A Review of The Wyverns' Treasure by R.L. LaFevers

This author may be best known for her Theodosia Throckmorton books, but I'm beginning to take quite a shine to her series for younger readers, Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist. More than anything, it's great to see a solid new fantasy series for the second grade crowd. It's a reading level dominated by the Magic Tree House books, which I find a little bland.

The first two books in this series are The Flight of the Phoenix and The Basilisk's Lair. Nathaniel Fludd is the son of famous explorers who have disappeared and are presumed dead. (But are they really?) His new guardian, Aunt Phil, is so intrepid that her expectations for Nathaniel often fill his timid heart with fear. But somehow, he manages to survive the adventures he's thrown into, especially once he learns that his family is responsible for studying and preserving the world's great mythical beasts. (Nice environmental protection theme there!)

Unfortunately, someone is working against Nathaniel and his aunt, a greedy man from an outcast branch of the Fludd family who also seems to be searching for the mythical creatures, but for nefarious purposes. As The Wyverns' Treasure begins, Nate and Aunt Phil return from their latest adventure, only to discover that their house has been ransacked. Next they receive word from Wales. The wyverns, a kind of dragon, have been living quietly in hiding on the basis of a covenant made with human guardians, but now they're rising up in anger, threatening to fly out and terrorize the countryside. It sounds like that horrid Fludd cousin Obadiah might be causing this new trouble, too. So Aunt Phil and Nate set off again, hoping to calm the wyverns and catch the culprit.

One thing I like about this series is how the author very solemnly presents us with zoological information about the beast in each book. She uses existing information drawn from myths and legends, then builds on it logically, adding further details. For example, Aunt Phil gives Nate a handful of new pennies and tells him to use them to distract the younger wyverns, who like shiny things and are too young to know that they shouldn't take a bite out of a human found wandering through the caverns where they live.

Aunt Phil's near-foolhardy nature makes a nice contrast to Nathaniel's nervousness. It doesn't take a close read to see Indiana Jones in Aunt Phil, especially since these stories are also set in the 1930s. Nate is a kind, appealing boy who keeps trying despite his fears. One of LaFevers' most entertaining characters is Greasle, a gremlin (borrowed from slightly more modern lore, i.e., a famous Twilight Zone episode). Greasle lives on planes, eating oil and spare parts—or sometimes not-so-spare parts. She becomes Nate's sidekick, though Aunt Phil keeps threatening to get rid of her. Here's a passage in which Greasle catches a pigeon, hoping to eat it:

"Stop!" Aunt Phil called out. Nate and Greasle froze. "Planes, trains, and motorcars aren't enough for you? Now you're going to eat my messenger as well?"
Nate and Greasle stared at her blankly.
"That's a carrier pigeon. With a message. See?" She pointed to the small pouch strapped to one of its feet. "Let it go," Aunt Phil ordered.
Greasle scowled. "I caughts it fair and square."
"Now," Aunt Phil said in her most stern voice.

This series offers fun, adventurous fantasy for younger readers, with the storytelling enhanced by Kelly Murphy's cheery illustrations. They're slender books—The Wyverns' Treasure is 154 pages, including Nate's glossary at the back. But that just makes them a more accessible read for their intended audience. I can happily recommend the Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist books to kids who have run out of Magic Tree House books and are wondering just what to read next!

Note: Visit the author's website for more information.

Also: I requested this review copy from the Amazon Vine program.

A Review of Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus by R.L. LaFevers

You know those kids that really should be CEOs of multinational corporations at the age of seven? The ones who look with disdain at the foolish adults who haven't sufficient sense to bow to their wills? The ones you're nice to now because they'll be running for president or prime minister, if not queen, in a couple of decades—and winning?

Yes, Theodosia Throckmorten is one of those kids. Not because she's bossy or precocious in a sitcom kind of way, but because she knows what she knows and doesn't suffer fools gladly. Theodosia is busy, and adults seem to have a tendency to get in her way. As she puts it in the first two sentences: "I hate being followed. I especially hate being followed by a bunch of lunatic adults playing at being occultists."

In Book 3, Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, our 11-year-old heroine continues using her knowledge of Egyptian magic to remove the curses from objects shipped to the Museum of Legends and Antiquities that her parents run. The year is 1906, mummies are all the rage in London, and sometimes they're even real.

The adults interfering with Theodosia are a motley crew. We have the slightly deranged Aloysius Trawley and the Black Sunners, who seem pretty sure Theodosia is a reincarnated goddess and are cranky about her lack of willingness to come around and share her supposed power. Then we have the traitor Admiral Sopcoate and his cronies, who escaped in the last book and now show up demanding the strange artifact Theodosia's brother Henry has discovered in the museum basement—the Emerald Tablet. Soon it seems everyone is after the tablet, including the mysterious and possibly fraudulent Egyptian magician, Awi Bubu. Theodosia's mentor, Lord Wigmere, is not helping matters any. He keeps trying to pressure her into working with his representative at the museum, Clive Fagenbush, who gets on Theodosia's last nerve.

Really, at this point, I don't mind what shenanigans Theodosia is up to; I just like watching her in action. Whether she's putting a sand-in-the-pants curse on Fagenbush or arranging a secret funeral, it's all about this character's stern dedication to ridding the museum of ancient spells and keeping the bad guys away from objects of power.

LaFever's humor adds a great deal to the books. For example, she has a lot of fun contrasting Theodosia's idea of proper (read: expedient) behavior with what the adults around her think a young lady should be doing. (It doesn't hurt that Theodosia's absent-minded Egyptologist parents never dream that their daughter could be getting herself into quite so much trouble.) Former pickpocket Sticky Will and his brothers continue to add comic relief, along with some much-needed assistance.

As in the previous books, Yoko Tanaka's occasional black-and-white illustrations add to the author's storytelling.

This book reveals intriguing information about Theodosia's ability to sense magic, especially curses, which moves the series arc forward. Although the problems in Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus are solved by the end of the book, we also learn the direction the next installment will take. I look forward to reading Book Four in this clever, rambunctious series.

I do recommend reading books one and two before you tackle LaFevers' latest. While you can catch the gist of what's going on by simply diving in, the story will be that much more effective if you backtrack to read Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos and Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris first. For one thing, young readers will be able to steep themselves in the nuances of Egyptian magical lore, as studied and applied by our heroine.

I'll just end by mentioning that I like how School Library Journal puts it on the jacket flap of the new book: Theodosia is "a combination of Nancy Drew and Indiana Jones."

Note for Worried Parents: There's some occult Egyptian magic in these books, including a case of haunting and a mild ghost removal ceremony, if that sort of thing concerns you.

Update: At writer Ellen Oh's blog, her daughter Summer has done a very nice interview with R.L. LaFevers about this book and the Theodosia series.