Lionboy facts for kids
Cover from Lionboy
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Lionboy Lionboy: The Chase Lionboy: The Truth |
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| Author | Zizou Corder |
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| Country | England |
| Genre | Young adult, Fantasy |
| Publisher | Puffin |
| Published | 2003–2006 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback), Audiobook |
The Lionboy series is a cool fantasy adventure story for kids and young adults. It's a set of three books written by Zizou Corder, which is actually the pen-name for a mother-daughter team: English writer Louisa Young and her daughter Isabel Adomakoh Young.
Contents
What is the Lionboy series about?
The Lionboy books tell the story of a young boy named Charlie Ashanti. He has a very special ability: he can talk to cats! This happened by accident when he was a baby, after his blood mixed with a leopard cub's blood.
Charlie finds himself on an amazing adventure. He's on the run aboard a floating circus ship, and he's not alone! He has six lions with him. His main goals are to help the lions return to their home in the wild, in a place called Morocco. He also needs to rescue his parents, who have been taken by a powerful and mysterious company known as the Corporacy.
The Books in the Series
The Lionboy series includes three exciting books:
- The first book is simply called Lionboy.
- The second book is Lionboy: The Chase. This book continues Charlie's journey with the lions, and much of the story takes place in the beautiful city of Venice. It was released in 2004.
- The final book in the trilogy is Lionboy: The Truth. It wraps up Charlie's incredible adventure and was published in 2006.
Where does the story take place?
The Lionboy series is set in the future, but we don't know exactly when. The world in the books is a lot like our modern world, but with some interesting differences. These changes are hinted at, rather than fully explained.
For example:
- Most of the world's oil has been used up. This means that cars that run on petrol are now only used by very rich or powerful people.
- Airplanes don't fly at all. Instead, traveling by sea is the main way to get around the world.
- The world seems to use clean energy like solar and wind power.
The most powerful country in the series is called the Empire. The books suggest that this might be a future version of the United States, and it seems to control Europe. The world has also been affected by things like global warming. A good example is the city of Venice, which is now partly underwater and damaged by pollution.
The Corporacy, a huge company that makes medicines, is also very powerful. They have special "Gated Communities" all over the world.
What happens in each book?
Lionboy: The First Adventure
Charlie is a young boy who can talk to cats and all other big cats. This special ability came from an accident with a leopard cub's blood when he was a baby. He lives in London with his parents, Dr. Aneba Ashanti and Professor Magdalen Start. They are both scientists working on a cure for asthma and other allergies caused by contact with cats.
Because of their important scientific discoveries, Charlie's parents are taken by a company called the Corporacy. Charlie barely escapes being taken himself. He sets out to find his parents and ends up on a circus ship called Circe, which is heading to Paris.
On the ship, he becomes friends with the circus performers. He also uses his special ability to befriend a group of beautiful performing lions. The lions want Charlie's help to escape their mean trainer, Maccomo. Meanwhile, a bad guy named Rafi Sadler, who works for the Corporacy, is chasing Charlie. He will do anything to catch him.
The circus ship arrives in Paris, and Charlie escapes with the lions. They make their way to a train station called Gare d'Austerlitz. There, they hide on the famous Orient Express train, which is going to Venice. Charlie's parents are rumored to have been taken there.
On their journey, Charlie and the lions meet a strange, lion-like creature. It's bigger and stronger than the lions, and it's a prehistoric ancestor of lions called a Smilodon fatalis. This ancient cat joins their group.
The first book ends with Charlie and the lions being discovered by a very important passenger on the train: the King of Bulgaria. Surprisingly, the King offers to help Charlie with his mission.
Lionboy: The Chase Continues
Charlie and the lions arrive in Venice and find a safe place at the Palazzo Bulgaria. The King travels on, leaving Charlie and the lions with his trusted helper, Edward. However, Edward has different plans for the lions. He keeps them and Charlie as prisoners, planning to give them to the unfair ruler of Venice, the Doge.
But this plan is stopped! Local cats and a group of gondoliers (people who steer boats in Venice) help Charlie. Venice is freed from the Doge's rule.
Charlie then leaves Venice by boat, taking the lions back to their home in Essaouira, Morocco. He leaves the Smilodon fatalis with a trusted gondolier in Venice. After a close call where they almost drown, they arrive in Morocco. There, they find some surprises: Maccomo, the mean lion trainer, is waiting for revenge. And even better, Charlie's parents have escaped the Corporacy and are there to find him!
Lionboy: The Truth Revealed
After only a few happy days reunited with his parents, Charlie is captured by Maccomo, who wants revenge. Maccomo puts Charlie on a ship and takes him (along with Rafi) to the Corporacy's main building on an island near Haiti. Charlie's parents are quickly chasing after them. Also following are Claudio, King Boris, the Young Lion, and Elsina.
Because of his cat blood, Charlie is not affected by the island's air, which is designed to control people's minds. With the help of a chameleon named Ninu, who can speak many languages, and a cat named Sergei, Charlie bravely stops the Corporacy's bad plans. He rescues all the people who were being controlled and held prisoner on the island.
Who are the main characters?
Charlie and his family
- Charlie Ashanti: A boy from England with African heritage who can talk to cats.
- Aneba Ashanti: Charlie's father, a scientist from Africa.
- Magdalen Stark: Charlie's mother, a British scientist.
- Mabel Stark: Charlie's aunt and Magdalen's sister. She ran away to join the circus and trains tigers. She is a bit jealous of Charlie's ability to talk to cats.
The Lions
- The Young Lion: The most adventurous of the lions and Charlie's closest friend.
- The Oldest Lion: The calm leader of the circus lions, and father of Elsina and the Young Lion.
- The Lionesses: There are three lionesses (yellowish, silvery, and bronze). They are quiet but very strong.
- Elsina: The young female cub, who is just as adventurous as her brother, the Young Lion.
- Primo: Not a real lion, but a Smilodon fatalis (an ancient saber-toothed cat). He was created in a lab and rescued by the lions. Primo stays in Venice as a beloved protector. Later, he is returned to the wild forests near Essaouira to be with the wild lions.
Other Animals
- Sergei: A brave and tough cat from North England who becomes one of Charlie's best friends.
- Ninu: A very smart chameleon who can talk not only English and Cat, but also the languages of most humans and animals, and even computers!
- Troy: Rafi Sadler's dog, who was not treated well but was still loyal. He later finds a new, loving owner in Spain.
- Chos: A cat who lives near Charlie's house in England.
- George, the Leopard: As a cub, he was bitten by a snake and saved by Charlie's father, Aneba. When Charlie was a baby, George scratched him, and their blood mixed. This allowed George to speak English and Charlie to speak Cat. George is later captured by the Corporacy's leader and held prisoner. He helps Elsina and Charlie remove a tracking chip.
Thibaudet's Royal Floating Circus
- Major Thibaudet: The owner of the floating circus. He is a fair man, but he doesn't know how cruelly the lions are treated.
- Maccomo: The mean trainer of the lions. He is jealous of Charlie's ability to talk to cats. He wants revenge on Charlie for helping the lions escape. He later kidnaps Charlie but is then controlled by the Corporacy himself.
- Pirouette: The circus's star acrobat and trapeze artist. She is kind to Charlie.
- Madame Barbue: The bearded lady. She is also kind to Charlie.
- Mabel Start: Maccomo's former partner and a tiger trainer. Her tigers love her, unlike Maccomo's lions. She becomes sympathetic to Charlie's cause.
- Hans: A young boy who takes care of the "Learned pig".
- Julius: A young boy who helps his clown father. He is a friend to Charlie.
- The Lucidis: An Italian family of acrobats.
The Corporacy and its people
- Rafi Sadler: A very mean and ambitious teenage boy who works for the Corporacy for money. He later becomes a victim of the Corporacy himself. It is revealed that he is Charlie's cousin.
- Winner and Sid: Two tough guys in charge of moving Charlie's parents to France.
- Sally Ann: A Corporacy employee who was responsible for Charlie and other kidnapped kids. She has been controlled by the Corporacy.
- Auntie Auntie: The right-hand person of the Corporacy's leader. She has also been controlled.
- The Head Chief Executive: The person who started and leads the Corporacy.
- Alex: A friend of Sally Ann who also works for the Corporacy. He has been controlled as well.
Characters in Venice
- The King of Bulgaria (Boris): A playful and happy man who is excited to find stowaways on his train. He offers to help Charlie and the lions.
- Edward: The King's security advisor. He turns out to be untrustworthy at first, but the King later forgives him.
- Claudio: A gondolier in Venice. Charlie and the lions trust him, and he helps to overthrow the Doge. He later becomes friends with the King of Bulgaria.
- The Doge: The unfair and selfish leader of Venice. He is overthrown by the people of Venice with help from Primo, Claudio, and others.
Images for kids
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The cover for Lionboy: The Chase
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The cover for Lionboy: The Truth
