Cobra King Of Kathmandu (Children Of The Lamp) (Hardcover)

~ P. B. Kerr (Author)
Key Phrases: blue djinn, djinn power, djinn tigers, Guru Masamjhasara, New York, Cobra King (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–8—This third installment in the series finds 12-year-old djinn twins Philippa and John embarking on a harrowing journey to Northern India and Nepal in search of the long-lost and powerful talisman, the Cobra King of Kathmandu. The twins believe that it holds the answers to certain mysterious deaths and hope to find it before it falls into the hands of the malevolent cult of the Nine Cobras, led by the egomaniacal Guru Masamjhasara, who seeks to profit from controlling and selling djinn power. However, the siblings soon find themselves imprisoned by the deadly cult and must rely upon their wits and a generous helping of good fortune to survive. This fast-paced, plot-driven fantasy adventure plunges readers into the curious world of djinn society and explores the many intriguing facets of its lore. The suspenseful plot twists, coupled with a liberal dosing of humor, make this a fun page-turner. Harry Potter fans will enjoy this foray into a different type of magical subculture.—Debbie Lewis O'Donnell, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
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From Booklist

Venomous snakes, treasure maps, kidnapping, and murder are part and parcel of the Indiana Jones lifestyle of twins John and Philippa Gaunt in this third Children of the Lamp series title. Traveling with genies and humans, the siblings speed to India to retrieve a magical cobra amulet and defeat a power-mad malefactor masquerading as a guru. Keith’s sinuous pronunciation unhesitatingly glides over such names as Sadhguru Masamjhasara and Ruchira P. Warnakulasuriya. His voice for evil characters slips and slithers into our subconscious as he discloses vicious schemes of vampirism. Keith’s comedic turns for a grumpy butler and three priests are both shimmering and subservient, acting as a welcome foil to the more fearsome characters, who by turns sound silky and deceptively obsequious. Most enjoyable is his rendering of Uncle Nimrod, who exclaims “Light my lamp” and “Bottle me!” An action-packed reading. Grades 5-8. --Lolly Gepson --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books; 1St Edition edition (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439670233
• ISBN-13: 978-0439670234
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #530,705 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kobra King of Kathmandu, August 27, 2007

By	A. Doss "Will read anything" (Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent third book in a series. The young djinn twins have many adventures and misadventures but there is somehow, always a silver bullet to save the day. Nice, light, reading for grades 4-7. (But I'm 54 and I enjoyed it too!)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cobra King Of Kathmandu , August 24, 2007

By	Tami Brady "Whole Health Therapist" (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Cobra King of Kathmandu is the third book in the Children of the Lamp series. This series is based around twin Djinn children, John and Philippa Gaunt. John and Philippa knew nothing about their Djinn heritage until their wisdom teeth erupted. In Djinn, the eruption of the wisdom teeth brings forth the hidden magic that the child will possess. To say the least, the children were surprised to find out that Djinn were real, that their mother was a Djinn, and that they too possessed magical abilities. This was only the beginning of their adventure as they started training with their Uncle Nimrod in Egypt and found themselves in the middle of a fight with an evil Djinn who wanted to disrupt the delicate balance between good and evil Djinn.

In The Cobra King of Kathmandu, the twins find themselves in yet another adventure. Unbeknownst to the twins, their mother is readying herself to become the Blue Djinn of Babylon. Meanwhile, John and Philippa come to the rescue of fellow Djinn Dybbuk (Buck) who has stumbled upon a great Djinn conspiracy. Someone seems to be trying to find young Djinn, tracking them down through dental records showing young children whose wisdom teeth erupt earlier than the average person. What is this person up to? Why does he want to capture a Djinn?

I enjoyed both the first and third book of this series. I have yet to read the second installment, which I am now very eager to do. John and Philippa are very much like average kids just trying to understand this new world they haven't quite figured out yet. Their adventures are absolutely delightful.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Purchase, June 7, 2009

By	Crystal M. Demeyer (Albia, IA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cobra King Of Kathmandu (Children Of The Lamp) (Mass Market Paperback)

The book arrived just as they stated it would and actually arrived a little earlier. Very good purchase