Akimbo and the Snakes (Hardcover)

by Alexander McCall Smith (Author), LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Praise for the Akimbo series:

“In this story of one boy, Alexander McCall Smith brings the importance of conservation to life while powerfully evoking the African setting.”
–The Guardian (UK)

“Readers . . . will cheer for the good-hearted boy as he bravely faces each danger in his quest to protect his beloved animals.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“McCall Smith’s writing and Pham’s evocative full-page half-tone illustrations make this an attractive choice for reluctant readers.”
–Publishers Weekly

Product Description
From Alexander McCall Smith comes a brand-new adventure story for young readers – his first original children’s book in more than a decade. This is the fourth installment in a series about Akimbo, a young boy who lives with his parents on a game reserve in the heart of Africa.

Ten-year-old Akimbo has already bravely faced lions, crocodiles and elephants. This time it’s snakes!

Akimbo has always wanted to visit his uncle Peter’s snake park. So when his father agrees to let him spend a school holiday there, Akimbo can hardly believe his luck. Uncle Peter lets Akimbo handle some of the less dangerous snakes, and once he even gets to hold the jar when Uncle Peter milks venom from a cobra! Of all the snakes Akimbo learns about, the green mamba is the rarest – and the deadliest. So when a local village calls to report a mamba sighting, Akimbo and his uncle hope to catch the snake and take it back to the park. What Akimbo doesn’t bargain for is finding himself face to face with the most dangerous of reptiles . . .

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Canada (September 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0676978215
• ISBN-13: 978-0676978216
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,330,075 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 4 in The Akimbo Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Are Afraid of Snakes, Give This Book a Pass, May 28, 2008

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Akimbo and the Snakes (Hardcover)

Although this book is described as being for the 4-8 year-old group, it seemed to me more like a 7-12 year-old book that will only appeal to those who don't have nightmares about poisonous snakes.

I was attracted to the book by realizing that the various animal-related stories that Alexander McCall Smith includes in his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books were among my favorite parts of those books. It occurred to me that the Akimbo books might have such stories in them.

Well, not quite . . . but the series is full of Akimbo learning about wild animals, the threats to animals from people, and deals with the problems through Akimbo's brave deeds. Children like to see themselves playing important roles in the world, and Akimbo and the Snakes is very good for appealing to that desire.

Akimbo's uncle runs a snake park. One of the daily tasks is milking venom from poisonous snakes. Akimbo has a chance to help during a long visit to the park. The visit becomes more exciting when Akimbo joins Uncle Peter to capture a green mamba, a very dangerous snake. Without Akimbo, the snake would have gotten away. The book features a terrifying scene involving Akimbo and the green mamba that's not for the easily frightened. The book does a good job of describing about all kinds of snakes and making them seem less dangerous than the most fearful might imagine.

The book is nicely illustrated which adds to the realism of the story.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Akimbo Captures The Mamba, April 28, 2007

By	Jon Linden (Warren, N.J. United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Akimbo and the Snakes (Hardcover)

In this highly interesting and fact filled story, Smith tells the story of Akimbo's visit to his Uncle Peter's Snake sanctuary. In the "Snake Park" are many varieties of snake and many are poisonous.

Akimbo goes to visit for 4 weeks. During that time, he is taught about feeding the snakes and about milking the venom from the snakes. The venom is `milked' in order to make anti-venom so that people bitten by the snakes can be saved from death. The story becomes more exciting when Akimbo and his Uncle go after a green mamba, one of the most poisonous and predatory snakes in the world. The green mamba lives in trees and will often drop down upon its prey and bite it. The bite would kill a human being in about 4 minutes.

They go after a report of a green mamba citing way in the bush. They are not sure whether the snake really is a green mamba, but in fact they find that it is. It is Akimbo who is able to spot the snake in a tree. His Uncle is able to get the snake and they trap it with a device for the purpose. Then it is put in a canvas bag. During the trip back to the village, the snake escapes from the bag and comes into the passenger cabin of the truck. Akimbo is alone in the truck when that happens. He uses great ingenuity and stays totally still. His Uncle then comes from the other side and traps the snake again. The snake ends up in the Park.

The book is one of the most intense books in the Akimbo series. It is a highly interesting and educational book for children. The illustrations are well done and give the reader a very good feeling for the experience. The book is recommended for all young readers.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An easy-read action tale kids will relish., December 9, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Akimbo and the Snakes (Hardcover)

Akimbo feels lucky when his father allows him to visit his uncle's snake park where he lives in Africa - and when his uncle's called upon to investigate the sighting of a green mamba - the deadliest of all - he's ready for adventure. What he isn't ready for is coming upon the snake himself. Black and white drawings enhance an easy-read action tale kids will relish.