One of the first things Linus sees when he steps off the plane in his new home of Liberia is a black mamba, the deadliest snake in the whole country. He notices the snake more and more, and it seems almost friendly. Linus feels himself becoming more like the snake—braver, bolder—but will his mystical connection to this spirit animal help him reinvent himself, or put his whole family in danger?

I used this as one of my middle school booktalks, and a girl came by after school the next day to ask for it, so I guess my booktalk worked. Linus is a believable boy--who hasn't wanted to take advantage of a move to reinvent himself?

The cover does nothing for me (sorry, Kurtis) but I liked seeing my name in the acknowledgments. :) ( )

Linus and his family are moved to Liberia when his father gets a position as a diplomat there. As soon as he gets off the plane an incident occurs when it seems the family are about to beattacked by a Mamba snake. They are reassured that mambas are rare and seldom seen but Linus seems to encounter them frequently. He meets an old man who tells him a bit about snakes and the attraction they Linus and his brother meet other kids from the embassy and Linus also makes friends with some of the local people. Unfortunately Linus' attraction to snakes is about to cause problems. A good read from an author whose
life experience of living in Liberia is reflected in this book. I would recommend this foe children aged about 7 - 12 ( )