well as their way to middle school heroism. (Okay, the heroism part might be wishful thinking.)
Promo
It’s not easy being Zarf. As a troll, he's stuck at the bottom of the middle school hierarchy, way below the prince and knights (populars), ogres and giants (jocks) and even the lowly minstrels (band geeks). Plus, trolls aren't exactly known for their brain power or cool demeanor. But it gets worse. When the king disappears and Zarf's archenemy, the prince, ascends the throne, he makes Zarf's life even more miserable. And so it is that Zarf and his two sidekicks (a neurotic, mutton-obsessed pig and the not-funny son of the court jester) set out to find the missing king as well as their way to middle school heroism. (Okay, the heroism part might be wishful thinking.)
About the Book
It’s not easy being Zarf. As a troll, he's stuck at the bottom of the middle school hierarchy, way below the prince and knights (populars), ogres and giants (jocks) and even the lowly minstrels (band geeks). Plus, trolls aren't exactly known for their brain power or cool demeanor. But it gets worse. When the king disappears and Zarf's archenemy, the prince, ascends the throne, he makes Zarf's life even more miserable. And so it is that Zarf and his two sidekicks (a neurotic, mutton-obsessed pig and the not-funny son of the court jester) set out to find the missing king as well as their way to middle school heroism. (Okay, the heroism part might be wishful thinking.)
