Zak's adventures begin when he's captured by two men and his shepherd's staff acquires special powers. Starting at CVC level, the books progress through adjacent consonants, consonant digraphs and alternative vowel spellings.

Phonic Books Totem comprises 12 books and shares the same phonic progression as the Phonic Books Alba series and can be used in parallel to consolidate phonemic knowledge and reading skills.

• Book 1: The Kidnap (CVC, CVCC)
• Book 2: The Gift (CVC, CVCC, CCVC)
• Book 3: On the Brink of Death (CVC, CVCC, CCVC, CCVCC)
• Book 4: The Shadow on the Cliffs (sh, ch, th)
• Book 5: Bad Luck (ck, ng, qu, wh)
• Book 6: Dangers on the Plain ('ae': ai, ay, a-e, a)
• Book 7: Valley of Dreams ('ee': ee, ea, e, y, ey)
• Book 8: The Monster Below ('oe': o-e, ow, oa, o)
• Book 9: Murky Waters ('er': er, ir, ur)
• Book 10: Danger All Around ('ow': ow, ou)
• Book 11: Jungle Fright ('ie': igh, i-e, y, i)
• Book 12: Hooves! ('oo': oo, ew, u-e, u)

Accompanying photocopiable activities for segmenting, comprehension, blending and writing can be found in Phonic Books Totem Activities.