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Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos (Theodosia) | 
| Author: R. L. Lafevers
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy New: $3.52
You Save: $3.47 (50%)
New (24) Used (9) from $3.17
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 188243
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 0618999760
EAN: 9780618999767
ASIN: 0618999760
Publication Date: May 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: GREAT BUY!Brand New From US Distributor! WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3,500,000 BOOKS SOLD!!! OVER ~ 600,000 FEEDBACKS ~ POSTED!!!
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Product Description
Theodosia Throckmorton has her hands full at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London. Her father may be head curator, but it is Theo?and only Theo?who is able to see all the black magic and ancient curses that still cling to the artifacts in the museum. Sneaking behind her father's back, Theo uses old, nearly forgotten Egyptian magic to remove the curses and protect her father and the rest of the museum employees from the ancient, sinister forces that lurk in the museum's dark hallways.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Exciting for an 8 year old July 7, 2008
I've been reading this with my daughter, who likes the intrepid heroine and her fearless ways and is waiting for the next book in the series.
I suspect the author did all her research by reading Elizabeth Peters and not actually by going to Egypt. I found a few factual errors here and there, and thought some of the plot twists were too much. But then again, how would an 11 year old achieve so much adventure on her own without adult intervention.
 Courtesy of Teens Read Too May 7, 2008
Theodosia Throckmorton, a precocious and self-assured eleven-year-old girl, can see the curses swirling around the Egyptian artifacts in London's Museum of Legends and Antiquities. Too bad the grown-ups won't listen to her. Her father, the head curator, and her mother, an archaeologist who makes frequent trips to Egypt to acquire new artifacts, don't understand why their daughter continues to give them protective amulets, or at least get them to wear gloves when handling cursed objects!
Good thing Theo's a smart girl; she takes it upon herself to find ways to un-curse the things her parents bring back to the museum, learning how to read hieroglyphics and perusing old papyrus documents about the legends and myths of ancient Egypt. She's not perfect--sometimes her solutions go awry, as when she accidentally transfers a curse to her pet cat, Isis--but her skills keep the museum in good order, leaving her parents none the wiser.
Things start to get bad when Theo's mother comes back from Egypt with a new artifact: the Heart of Egypt, a legendary object that carries with it a curse that could destroy all of Britain and plunge the world into chaos. When the Heart of Egypt is stolen from the museum before Theo can work out a way to dispel the curse, she's sent on a wild chase through London. With the help of her younger brother, Henry, and a young pickpocket, Sticky Will, Theo organizes a plan to find the Heart of Egypt and steal it back.
Theo is an innovative and interesting young girl, and her first-person narration is full of spunk and energy that shapes her character. The narrative voice was easily my favorite part of the storytelling; Theo's narration was compelling, really showing the world through her eyes. The supporting cast--heroes and villains alike--is rendered in great detail, so hat even those characters who might seem larger-than-life are just right for their setting. LaFevers paints a wonderful picture of 1906 London, with nods to the geopolitical tensions rocking Europe at that point, delivered through the perspective of a young girl who cares more for curses than for politics.
The plot moves along at a good pace, spending just enough time on each scene that the reader gets a sense of being there, all of which is only emphasized by the voice of the novel's protagonist. The conclusion is satisfying, but the story's larger questions are left unanswered, in preparation for a sequel I can't wait to read!
Reviewed by: Candace Cunard
Theodosia the great February 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Travel with me to a world with curses and magic. There are many great people in this book with different personalities. Some are sneaky, and some are evil! Theodosia is a girl who travels from London to Egypt. She loves learning about curses and magic. She is sneaky and intelligent and the book is written from her point of view. She is always explaining what she is thinking and her thoughts are always so crazy. The story builds up slowly and then when you think that it will get boring, it gets exciting again! The story is generally easy to follow and sometimes it might seem confusing, but it explains what is going on. Some books have a boring exposition, but this book has a really fun exposition! I would give this book a five star rating because it has details and it's just really fun to read. When I finished reading the book, I felt so happy because it was a great book, and I also felt sad because I could not continue reading it!
 meh January 18, 2008
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
An American trying to write like a Brit, and it shows.
The book looked good--clever girl, Egyptian magic--but I was disappointed. The characters are sort of one-dimensional, the dialogue not quite natural. LaFevers writes from the point of view of an eleven year old, and does a good job of sounding like one. Sentences like "The sky was leaden with clouds, which pelted us with a furious, stinging rain" just use too many words and get tedious after a while.
The story is okay so far (yes, I am reviewing the book before I finish it), not quite predictable but not full of surprises, either. It's a quick read that won't leave you thinking too much. Fun, but not well-written.
 Pint size Indiana Jones November 6, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Theodosia lives in 1906 Britian with two scholarly parents who happen to run the Museum of Legends and Antiquities. But Theodosia has a talent that her parents are unaware of--she can see all the black magic and ancient curses that still cling to the artifacts in the museum. When her mother comes back from her latest archaeological dig with a legendary amulet belonging to an ancient tomb-Theo learns that it comes inscribed with a curse so black that it threatens the British empire.
I really enjoyed this fast paced tale that has a heroine similar to a young Indiana Jones. The Egyptian backdrop is fascinating and I know young readers will be pulled into the adventures of this young heroine. The only thing that didn't work for me was the cliche descriptions of the parents, the pickpocket with a heart of gold, the bad Germans, and how simpleminded adults were. But other than that I'm sure younger readers won't mind as they are swept away in this fun tale.
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