Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos (The Theodosia Series, 1)

This book was advertised on my Kindle so I asked for a sample from amazon.com and like very much what I read so ordered the book. I was not disappointed.I rated it with four stars because it was most entertaining, a little quirky and provided plenty of challenges. I would recomment this book to young children, adolescents and those of us who are young at heart. It is well written and very well documented. Children of any age will find it enjoyable and informative with a better than average vocabulary thus giving the readers a chance to increase their general knowledge of Egyptian history and culture. For young readers or all readers for that matter I strongly recomment the purchase of a Kindle. One of the many favorable features is the dictionary that can be consulted while reading. There may be vocabulary that a young person may could have a doubt about. Well just consult the dictionary and erase that doubt. It is also small, compact and easy to take everywhere with you (I'm talking about the Kindle, of course). What a great device!!!Theodosia is an eleven year old English girl whose parents are archaeologists/Egyptologists. Her father is the curator of the Museum of Legends and Antiquities. Right now her mother is in Egypt supervising a recent dig and has been away for several months. Her father is alwlays so busy that he has little time to supervise his precocious daughter which is fine with her, although she does get lonely sometimes especially at night.She has a special sense or sixth sense if you wish which enables her to dectet which of the relics are most contaminated. She knows that there are loads of curses and magic and evil spells upon the relics. She is so sensitive that as she walkd along the halls and corridors the curses and magic ooze out into the passageways like a thick yellow fog ( her very words). She is amazed that the other people who work in the museum are not aware of it.Her mother is due home any day now and Theodosia is very excited bcause a lot of crates are arriving everyday with artifacts that her mother has sent home. She is itching to be there when they are opened. She is not disappointed because the crates are bursting with all kinds of evil. She, of course, wears her amulets everyday for protection but is always concerned that her father and the other employees never do. She makes her own amulets and is never without them on her person. She would like to suggest that the others also ware suggesting amulets would only prove to them what they already suspect.When her mother arrives it is a great accasion and she is reveling in the idea of having her close by and perhaps now they will start enjoying a good meal once in a while. However the moment is over shadowed by the theft of a very important (the most important) of all the artifacts uncovered.This incident triggers a series of events that include secret societies, secret government officials and international intrigue. Poor Theodosia finds herself in a series of terrible quandaries. She encounters bad men who would not hesitate to kill her. She comes into contact with other men who profess to be he allies but she isn't sure. There is an employee at the museum she has never trusted. She knows all about the sacred object in question and she knows how to deal with the situation if only her parents would allow her to go back to Egypt with them. They have to go back to see if they can right a terrible wrong. They are not convinced that Theodosia should go. In fact, they told her definitely no, no, no, However she sneaks aboard the vessel they are traveling in and here the adventure gets wild and scary. She helped out by her younger brother and a mate she encounters in the streets of London who turns out to be of incalculabe help. These adventures around Londen give her a frist had look at the miserable and seamy side of her great city. She is pretty much appalled by the abject poverty she encounters and the pitiful state in which these kids live. A real eye opener for her.I enjoyed the book and I think other readers will too. It is an excellent book provoding hours of entertainment. This is not your average run-of-the-mill childrens detective stories. they are quite sophisticated and provide a learning experience for the young (and old)lector. I entend to read all of the books in this series. I loved it.Bookwormetc

This and the other books in the series are just truly clever, and funny books. In reading it aloud to the children there are times that we all laughed out loud. If you’re looking for giggle sessions with your elementary aged children, look no further. The heroine makes accurate, pithy observations of a world that she understands far better than the adults around her. And her observations are deadpan hilarious. The books are also action packed enough to easily hold the children’s interest.I confess as an adult I couldn’t wait for the next chapter so I bought them on kindle and devoured them. The kids also began reading them outside the read aloud sessions. The reading level is higher than the Beastology series by the same author, and it’s been a wonderfully sneaky way to teach vocabulary. When they want to read a book this badly, it doesn’t seem like work. Even better, the interest in Egyptology skyrocketed.The reading level also means adults can enjoy the books. Don’t feel you need to have an available kid!I have purchased this series to gift, as well.Others have explained the books’ plot and premise. So I’ll just add that this is the best kids’ series we have read since Harry Potter. That’s not a compliment we would give lightly. If your kids liked HP, or Land of Stories, they will probably like these. (There’s a good movie in them too, IMO.)Now, a fifth book was planned, and has not been published. This is apparently because the publisher didn’t think the sales figures were high enough. (Which perhaps just goes to demonstrate that quality often does not get enough respect.) So though the story is complete enough after four books, there are unanswered questions that would have been addressed. I wouldn’t let that discourage you from reading them though. Coming from someone who reads hundreds of books a year, they are just too good to miss.And maybe if enough people read them we won’t have to go without the sequel for too many more years.... we can only hope....Update: we have discovered that Theodosia is now a show available to stream. It’s not been well promoted but you can find it online. It’s not as good as the books but a fun complement to anyone who’s a fan.

I watched the series on iplayer so decided to try the novel. I adored Theodosia's curiosity, bravery and sense of humour. As you read you are absorbing snippets of Ancient Egypt beliefs and funeral practice along with an exciting story, hopefully stimulating curiosity to learn more. Life, travel and archaeology practices pre WW1 is brought to life.I enjoyed reading this as a 64 year old and think it is suitable for 11 to 13 year olds. There is some peril, violence and scary bits so judgement is needed as to suitability for your child. This is balanced by the ethical decisions made by the characters as part of the story and Theodosia's emotional growth in her journey to defend the world against Chaos. Plenty to discuss and enjoy!

These books were quite a find, I wish more people would try them out, anyone who enjoys the incorrigible children of Ashton Place will love these. The heroine is especially engaging with a razor sharp sense of humour, plus they are interesting from a historical point of view, all 4 books are excellent I have to say and deserve more support. People always complain about 2 dimensional characters and plots of books for the young but when originality raises its head as in these and the novels of Frances Hardinge they slip through the cracks with little fanfare. pity.

Great book for kids with lots of adventure, magic and Egyptology. Inspiring for young girls!! I hope they release more books!! It’s now a tv series in BBC with watching!!

My eight year old daughter: "I liked that there were lots of cliff hangers on the chapters that made me want to read. It was also very exciting. You have to be a bit brave because there are some scary bits"

My little boy loves this book, so I will now be purchasing the next in the series. Thanks to the seller who delivered it within the timescales.