Zao's Tales

by J.A. Sommer, John D. Neiner (Illustrator)

“A story so real…it was.” What would it be like to enter the world of our story books? This is a question many children have dreamed about, but have you ever considered what would happen if the characters in story books entered our world? Author J.A. Sommer and Illustrator John Neiner bring to life the story of Zao’s Tales—no ordinary collection of fairy tales—and the adventure it brings Carey, Ella, and Lili when they unintentionally release an evil villain into the world.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy

352 pages, Paperback

Published July 19, 2022

Reviews

[D.T. Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one had interesting elements. I always love stories that bring in characters from books the main cast are reading, so that was something that made me smile.

I would love to see this get a line edit, as it was pretty wordy in spots and leaned into a filter-heavy style, which wasn't completely necessary in most spots. There were also a few places where the violence level was a bit excessive, to me, since this is supposed to be for middle grade readers.

All that being said, there were some interesting themes, and I appreciated the sibling dynamics throughout the story. I also appreciated how the child characters respected their mother on a consistent basis.

Overall, a decent showing, but it needs more polish.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that the author is married to a niece and, more than that, he is a friend. This title is of a genre I’m not typically going to read, but naturally I would be interested to read the work of someone I admire as much as I do John.

I am much Impressed with the work and would gladly recommend it to my grandchildren. It is simultaneously a plot that will be exciting to an elementary age student, but also written in a style and with a vocabulary that will provide a few challenges to some middle schoolers.

I also plan to read the companion title, The Blue Book of Tales.

[Jovelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll just say -- the plot is amazing, the writing was not my favorite. There was way too much repetitiveness; not many synonyms were used in place of a word used earlier in a sentence.
The plot really left one thing to be desired: as far as I can tell, no explanation was given for the fact that a character supposedly never to be seen again shows up at the end again to say goodbye. I may have missed it, but I read the page over and over and couldn't find any explanation.
At first, the writing style, especially the first sentence, seemed almost in the style of Louisa May Alcott, but that soon dissipated.
I would recommend this for the plot, and not much else.

[Carolyn Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zao's Tales is the kind of story that sticks with you. It's an adventure story full of fun and just the right amount of jeopardy, and it also carries nuggets of wisdom and truth.

The woods of Northern Michigan have never felt more magical—and I grew up pretending I could get to Narnia from them.

[Suzanne Roq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story written for a younger audience but still very enjoyable for an old coot like myself. It gives off George MacDonald "The Princess and the Goblin" vibes. I would not recommend this for sensitive children- some of the battle scene details may be too gruesome (although not, in my opinion, bad for the average kid). I truly enjoyed this book and its illustrations.

[Donya Dunlap · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming book full of magic and adventure laced with wisdom from which readers young and old can benefit. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and loved the illustrations. I don’t read much in the way of children’s books but I consider this one a treasure I’ll read again.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5**
Definitely written for children/young teens, but it was a cute adventure!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the premise of an inverted Narnia. Rather than a wardrobe being a gateway from the real world to a fantastic adventure, in Zao’s Tales, a book itself is the gateway for the fantasy adventure to burst out into the real world.

This was just a fun read, especially as it started to pick up momentum near the half way point.