Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris

She's back! Prickly, lonely, blindingly intelligent, and unorthodox to her core, Theodosia Throckmorton has been cast into a new adventure.

Another ancient Egyptian artifact is in the hands of the Serpents of Chaos, and it's up to Theodosia to save the world, yet again. Unfortunately, this time she's not only forced to fight a deadly secret society, more hampered than helped by the vague assistance of the Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers. This time she faces an even worse danger than living mummies, Egyptian curses, and foreign spies....governesses! Grandmother Throckmorton is determined to find a governess who can mold eccentric and unladylike Theo and preserve her from her unfashionable parents.

Will Theodosia save her father from show more prison? Can she defeat the Serpents of Chaos yet again? Is Will really on her side? Who are the mysterious hooded men following her? Will she spend the rest of her life doing sums? Read Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris to find out!

Verdict: Fans of Kirsten Miller's Kiki Strike, Harry Potter, and Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant will love this series! It takes a little booktalking to get kids past the Victorian setting, but it quickly grows on them.

ISBN: 978-0618927647; Published November 2008 by Houghton Mifflin; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library; Added to my personal wishlist show less

This is apparently the 2nd book in the Theodosia series. I got this through Amazon vine. It was a good book. I enjoyed it, definitely more of a young adult series, which is what it is listed as. I guess I would call this series Artemis Fowl meets ancient Egypt.

I did not read the first book in this series. This did not cause me any confusion in this book really, there were some references to people and places that occurred in the first book. These references didn't detract any from the story presented in this book. Theodosia is a very intelligent young lady who has become involved with some Secret Societies that are either looking to cause chaos or prevent it. In this book Theo finds the Staff of Osiris in the basement of the museum her show more father owns. When she accidentally activates it things start spiraling out of control.

It was a quick, fun read. Theodosia is a great character. It would have been nice to have some of the other characters be more developed, but the story doesn't center on them so I guess that is that. The book brought to mind the Artemis Fowl series, I don't think it is comparable, even a little bit, to Harry Potter; it is a completely different type of story. The book also brought to mind The Mummy movies.

I am not sure I need to put another young adult series on my plate of things to read, but I might consider it since this was such a well-done and fun book. show less

Reviewed by Candace Cunard for TeensReadToo.com

Theodosia Throckmorton, precocious daughter of a London museum curator and a top archaeologist, is back again in this sequel to THEODOSIA AND THE SERPENTS OF CHAOS. In that previous volume, eleven-year-old Theo used her knowledge of Egyptian curses to keep her parents safe from the dangerous artifacts that they handle on a daily basis, but in doing so, she ran afoul of a secret organization known as the Serpents of Chaos, whose goal, as their name implies, is to destroy order and plunge the world into violence.

Now, the Serpents are back, trying again to use their knowledge of Egyptian lore and curses to encourage the tensions building between Victorian England and Kaiser Wilhelm's show more Germany.

Theo may be just one girl, but she's got the backing of an entire museum worth of information and newfound friends to help her figure out the latest mystery. When she's assigned to clean out and catalogue the museum's basement, she comes across an artifact with more power than she suspected--the Staff of Osiris, which, when properly wielded, can reanimate and attract the dead toward it. Unfortunately, Theo's accidental activation of the staff leads all the mummies of London to make their way through the streets to her father's museum, leading the police to suspect Theo's father of stealing them.

Theo must work to clear her father's name and keep the staff safe from the Serpents of Chaos, who wish to employ it for its more diabolical ability to produce a poisonous gas that will kill anyone who breathes it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second story of Theodosia's. LaFevers wittily mixes serious historical ramifications with comical moments. Even at its most serious, the story finds a lighthearted core in Theo's first-person narration, which continues to be a wonderful vehicle for exploring early 1900s London.

It's quite possible that I enjoyed this book better than the first one, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in magic and adventure! show less

What if one of Walter Emerson's daughters was as daring as the nephew chronicled by Elizabeth Peters? What if Egyptian magic was real? Definitely lively writing, with the independent (and excruciatingly Free Range on an E. Nesbit scale) Theodosia concocting countercharms, removing curses, and investigating frightening Egyptian mysteries, mostly in London. A certain element of absurdist and mannerist fantasy, and the major plot turns are somewhat predictable, but an all-around win of a series. I await the future adventures of the clever and resourceful Theodosia with bated breath-- she puts Hermione let alone Harry Potter in the shade.

Theodosia Throckmorton is in even more trouble than usual. And as readers of her first adventure, Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, know, trouble is one of the many things that find Theodosia on a regular basis. Among the other things that seem to find their way to Theo: ancient Egyptian curses, power-hungry madmen seeking to control the world, mummies that walk the Earth, and the most terrifying thing of all, Theodosia’s Grandmother.During her previous adventures, Theodosia was introduced to the nefarious Serpents of Chaos, an organization that seeks to engulf the world in chaos and violence. And when Theodosia accidentally reactivates the Staff of Osiris, an ancient Egyptian object with mysterious power over the dead, the show more Serpents of Chaos want in on the action. It will take all of Theo’s considerable ingenuity and spunk to stop their evil plan - but first she’ll have to get away from the many governesses hired by her grandmother.The second book in the Theodosia Throckmorton series delivers with nonstop action, good history, sly humor, and a delightfully precocious protaganist. A few characters from the first book are not who they seem - and is Theodosia’s grandmother actually showing signs of - gasp - humanity?These books are not only a load of fun - they’re also beautifully made with great attention to detail. The cover art is striking, and the spine is designed to look like an old leatherbound book. The old-book look is continued with the thick stock of the paper, slightly old-fashioned typeface, and an uneven deckle edge. Finally, if you peek underneath the jacket you’ll find an old map of London where a curious reader can follow Theodosia’s adventures.This is a great choice for Percy Jackson readers who are chomping at the bit waiting for the final book, or for anyone who likes their heroes smart and sassy. I’ll be looking forward to more from Theodosia. show less

Well I am pleased to say that this sequel to "Serpents of Chaos" is wonderful. I was a bit concerned that as a follow-up the author might have had trouble preventing the tale from lagging a bit but I couldn't have been more wrong. The story is even better in her second offering and the characters that much more charming. Although again I am a bit confused as to the behavior of one or two characters, and I would have liked to have seen some story lines better resolved, I absolutely delighted in the addition of the parade of nannies that Grandmother Throckmorton inflicted on Theo. I believe every child at heart enjoys seeing overly stuffy and generally unkind people break out in boils. As well as some new characters, LaFever was able to show more spend time developing some of the older ones as well as giving us a bit of an insight into their past actions. I can only hope she plans to continue developing this aspect of the stories.

Without question, LaFever was able to maintain the most appealing aspect of her Theo character, the charmingly honest inner voice she all but narrates the story with. Theo is thinking all the things that we would have had we been there. I concur with a younger reviewer... If I could give it more stars I would. Bravo to Ms. LaFever and her delightfully precocious heroine! show less

I've marked this quote as a spoiler, because it does give away a minor plot point; but really, who can resist a line like this?

"My secret? What secret?" My voice squeaked and I cleared my throat, trying to fight the rising panic.

"Why, that you're Isis reincarnated, of course."

My jaw dropped, and I gaped at the Third Assistant Curator on his knees in front of me as I realized he was utterly, barking mad.

Any scholar knows that the Egyptians didn't believe in reincarnation!

Theodosia was a little slower on the uptake on this book than in the first book, but I gasped in surprise at the major revelation of the villain.

I enjoy these books because Theodosia rather reminds me of a young Amelia Peabody.