Lionboy: The Truth (Lionboy Trilogy) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "In a cool high room in a hot, hot country, a sleeping boy wriggled and twitched his nose..." (more)
Key Phrases: lion catcher, oldest lion, lion trainer, King Boris, Sally Ann, Auntie Auntie (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8–As this final volume in the trilogy opens, Charlie Ashanti and his scientist parents have been reunited in Morocco. Now, however, they must run from a powerful network of corporations that had arranged their kidnapping in order to have control of their anti-asthma medication. Enemy Rafi Sadler is kidnapped alongside Charlie at the hands of lion trainer Maccomo, who hopes to sell Charlie's cat-speaking talents. The details of captivity and escape occupy most of the book. Tension and adventure hold taut on every page, but descriptions of the Corporacy Community assume an understanding of corporate exploitation that may baffle younger readers. As in the first two volumes, there are many characters, not all of whom have developed personalities or motives. A contrived and loose-ended plot element is the appearance of tiger-trainer Mabel Stark as Charlie's aunt and as Rafi's biological mother. Otherwise, the trilogy wraps up neatly, although too abruptly, with the Corporacy overthrown and the lions freed. The popularity of the first two Lionboy books will ensure demand for the third installment. Deelen's illustrations are as whimsical and as detailed as in the first two volumes.–Wendi Hoffenberg, Yonkers Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Charlie the Catspeaker finally faces down the insidious Corporacy and its henchmen in this conclusion to the Lionboy trilogy, which sustains and amplifies the previous books' socially enlightened tones. Half-Ghanaian Charlie contemplates the horrific history of slavery during a second kidnapping episode that creepily retraces the Middle Passage and ends in the Corporacy's Caribbean headquarters. While there, he finds he has become an unwilling subject of genetic research conducted by brainwashed automatons. Charlie's former acquaintances, lions included, launch a rescue mission headed by his scientist parents, while resourceful Charlie musters help from his ever-growing fan club of animals. The unedited whimsy (there's even an oddly upbeat cameo by Fidel Castro) and idealized characterizations aren't for everyone, but followers of the trilogy will revel in the Dickensian finale, awhirl with revelations, reunions, and resolutions. The knowledge that the novel was written with the help of an adolescent (Zizou Corder is a pseudonym for a British mother-daughter team) should deepen readers' satisfaction. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dial (September 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803729855
• ISBN-13: 978-0803729858
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #244,042 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing end to the Lionboy trilogy, January 10, 2006

By	Jay "Jay" (Aus) - See all my reviews

As an editor, I had high hopes for Lionboy: the Truth. I had really enjoyed the first instalment, Lionboy (a book with action, characterisation, and plenty of zing), and the second, Lionboy: the Chase, was also exciting and well written. The Truth, however, is lost in the telling. While this book was a nice adventure and, indeed, a necessary wrap-up to the series, I had to force myself to read it. I didn't care about the characters, many of whom seemed empty and flat. Several characters seemed altogether unnecessary. Claudio, for example, seems to simply be along for the ride - his character does not develop, and he plays no important role. Primo makes a superfluous appearance after setting out from Venice, then he disappears mid-story. The Young Lion and Elsina set out on a quest to help Charlie, but really don't achieve much, and also don't develop as characters. Maccomo's character was great - a powerful, frightening villain. But, mid-book, he too becomes passive, until he is quietly arrested at the end. Others, like Madame Baliene and the Eagle serve fleeting purposes - an example of events that bog down the story. And why, why, why does the Circe arrive at the end? So that we can catch up with old characters?
Another irritating feature is the narrator's momsy voice. The text is crammed with the author's moral opinions - her opposition to cloning was repeated ad nauseam. Other messages, such as `pollution is bad,' `stealing is wrong,' `loyalty is good,' `slavery is bad' etc, made me think gee, thanks for the tip, as I heard them again and again.
The biggest flaw was that all of the peril and suspense in this story takes place in the beginning. Towards the end of the story, I simply didn't feel any sense of threat. Convenient plot twists mean that the young protagonist simply coasts to the finish line, stepping over brief, tacked-on obstacles that resolve themselves far too quickly (when Ninu was carried off I thought finally, some action - but he was back in a heartbeat - I didn't even have time to fret. There was a strong feeling of deja-vu when Elsina was shot - only to get straight back up again). The book finished with an abrupt, too-easy ending.
Yes, there were some nice moments, some nice description and some nice action, but the Truth was simply not on par with its predecessors.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A little disappointing, May 14, 2006

By	Sam "Sam" (UK) - See all my reviews

The first two books in the trilogy series were fast-paced and fun. Unfortunately, this wasn't really the case with the final book (Lionboy: The Truth). The story seemed to just drag on and then at the end everything happened at once. It seemed that only parts of the book were good while the rest was slow, irrelevant and unnecessary. However, I would still recommend that you read the book so you know what happens at the end of the trilogy series.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying conclusion to the Lionboy Trilogy, September 23, 2005

By	Kidsreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

The second volume in the Lionboy series ended with Charlie Ashanti, the Catspeaker, finally reunited with his parents. The evil lion trainer Maccomo has gotten his comeuppance, and only troublemaking Rafi Sadler left to worry about. Everything is great, right?

Not for long, as Charlie is soon kidnapped, and he and his parents become involved in a high-speed Atlantic Ocean pursuit. Charlie's beloved lions get in on the act, and Charlie finally has his chance to confront the powerfully evil Corporacy --- but not before he must make some tough choices.

There are plenty of surprises along the way, including more discoveries about Charlie's family, some of them not entirely welcome. Charlie also learns more about his past, and even has an emotional --- and surprising --- reunion with the leopard responsible for his ability to speak the language of cats.

Like the first two volumes in the Lionboy series, LIONBOY: THE TRUTH unfolds at a breakneck pace, switching among characters, scenes, and even continents at a furious speed, keeping readers eager to discover what new adventures await Charlie and his friends. And he has a lot of friends, too: there's practically a cast of thousands, what with all the characters from the first two books reappearing, along with some new ones, such as the multilingual chameleon Ninu. It's no wonder that the book ends with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek update on every character's future plans, stretching out over several pages.

LIONBOY: THE TRUTH brings the Lionboy trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. Louisa Young and Isabel Adomakoh Young (aka Zizou Corder) have developed a thrilling fantasy world and a compelling hero in this old-fashioned adventure series with a high-tech spin. Here's hoping we haven't heard the last from this talented mother-daughter writing team!

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl