Amazon Dirkle Smat Category:  Children Publisher: James A. Rock and Company ISBN-10:  1596635126 Type: Fiction Pages: 39 Copyright: 2006 ISBN-13: 9781596635128 Dirkle Smat is not just a kid with a goofy name. He's an Explorer! This book is the first in the Dirkle Smat adventure book series in which The Explorers go deep inside a mountain and discover people living there. Who are these people?  Dirkle Smat adventure books are short chapter books filled with mystery and adventure.   Kids don't need to read them in order - each book invites the reader into a fun mystery in which the characters and the readers need to find a solution. Excerpt Join the Explorer's Club for an unforgettable adventure inside Mount Flatbottom in this chapter book for early readers, ages 6 to 8. Travel with Dirkle and his little brother Quid Smat along with Toonie Oobles, Fiddy Bulblob, and the inventor of the roto-scooter and the BL2 Helmet, the creative genius Bean Lumley, as they proceed to solve a "mystery of the ages." Illustrated throughout with bonus pages at the end for readers to form their own Explorer's Club.

Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star Review
REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker, reviewer with Stories for Children Magazine



Do you or your kids enjoy exploring caves? Dirkle Smat, his younger brother, Quid, and their three friends Fiddy Bublob, Bean Lumley, and Toonie Oobles (for those who might think that this book is only for boys, Toonie is a girl) have formed an Explorers Club. One Saturday morning, the five set off to investigate the opening to a tunnel at the base of Mount Flatbottom. After they had all biked to the mountain, Bean, the inventor, hands each of them one of his BL2 (Bean Lumley Second Generation) cave explorer's helmets with lights and extra batteries that are supposed to last for four hours. Away they go into the tunnel. Can you guess what amazing discovery they make? And what will they do with the knowledge they obtain?



Most youngsters enjoy reading adventure stories, and Dirkle Smat Inside Mount Flatbottom is a good one. The book is a fun and exciting read, but there is an additional underlying question to make children think. What would you do if you had some special information that a lot of people would like to know and might even make you famous, but that if widely known could adversely affect others? This question should provoke some interesting discussion between parents and children. Author Lynn Garthwaite and her husband have two sons, neither of whom is named Dirkle. But being the father of two boys myself, I suspect that their activities have provided Lynn with many ideas for her books. I give this one two thumbs up. Yoips!

Dr. Seuss would be proud...
...to call this book his own. It's a delightful adventure story, great for boys and girls of elementary school age. Just like the Dr. Seuss books, this one is filled with outrageous characters with silly, imaginative names, that involve themselves in outlandish adventures. I love the name of its main character, Dirkle Smat - it's awesome! There are not enough GOOD children's books out there. This one is a happy addition to a short list. Let's hope there'll be more in the future!Escaping Innocence: A Story of Awakening


Whimsey and mystery will get youngsters enjoying reading at an early age
I have fond memories of reading mysteries while curled up in my grandmother's rocking chair. This book is a marvelous gift to children. It uses whimsical language and a mystery they can solve to introduce them to reading. What a wonderful way to introduce your kids and grand-kids to a book they can call their very own. Nancy Lynn Jarvis The Death Contingency