diff --git a/test/tests.mjs b/test/tests.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63906dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/tests.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert';
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import { read, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
+
+import * as hdf5 from "jsfive";
+
+function loadFile(filename) {
+    const ab = readFileSync(filename);
+    return new hdf5.File(ab.buffer, filename);
+}
+
+test('check dtypes', () => {
+  const dtypes = ['f2', 'f4', 'f8', 'i1', 'i2', 'i4'];
+  const values = [3.0, 4.0, 5.0];
+  const f = loadFile("test/test.h5");
+
+  for (const dtype of dtypes) {
+    const dset = f.get(dtype);
+    assert.strictEqual(dset.dtype, `<${dtype}`);
+    assert.deepEqual(dset.value, values);
+  }  
+});
+
+test('strings', () => {
+  const f = loadFile("test/test.h5");
+  const dset = f.get('string');
+
+  assert.strictEqual(dset.dtype, 'S5');
+  assert.deepEqual(dset.value, ['hello']);
+
+  const vlen_dset = f.get('vlen_string');
+  assert.deepEqual(vlen_dset.dtype, ['VLEN_STRING', 0, 1]);
+  assert.deepEqual(vlen_dset.value, ['hello']);
+});
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