JOURNEY TO JUMBALOT

Wakefield’s middle-grade novel draws readers into a lively world filled with strange creatures.

Alby is a stray cat adopted by Professor Wizoom, a scientist/inventor. Wizoom is building a special portal because he had a dream of himself “opening a triangular door…consumed by light as I walked through.” He’s unsure of where the door will lead but feels compelled to build it. He heads off to bed before running his final test, and Alby follows. The next morning, the feline awakens and finds Professor Wizoom gone. “Where did Wizoom go and where is my breakfast?” Alby wonders. Hours later, the triangular doorsparksand opens. Alby hears a faint voice calling: “Please help them….Find your courage.” Alby passes through the portal and enters the world of Jumbalot, which has “glimmering grass spotted with multicolored flowers… spiral-shaped mountains…like corkscrews.” He encounters amazing creatures, including some that combine elements of two or three animals, such as the evil “Shorkin” with a shark’s head, lizardlike body, and humanlike upper torso; the beast is one of “Rozer’s raiders.” Alby befriends Fremmy, a “froguar,” and together they head to Kingdom of Jowla to find the professor and return home. In Jowla, they meet Queen Lola and see Rozer, a “wolvaraptor rex,” attacking the kingdom in retaliation for Queen Lola’s father destroying Rozer’s home, Wolvoon. Wakefield has created a fantastic fictional world in a story that centers on the “Gem of Jumbalot,” which gives strength and power to Queen Lola, and which Rozer desires. The conflict leads to an epic battle to restore Jumbalot to its glory. Wakefield’s creativity is sure to delight young readers, as he provides vivid, detailed imagery; Jumbalot, for instance, has “an immense pearlescent pyramid” with a gold-plated dome and buildings “painted with gleaming, bright-colored symbols.” His inventiveness continues in his black-and-white chapter illustrations depicting fantastic creatures of his fictional realm.

A colorful fantasy with wondrous characters in a strange land.