Charlie and his lion friends have made it safely to Venice, but it turns out that their journey has only just begun. King Boris’s palace was meant to be a haven, but it’s starting to feel more like a prison. When word arrives from the cat grapevine that his parents are not being held in Italy after all, Charlie knows he must take fast action. Luckily a new ally has come on the scene-and just in the knick of time: Rafi is in hot pursuit.

This second book in the Lionboy trilogy is even more action-packed than the first, offering clever escapes, shipwreck, a prehistoric beast named Primo who will prove himself a great hero, and surprises that will shock and delight. It’s an exhilarating, suspenseful whirlwind of a story, and readers will be clamoring for more.

A zinger of a story, told with a J.K. Rowling-like blend of humor, drama and headlong plotting. –The Washington Post on Lionboy