Flight of the Phoenix (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book I) [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist

Nathaniel Fludd’s life has taken a turn for the worst. With his parents lost at sea, he lands on the doorstep of a distant cousin—the world’s last remaining beastologist. Soon Nate is whisked off on his first expedition, to Arabia, where the world’s only phoenix prepares to lay its new egg. When disaster strikes, Nate quickly finds himself all alone.
       Will he be able to see the phoenix safely hatched, keep his accidental pet gremlin out of trouble, and rescue his guardian from the Bedouin? If he fails, nothing will stand between the world’s mythical creatures and extinction.
Too bad Nate’s not the sort of boy who enjoys adventure . . .yet.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–5—This is a solid start to a new series. Ten-year-old Nathaniel Fludd's parents have been off on an adventure for three years and are now, in 1928, declared lost at sea at the North Pole. Thus begin Nate's own escapades as he goes to live with his Aunt Phil A. Fludd in Batting-at-the-Flies and learn the family business of mapmaking and beastology. Even though Nate has always resisted adventure, he now finds himself meeting an extraordinary talking dodo bird and talking gremlins, and he and Aunt Phil fly to Arabia to oversee the birth of a phoenix. When his aunt is taken by the Bedouin, Nate must summon his courage to protect the phoenix and save her. The story is packed with adventure and mythological creatures. Children who love fantasy, myth, exotic settings, and even a little dose of history will relate to Nate as he discovers his inner hero and carries on the Fludd family tradition. The characters are strongly developed and the period illustrations done in line, including some of Nate's own sketches, enhance the tale. A quick and enriching read that will appeal to a wide variety of children.—Jane Cronkhite, San Jose Public Library, CA END

Review

". . . this American author has crafted an exciting tale. Straightforward sentences, chronological narrative, short chapters and Murphy’s plentiful black-and-white illustrations make this appropriate for middle-grade readers looking for a series to grow with."--Kirkus Reviews

 

"LaFevers (the Theodosia books) gets the Nathanial Fludd, Beastologist series off to a sprightly start with this wry story introducing a 10-year-old orphaned when his parents' airship crashes in the North Pole in 1928 . . . this quick-paced adventure . . . should entice kids to return for Nate's next escapade."--Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1 edition (September 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0547238657
• ISBN-13: 978-0547238654
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Middle East

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

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I want to be a beastologist!, September 9, 2009

By 

Glenda Boozer "Live, live, live! Life is a ba... (Douglass, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Flight of the Phoenix (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book I) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This book is adorable! Nate Fludd is a good kid, but not a goody-goody kid; he's likable and rather quiet. However, he is catapulted into a wild adventure with his cousin Phil, and nothing will ever be the same. The sense of adventure mixed with the matter-of-fact tone of this delightful story reminds me of the old Miss Pickerel books that I loved when I was young. Nate discovers, of course, that he has inner resources and unexpected skills, and he finds amazing friends on the way.

This is clearly the first book in a series, and I'm glad. The story was concluded nicely, but we are set now for plenty of beastological excursions with Nate and Phil, and I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Of course, I intend to read it aloud to every child I can persuade to sit still long enough, and to give copies to the bigger ones, and I suggest that you do the same. I can picture this book as one that might introduce a young reader (maybe 10 years old) to the joys of reading for fun, and I strongly approve of that!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Read, October 7, 2009

By 

Gypsi Phillips Bates "bilbiophile" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flight of the Phoenix (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book I) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Nathaniel Fludd's parents have vanished and been declared dead, so he has been sent to live with a distant cousin. It is from this cousin that Nathaniel discovers a great deal about himself and his family. His cousin is the world's last remaining beastologist and takes Nathaniel on an amazing adventure that features gremlins, a phoenix and dangerous Bedouins. Unfortunately, Nathaniel does not want or enjoy adventures. . . or does he?

This is the first book in an upcoming series, and a rather promising adventure. Nathaniel is an engaging (anti) hero, with realistic worries and mostly realistic strengths and weaknesses. I very much wanted him to succeed and enjoyed watching his growth during this very short book.

The plot was rather obvious, but then it is aimed at 9-12 age group, for whom it may not be so obvious. What I did find the most off-putting was the pat ending, that really didn't fit with the rest of the story. Ms. Murphy wrapped it up in a very bizarre way that cost a star, and very nearly two. I just couldn't bring myself to give it only three stars, however, liking some of the characters as well as I did, and enjoying the nice illustrations as much as I did.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the series pans out and to see if Ms. Murphy is able to become more original with her plots. This is a series that could go off in some very fun directions!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Growing pains, September 24, 2009

By 

Yumi (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Flight of the Phoenix (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book I) (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Nathaniel Fludd would much rather draw than go on an adventure but when his parents are lost at sea, he doesn't have much of a choice. He finds himself staring at a long history of Fludds who have been beastologists, none of whom he knew anything about. He finds himself having to grow up quickly and fulfill his destiny as a Fludd.

It's a really cute story but there isn't very much to it. I was intrigued when I read the book description but then I read the book, and the description had said it all. There's the mystery of what's happened to his parents, the mystery of the beasts he thought only existed in myths, and the stories about his family that are sure to unfold in the following books. But Nathaniel doesn't have much personality yet. The dodo has more flair! I find it difficult to keep reading if I don't find the main character relate-able. But again, he is just beginning and there is more of the story coming. The journey is promising and I think kids will be interested so I will add this to the classroom shelves. I'm interested enough to read the second book when it comes out. Maybe.