One of the first things Linus sees when he steps off the plane in his new home of Liberia is a black mamba, the deadliest snake in the whole country. He notices the snake more and more, and it seems almost friendly. Linus feels himself becoming more like the snake—braver, bolder—but will his mystical connection to this spirit animal help him reinvent himself, or put his whole family in danger?

I used this as one of my middle school booktalks, and a girl came by after school the next day to ask for it, so I guess my booktalk worked. Linus is a believable boy--who hasn't wanted to take advantage of a move to reinvent himself?

The cover does nothing for me (sorry, Kurtis) but I liked seeing my name in the acknowledgments. :) (

)

librarybrandy | Mar 30, 2013 |

Linus and his family are moved to Liberia when his father gets a position as a diplomat there. As soon as he gets off the plane an incident occurs when it seems the family are about to beattacked by a Mamba snake. They are reassured that mambas are rare and seldom seen but Linus seems to encounter them frequently. He meets an old man who tells him a bit about snakes and the attraction they Linus and his brother meet other kids from the embassy and Linus also makes friends with some of the local people. Unfortunately Linus' attraction to snakes is about to cause problems. A good read from an author whose
life experience of living in Liberia is reflected in this book. I would recommend this foe children aged about 7 - 12 (

)

Leov | Feb 16, 2011 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 2 of 2

▾Published reviews

no reviews | add a review

▾Other authors

» Add other authors

▾Work-to-work relationships

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Series (with order)

Canonical title

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Awards and honors

Epigraph

Dedication

First words

Quotations

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Publisher series

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Haiku summary

▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0375861807, Hardcover)

When his dad gets a job at the U.S. embassy in Liberia, twelve-year-old Linus Tuttle knows it's his chance for a fresh start. Instead of being his typical anxious self, from now on he'll be cooler and bolder: the new Linus.

But as soon as his family gets off the plane, they see a black mamba--one of the deadliest snakes in Africa. Linus's parents insist mambas are rare, but the neighborhood is called Mamba Point, and Linus can barely go outside without tripping over one--he's sure the venomous serpents are drawn to him. Then he hears about kasengs, and the belief that some people have a deep, mysterious connection to certain animals.

Unless Linus wants to hide in his apartment forever (drawing or playing games with the strange kid downstairs while his older brother meets girls and hangs out at the pool), he has to get over his fear of his kaseng animal. Soon he's not only keeping a black mamba in his laundry hamper; he's also feeling braver than ever before. Is it his resolution to become the new Linus, or does his sudden confidence have something to do with his scaly new friend?

From Kurtis Scaletta, author of Mudville, comes a humorous and compelling story of a boy learning about himself through unexpected friends, a fascinating place, and an extraordinary animal.

(retrieved from Amazon Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:58:27 -0400)

(see all 2 descriptions)

▾Library descriptions

After moving with his family to Liberia, twelve-year-old Linus discovers that he has a mystical connection with the black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in Africa, which he is told will give him some of the snake's characteristics. Includes facts about the author's experiences as a thirteen-year-old American living in Liberia in 1982.… (more)

» see all 2 descriptions