Zizou Corder

The Lion Boy trilogy is one of the most enjoyable and entertaining series to be published in years. The full-formed characters of Charlie, Rafi, King Boris, and crew draw the reader into an exciting adventure filled with kidnappings, wild animals, and a fight to put an end to a mysterious evil laboratory. Add in exotic locations such as Morocco, Venice, and Africa, and you've got a book you can't put down. The narrator of the audio book does a fantastic job of bringing the many characters to show more life. My only complaint with this series is that the first book did start out rather slow, which is too bad because some readers might be lost with the slow beginning. But the pace picks up considerably with the next two books. show less

This book is set in some unexplained future (oil reserves are run out, everything's electric or wind-powered but then there's an animal wandering around that sounds like a sabertooth tiger, from the description). The protagonist, Charlie is ten- though he often sounds much younger. His parents are scientists and get kidnapped, Charlie sets off to find them but is very much frightened by a local thug who appears to be chasing him. However he has a secret ability- Charlie can talk to any show more member of the feline family (the backstory on how this happened is both charming and rather simplistic). So with cats as allies to spy for him and bring him messages, he sets off on a hopeless-looking quest to rescue his parents. Not very far into the book he winds up on a traveling circus, that's on a ship. As in, the ship is permanently decked out to house the animals and people, and give performances in a big top rigged in the center. Very elaborate and imaginative. Charlie is both awed and thrilled by the circus, and dismayed at how the lions in the act are treated- drugged to keep them calm and compliant. He makes a mad plan to help the lions escape the circus, and they in turn promise to help him find his parents again. All along, there's hints at bigger secrets looming than just his cat-communication ability which I'm sure will be explained in further books, as this is the start of a series that purports to be full of adventures.

This was fun, and the cats are just great (better characters than the lions, in my opinion). I certainly enjoyed reading it, although there are some awkward points. Lions don't purr, for example (unless in this future they've evolved to do so?) ... I did like that the author made some obvious points against stereotypes- Charlie himself is from a mixed-race family, and he often comes up against people make erroneous assumptions about his background, or about people of other nationalities as they travel, which he quickly points out are wrong. There's also the thoughtful contrast between Charlie's love of the circus flair and skill of the performers, and his unhappiness at how the lions are kept captive. But then there's this other storyline thread of big business and pharma going at odds against those who are actually trying to cure disease (asthma). It's an odd mesh of themes... I don't know if I quite liked it well enough to seek out the sequels on my own, but if my nine-year-old wants 'em, I'll be happy to read the rest.

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Like Artemis Fowl, this is a rollicking good adventure that doesn't take itself too seriously. Set in the future, our hero is living on the streets after yet another run-in with his alcoholic father when he stumbles into a the world of a book preserver and his life is changed forever. Told in alternating chapters by different characters this is a wonderful story about how not being able to read can be an advantage when you have a magic book as old as time itself in your possession. Your show more inability to read makes the book have to talk to be understood and this, in turn, causes it to take on a personality! Maenwhile, there are all sorts of selfish people who are out to get a book that can turn itself into any other at will (Shakespeare's Diary, ancient manuscripts, Billy Bunter) or can provide every story ever told for our evil author (think Cruella Deville ) Lots of fun and hard to put down. show less

Well-done world-building and character development. No cliches or tropes. The description of the circus is reason enough, imo, to read the book.

I love how Charlie is a kid - brave, clever, but still a kid. I love how we spend time with the parents - they aren't just vaguely waiting to be rescued. I love how even minor characters are well-developed.

I found the book both intelligent and exciting. My only quibbles are the big heaping pile of luck at the end, and the fact that I don't quite show more care enough to follow the rest of the adventure. show less