The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2) [Hardcover]

R. L. LaFevers (Author), Kelly Murphy (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist

Nate Fludd is back in the camel saddle in pursuit of a missing, deadly basilisk—the King of Serpents. As if saving a Dhughani village from the beast isn’t hard enough, Nate and Aunt Phil must begin to solve the mystery of his parents’ disappearance and protect The Fludd Book of Beasts from a sinister man who always seems to be one step ahead of them. This is the perfect adventure for boys and girls not quite ready for longer texts.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Product Description
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!

---

Amazon Exclusive: A Letter from R.L. LaFevers, Author of The Basilisk's Lair

Dear Amazon Reader,

When I was a child growing up in Los Angeles, my mother had a weakness for exotic creatures. Consequently, I grew up surrounded by a true menagerie of birds, pets, and brothers. We had an aviary in our back yard, a flock of chickens (one of which was a house chicken!) rabbits, a goat, pet chipmunks, half a dozen cats, three dogs, and, for a short while, a baby anteater. However, probably the most unusual pets we acquired during that time were two baby bear cubs. Much to our surprise, they were not nearly as soft and cuddly as teddy bears would lead one to believe. The bears were caged in my room, giving it the faint aroma of a zoo. One day, when I was at school, the bears escaped their cage, completely destroyed my room, leaped out of the window, and ran down the block where they climbed a very tall tree, then could not figure out how to get back down. That was the day my mother decided we'd probably had had enough exotic pets.

Needless to say, the exposure to all of these creatures greatly shaped my young life. I've always held a special place for animals in my heart and they have figured prominently in my books.

While researching another project, I stumbled across a medieval bestiary, the ultimate zoological authority of its time, and I was fascinated by all the mythical creatures listed in there as factual. Right around that same time, I also read about the modern day discovery of new animal species. It drove home for me just how vast and mysterious our planet was, and who knew what could be living in its hidden valleys, unexplored deserts, and remote mountaintops. Thus the world of Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist was born.

-R.L. LaFevers

(Photo © Rick Carter)

---

From School Library Journal

Grade 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
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1 edition (June 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547238673
• ISBN-13: 978-0547238678
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #493,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

R. L. LaFevers (Robin Lorraine when she's in really big trouble) grew up surrounded by shelves of old dusty books, a passel of brothers, and a wide variety of pets, including a goat, chickens, chipmunks, a baby anteater, and, for a few short weeks, two bear cubs, who were very wild and untamed. She has also spent a large portion of her life being told she was making up things that weren't there, which only proves she was destined to write fiction. She is the author of eight books for young readers, including Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, (Houghton Mifflin, 2007) which received starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Booksense Summer Pick, and nominated for the Malice Domestic's Agatha Award. Kirkus calls her most recent book, Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: Flight of the Phoenix, (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) ". . . an exciting tale." Look for the sequel, Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist: The Basilisk's Lair (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) in Spring of 2010.

R. L. lives in Southern California with her family and spends her time daydreaming, making up stories, and wallowing in old forgotten texts. Although she no longer has any exotic pets, she does have raccoons who visit her back porch, coyotes who howl at her window, and hawks that soar high overhead.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun book for children starting chapter books..., May 16, 2010

By 

Karissa Eckert "Devourer of all books fantasy" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2) (Hardcover)

This is the second book in the Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist series. Overall I enjoyed it, although it is a pretty short book meant for younger readers.

Right on the heels of his first adventure with the Phoenix, Nathaniel is spirited away by his Aunt to help capture a Basilisk that has gone astray.

This book is very short, would probably take an adult 20-30 minutes to read, but is very readable and enjoyable. There are nice pictures throughout so children just starting chapter books would be a good fit.

The pace is fast and the action non-stop. The mythology behind all the different beasties is interesting. I love reading about mythical creatures so this book was right up my alley. Children who like reading about adventure, travel, or magical creatures should get into this book. It is an easy read and entertaining. I look forward to the next book in the series.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nicely done fantasy for young readers, May 5, 2010

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Young Nathaniel Fludd is still trying to deal with the disappearance of his parents as well as his recent encounter with the legendary phoenix when he is caught up in yet another adventure. A basilisk is on the loose and is a threat to a nearby village. It is up to Nate's Aunt Phil to save the day and as beastologist-in-training Nate is expected to accompany her. Nate is not too keen on the idea but he is beginning to realize that being a beastologist is in his blood.

"The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist Book Two)" is a nicely written and illustrated chapter book for ages 6 to 9. The short chapters and plenty of illustrations make this book a delightful, easy book to read (although author R.L. LaFevers could tone down the vocabulary a bit - at one point she uses the word "sundered", a word which I doubt the majority of 6 to 9-year-olds would know the meaning of). The book is set in the year 1928 and young readers will be introduced to a world pre-cell phones, TVs, computers, and other modern day conveniences. Nathaniel is a delightful character, not particularly brave, but smarter and more resourceful than he realizes. His adventures are fun, a bit dangerous (you do have to wonder at times what his Aunt Phil is thinking) and a bit scary, but not too scary for young readers. LaFevers does a wonderful job of intermingling the real world wiith fantasy elements - I especially love Greasle, Nate's gremlin friend - she adds quite a bit of humor to the book with her never ending quest to find some oil to eat. Adding to the humor in the book is "Nathaniel Fludd's Guide to People, Places and Things", which is a fun mix of real and fictional information. Kelly Murphy's illustrations add a great deal to the book. Some pictures are supposed to be done by Nathaniel and Murphy does a good job of making them look like they were done by a young boy. One illustration she did in particular stands out - an illustration of Nate crossing a ladder stretched across a chasm - looking at the illustration gave me vertigo. The one "problem" I found with this book is that it is the second book in the series, taking place right after the one first one ended and there is no back explanation of how Nathaniel ended up with his Aunt Phil and what happened to his parents (in fact, there is little mention of his parents until the end). Those who didn't read the first book may be a little confused about what is going on. Still, that's a minor point in an otherwise excellent book.

"The Basilisk's Lair" is a nicely done fantasy for young readers.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun adventure for young readers, April 25, 2010

By 

Anonymous (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Basilisk's Lair (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book 2) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I love the idea behind this book! The story was well written, although too short in my estimation, and the characters very well developed. I really liked that the main character, the young boy Nate, is flawed in a realistic way, showing insecurities that any child his age would have, and being able to overcome them in creative ways. I have not read the first book and while I was able to follow along and understand the story there are references to the first one throughout the book and I think it would be easier to comprehend reading them in order. There is also a little section in the back, called Nathanial Flood's Guide to People, Places and Things, that I was impressed with; really it is a little glossary with some of the words that would probably be unfamiliar to many young readers. What a great idea! I would definitely recommend this book for families to read together or for young readers looking for a little adventure, though it would be a very quick read for an advanced middle reader.