The Dithereens

by Cal Devney, Veronika Hipolito (illustrator)

Solving this mystery could change everything...From the deep ocean to a secret doughnut-shaped reef, Zoom and Stephen must confront their fears and find the clues they need.This time Zoom and Stephen have their friends with them. But will it be enough when it comes time to face their greatest enemy?

122 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2024

About the author

I am an educator, innovator and children's book author. I have worked in primary, secondary and tertiary education, specialising in science and digital technologies teaching. My stories are kooky, fun and creative, but mostly based on sound science principles... aside from the made up characters and the magic that is!

My vision is to re-image reading in the 21st Century context by bringing emerging technologies into the children’s book publishing ecosystem by publishing Augmented Reality (AR) books and books with basic coding concepts. Join me as we use innovation to engage, entertain, educate and enliven lives in new ways.

Reviews

[Sab Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Goodreads for this giveaway book!

This is a children's book with several accompanying illustrations throughout the book. It is the 5th released book in this series by Cal Devney; I will be reviewing it as a stand-alone novel.

What I enjoyed about this book is its silliness mixed with its educational properties. There are a lot of fun creature names and descriptions that are clearly not real but are described in ways that make them easy to picture (even for a child). I learned a fair amount about real creatures of the sea based on this book; I appreciated the accompanying illustrations for two of these creatures after their introductions. The number of characters that speak in this book would make it a great read-aloud book for smaller children, but in a few sessions due to its length. The author does a good job of explaining the "why" in this story's universe, rather than just saying that something occurs to suit the story (i.e. the main characters can talk in every language because it was a "gift" rather than everyone can speak to everyone in this world). There is much depth of the characters' internal feelings expressed throughout the story, which I believe is an important aspect of children's stories. I think this book could use more illustrations, especially after important scenes play out for our characters.

While I do think it is a "fun" read, I do have my qualms with other aspects of this text. When the characters talk to each other there is not a lot of variation in how they talk or their overall energies (they all feel like slight variations of the main character in some scenes). There is an opportunity to give characters quirks when they talk or more personality when they interact (especially since so many of these characters originally speak different languages and are from the sea or land). As you read toward the end of the book there are several (8-10) grammatical errors or mistypes altogether. While these errors do not ruin a book they do take a reader out of the story being told; this was one of the stars I took off for this book.

The other star I took off for this rating was mainly due to some of the organization in this story. I do appreciate when an author gives the readers information from previous books in the series (to remind loyal readers of past events or tell new readers something important that they haven't read at all), however, there is a chapter where a previous adventure is recounted in length and I lost track of the current adventure. There was important information about a previous adventure that related to this tale, however, there are other ways to recount an adventure, such as the two characters who experienced the adventure could simply reminisce about it or another character, who wasn't there, could ask about it (this also allows developing the characters a bit more in their speech and their energy/attitude on the page). In a later portion of the book where a new character is introduced and their adventure/flashback is recounted as such. This chapter made sense and was well executed without interrupting the current story being read.

I did enjoy this story and I would recommend this series for parents to read with/to their kids. There is a lot of fun in this book, it just requires a smidgen more review of structure and errors in the text.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

[Lindsay DeRollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great action-packed adventure in the Zoom Barrier Reef series! It stars Zoom, a clumsy seabird, and his best friend, Stephen. It begins in the Great Barrier Reef in the Land of the Ick Erros at a chibip plant nursery. Zoom and Stephen become friends and allies with the plants living there. The plants ask for their help in solving the mystery of why the evil Bognick sea creatures are attacking their land. So together they set about on their journey travelling back to Greedonga through a magical disk that transports them there.

They encounter many interesting creatures and hidden places, and continue to make more friends along the way. They all put their heads together and use their skills and talents to push forward through the obstacles along the way. They learn a valuable lesson about facing their fears and realize that not everything (or everyone) is as it seems. A good moral of the story is to always give others a chance and to keep on persevering. Trust your instincts!

I enjoyed following along with the entertaining characters and their funny antics into the deep sea. The author uses a lot of interesting and unique vocabulary that kids will be sure to enjoy. Great character development with wonderful illustrations and detailed maps included throughout the book.

Recommended for all fantasy-lovers in the middle-grade reading level.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun adventure/mystery great for kids reading at a middle grade level. The characters are great, and they inhabit a complex, well-developed world. I appreciated the map included at the beginning, or I'd have had trouble keeping up with all the unique places the story takes you. My only complaint is I felt like I was missing key information right at the start of the story. You're thrown right into everything, with no introduction to anyone, and referencing a plant unique to this particular universe. I found it a bit disorienting, but I think if you'd read the previous books in the series, you'd be fine. That said, once I got past my initial confusion, I was able to get into the story, and lose myself in the magical world Devney has created. The images sprinkled throughout the book are a nice addition, and help bring the story to life. This would be great to read together, or for kids to read independently.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun fantasy for kids of middle grade reading age and above. Stephen and Zoom, both birds of a feather, try to help the plants find out why a scary sea creature is trying to destroy their land.

This is well written. I did have a problem with a few of the terms. I couldn’t get their pronunciation in my head so tended to stop each time I saw one. This made for a somewhat “hiccupy” read. I am sure this is not a problem for young kids.

There is some teaching of values all stuck into a fun story. Nice to have a good book for middle grade readers that contains some adventures and some learning experience at the same time.

[Christine Woinich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very cute story with a lot of teaching moments. I loved the descriptions of the animals, sea creatures, and natural phenomenon as they came up. Zoom and Stephen and their friends, new and old, were definitely cute and showed what teamwork could accomplish. I really enjoyed this story and recommend it as a family read.

I received a copy through Goddess Fish Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt this book was more written to me and not written for me. The story was good, but could have been easier to understand. It was long and felt more like a lecture discussion to me than an adventure. I think with more editing and reworking it could have a better flow. I am sure though this style is preferred by many.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dithereens is a fun Children’s Chapter book. The characters really bring the story to life, and I enjoyed getting to know them as the story progressed. Zoom is a clumsy seabird, and along with his best friend Stephen are friends and allies with plants at a nursery in the Great Barrier Reef. The plants want their help in finding out why sea creatures are attacking their land.

Action packed and full of adventure, this book will hold your child’s attention and take them on a wonderful imaginary trip as Zoom and Stephen encounter a variety of sea creatures. The book is not a difficult read, but it is geared toward a middle graded reading level. Younger children will enjoy having the story read to them.

I really enjoyed this book. My rating: 5 out of 5

I was provided a copy of this book for the purpose of review as part of a book tour. The thoughts and opinions of this review are one hundred percent mine and not influenced by any author, publisher, or tour group.