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Summary
Summary
Nate Fludd, Beastologist, is back in the camel saddle in hot pursuit of a missing, deadly Basilisk--the King of Serpents. As if saving an entire Dhughani village from the Basilisk's poisonous gaze isn't difficult enough, Nate and Aunt Phil must begin to piece together the mystery of his parents' disappearance and protect the lone copy of the Fludd Book of Beasts from a sinister man who always seem to be one step ahead of them. Pack your goggles, rue, and an extra pair of gloves and join Nate on another unbelievable adventure--there's no rest for the world's youngest beastologist-in-training!
Author Notes
R. L. LaFevers was born in Los Angeles, California. She is the author of the Theodosia series, the Lowthar's Blade series, the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series, and the His Fair Assassin Trilogy.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Nate Fludd, budding beastologist, is back in an adventure even greater than his first. His Aunt Phil receives a telegram that a basilisk has escaped from the village of Bamako. The natives need her help, and soon Nate is racing on a camel, flying across the Sahara, and warding off crocodiles from a boat. Aunt Phil has two friendly weasels willing to do battle with the basilisk, and Nate's troublemaking pet, Greasle, accompanies him every step of the way. The basilisk is terrifying, with it's deadly venom and scales, and Nate musters all his courage to fight it and continues to wonder who freed the beast and what happened to his parents, who disappeared in Flight of the Phoenix (Houghton, 2009). Children who enjoyed the first book will not be disappointed by the sequel, and those new to the series can easily pick up the story line. The action is nonstop, and the elements of fantasy, mystery, and humor will appeal to a wide audience. Murphy's spot art and occasional full-page drawings carry the action along nicely.-Jane Cronkhite, Santa Clara County Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Though he's a beastologist in training, Nathaniel Fludd is nervous to accompany his aunt on her mission to capture a runaway basilisk. Will Nathaniel and his pet gremlin have what it takes to face the creature and its venomous gaze? This sequel to Flight of the Phoenix is tidily crafted. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
When his Aunt Phil flies to the western Sudan to recapture an escaped basilisk, she takes Nathaniel Fludd along, reassuring him that he is only to "watch and learn." Instead, he and his gremlin friend, Greasle, play important roles. This satisfying middle-grade adventure features a hesitant, unskilled hero, a miniature sidekick straight from Where the Wild Things Are and an exotic setting in colonial British West Africa in 1928. The basilisk is appropriately scary, and straightforward storytelling leads to an exciting climax. Readers won't get and don't need the entire back story from Flight of the Phoenix (2009), the first in the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series, but those who have read it will surely enjoy the return of the supposed orphan and his formidable aunt. Murphy has provided a full-page pen-and-ink illustration as well as several smaller sketches for almost every chapter, and Nathaniel contributes drawings, too. Sharp-eyed readers will realize that the chapter numbers are counted in animal bones. This story is complete in itself, but the ending promises more adventure to come. (Guide to People, Places, and Things) (Adventure. 7-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Picking up immediately where Flight of the Phoenix (2009) finished, Nathaniel Fludd, Aunt Phil, and the gremlin Greasel pursue an escaped Basilisk, the highly dangerous king of the Serpents. Despite his previous success in the field, Nathaniel is an uncertain beastologist, although wise Aunt Phil finds ways to incorporate Nathaniel's preexisting skills, such as his artistic abilities, as he hones his new ones. Familiarity with Nathaniel's previous adventure is helpful though not necessary, and fans can look forward to a return to Batting-at-the-Flies as the trio investigates the disappearance of Nathaniel's parents in the forthcoming volume.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist
Excerpts
Excerpts
Chapter One September 1928Perched atop his camel,Nathaniel Fludd plodded through the desert sand. He did his best to ignore the merciless sun beating down on him. Beastologist, he thought, trying out the title. I am a beastologist. One week ago, he'd been a castoff, unwanted by just about everybody. Now he was a beastologist-in-training. He imagined introducing himself. "Why yes, Nathaniel Fludd here. Pleased to meet you. What's that? Oh, I'm a beastologist. " The faces around him would look duly impressed.Aunt Phil's dry voice poked through his daydream. "This might be a good time to check your headings.""What?""The headings?" she reminded him. "You're supposed to be navigating the way back to Wadi Rumba."Nate looked down at the compass in his hand. The needle pointed to the north, but there was no town where it should be. He shook the compass, hoping maybe that would help."It's not stuck, Nate," Aunt Phil said. "Think. What did I tell you about north?""That the compass needle always points there?" He tried to keep the frustration out of his voice."And what else?"Nate sighed. He was tired and his brain felt as fried as a breakfast egg from the heat of the Arabian sun. He wasn't interested in learning how to navigate right now. All he wanted was someplace cool to lie down. And water--an entire tub full of ice cold water.But Aunt Phil was relentless. Once she had gotten it in her head that Nate was to learn how to use the compass, that had been it. He was in charge of getting them back toWadi Rumba. The problem was, he was failing miserably. He scrunched up his brain, trying to remember everything she'd told him. "Oh!" He remembered something. "Are we still above the equator? Because maybe I got that backwards."Before Aunt Phil could answer, Greasle poked her head out of his rucksack. "Why're we stopped here?"Aunt Phil glanced at the tiny gremlin. "Just orienting ourselves," she said."Well, hurry up already," Greasle said, but softly, so Aunt Phil wouldn't hear.Nate glanced back at the compass. The needle had moved a few degrees to the east. He frowned at Greasle. "Get back in the pack. You're making the needle jump again.""Sorry," she muttered. "I likes it better in the pack anyway."Nate immediately felt guilty for snapping at her. She was his best friend, after all. His only friend, really. And it wasn't her fault they were off course. At least, he didn't think it was her fault. "Could Greasle's effect on the compass have put us off course?" he asked.Aunt Phil shook her head. She didn't look hot or tired at all. "No--as long as the gremlin stays in the pack where she belongs, she has no effect on the compass. We're off course because you didn't allow for the difference between true north and magnetic north.""Oh yeah." He'd completely forgotten about that part. Nate looked around. Nothing but miles of sand and scorching heat. His first test at a true Fludd skill and he'd failed.But maybe now Aunt Phil would take over. He looked at her hopefully.She shook her head. "No, Nate. We learn best from our mistakes. I'm willing to bet you'll never forget the magnetic north differential again. However, in the interest of time, I will tell you that you need to adjust by four degrees to the east."Nate grit his teeth, then set the outside ring on the compass four degrees to the east. As he looked up to reorient himself, he saw a cloud of dust coming toward them. "Look," he said.Aunt Phil lifted the binoculars from around her neck. "Riders," she said after a moment. "Looking for us, it seems.""How can you tell that?" he asked. Her skills never ceased to amaze him.She lowered the binoculars and smiled. "Because they're waving. Come on. Let's ride out to meet them. They weren't scheduled to come looking for us for another two days.""Then why are they here?""That's what I want to find out," she said. "Something must have come up."Nate's heart sank at the cheerful oh good, an exciting new disaster tone in his aunt's voice. It could mean only one thing: trouble. Excerpted from The Basilisk's Lair by R. L. LaFevers All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
