Reviews of Lionboy by Zizou Corder

Lionboy

by Zizou Corder

Lionboy by Zizou Corder X
Lionboy by Zizou Corder
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  • First Published:
    Dec 2003, 288 pages

    Paperback:
    Sep 2004, 304 pages

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Book Summary

From an exciting new mother/daughter writing team comes the first part of a captivating adventure trilogy full of heroes, villains, and astounding events.

What do you do when you come home one day and discover that your parents have been kidnapped? Well, if you're a brave young guy named Charlie Ashanti, you go off in search of them. And since you happen to know how to speak Cat, your feline friends-the stray cats of the city and the caged lions on a magnificent, astounding floating circus, rally round you, bringing help, advice, and occasional special deliveries. Little do you know that in this search of yours, the fate of the world is at stake.

From an exciting new mother/daughter writing team comes this captivating adventure full of heroes, villains, and astounding events. Set in a near future that blends the familiar and the new in unexpected, intriguing ways, Lionboy is an exhilarating, suspenseful whirlwind of a novel-a book destined to become a classic.



Charlie knew cats well enough to know that you can't take them for granted, ever. And he was downright nervous about the lions. Lions are different. Lions are wild--even if they are trained. Lions are big. Lions are the King of the Jungle, the King of Beasts. And then there was Maccomo, the unnaturally calm lion tamer. Sorry, trainer. He was quite unnerving, too. Charlie could not keep away from the lionchamber, but he approached it with respect and trepidation.

And that is one reason why he was so surprised to find one of the lions--a male, quite young though no longer a cub--just standing on the deck behind the lionchamber, not far from the door, all alone, gazing out to sea with his whiskers down and a strange expression on his face. Surely the lions would be locked up? Surely the trainer wasn't so powerfully calm that he could let his lions wander about the ship?

Without thinking, Charlie came up beside the lion and said, in Cat: "Hello."

The lion turned swiftly...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

The Washington Post Book World For Young Readers - Elizabeth Ward
Lionboy is a zinger or a story, told with a J.K. Rowling-like blend of humor, drama and headlong plotting – overplotting, sometimes – though worlds removed from Hogwarts..... a delicious midwinter promise of adventures to come.

KLIATT - Paula Rohrlick
The saga is imaginative and engaging, and the elaborate details of the circus will appeal to upper elementary and middle school students. Ages 12 to 15.

School Library Journal - Steven Engelfried
Grade 4-8. Charlie himself is brave and smart, regularly applying his parents' wise advice when in a tough spot, but he never comes alive as a truly distinct or particularly interesting hero.....Still, it's a fascinating premise, and sets up some surprising and exciting situations.... Despite weaknesses, there's some inventive storytelling here, and readers who stick with it will look forward to the sequel.

VOYA - David Goodale
Despite flaws in characterization, this novel will also be a hit with lovers of Eoin Colfer and Philip Pullman. This series is recommended for school and public libraries, where patrons will also want to keep an eye out for the movie. Ages 11 to 15.

Kirkus Reviews
This inventive cat-and-mouse game combines hi-jinks with messages of mixed marriages, greedy pharmaceutical conglomerates, and environmentally caused allergies. The lion-face cover and clever cat device set the pace and impel the plot. Intriguing. (Fiction. 9-12)

Booklist - Jennifer Mattson
... a 22-page description of a circus performance may test children's attention spans, and Charlie's levelheaded strategizing sometimes strains credibility. Still, such flaws will hardly matter once readers are caught up in the suspenseful action and the pleasures of visiting a plausible, if troubling, version of our future.

Publishers Weekly
This first volume (by a mother-daughter team writing under one name) in a planned trilogy melds a rousing traveling circus adventure with shades of cautionary science fiction.

Reader Reviews

Lucy Smith

Wow.
This is the best trilogy Ii have read in my whole life. The story kind of sucks you in and you never want it to end. The book took me quite a while to read though but that's what makes it so good as it lasts long. I never ever wanted it to end and ...   Read More
ipodgirl437

My Review on LionBoy!!
LionBoy is very suspenseful in a way. You don't know what's going to happen next. This book also has many emotions in it like sadness. When Charlie finds out his parents have been kidnapped all he can think about is how sad he is. There is also ...   Read More
Debrina

Highly recommended
We found this book on CD at our local library, and fell in love with it! My kids (4 and 5 1/2) and I turn it on every time we get in the car, and are now on book three of the trilogy. We have loved every adventure of Charlie and his lions! I ...   Read More
Natalie

A most excellent book
It is very intresting, and when at the back of the page I saw the "to be continued"..., I was actually quite angry. I am looking forward to the next book very much. THANK YOU LOIUSA FOR WRITING THIS FABULOUS BOOK!!!! I highly recommend it.

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