Product Description

From one of the world's best-loved storytellers comes a magical novel of adventure and discovery Alexander Cold knows all too well his grandmother Kate is never far from an adventure. When International Geographic commissions her to write an article about the first elephant-led safaris in Africa, they head-with Nadia Santos and the magazine's photography crew-to the blazing, red plains of Kenya. Days into the tour, a Catholic missionary approaches the camp in search of his companions who have mysteriously disappeared. Kate, Alexander, Nadia, and their team, agreeing to aid the rescue, enlists the help of a local pilot to lead them to the swampy forests of Ngoube. There they discover a clan of Pygmies who unveil a harsh and surprising world of corruption, slavery, and poaching. Alexander and Nadia, entrusting the magical strengths of Jaguar and Eagle, their totemic animal spirits, launch a spectacular and precarious struggle to restore freedom and return leadership to its rightful hands. The final installment of Isabel Allende's celebrated trilogy of the journeys of Jaguar and Eagle soars with radiant settings, spirits, beings-and the transformation of an extraordinary friendship.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #298194 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-01
• Released on: 2005-05-10
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10–In the final installment of a trilogy that began with City of the Beasts (2002) and Kingdom of the Golden Dragon (2004, both HarperCollins), 18-year-old Alexander Cold, his globe-trotting journalist grandmother, and their 15-year-old friend, Nadia, travel to Kenya to take an elephant safari. Soon, the party takes a detour to the jungle to find some missing missionaries, and, in the process becomes embroiled in a messy bit of business. It involves a military man who has taken over a village and terrorized and enslaved the local Bantu and Pygmy tribes. Although this adventure can stand alone, the amazing abilities of Alexander and Nadia (which include turning into their "totems" of a jaguar and an eagle, talking with animals, and becoming invisible) may strike newcomers to the series as somewhat jarring, not to mention rather too convenient to the plot. The language can be lyrical and several of the characters (especially Angie, the almost-fearless female African pilot) are charismatic, but too often the emotions and personalities of Alexander and Nadia are narrated in long passages instead of shown through action and dialogue, creating an emotional distance that detracts from an otherwise fine adventure tale. Buy where the first two books are popular.–Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 8-11. In the final installment of the trilogy that began with City of the Beasts (2002), Alexander, now 18, acknowledges that he feels "vaguely ridiculous, as if he were in some Tarzan movie." Unfortunately, that sums up what's disappointing in this story. Alex and his friend, Nadia, travel to Africa on a new International Geographic expedition with Alex's tough grandma, Kate. In the jungle, they help to save primitive Pygmies from slavery and annihilation by a savage, ridiculous tyrant, who wears a necklace of human fingers. Eventually, in a David versus Goliath chapter, a Pygmy warrior defeats the powerful ruler. Allende's narrative, translated from the Spanish, does show some diversity in Africa, and she individualizes a few local people, especially the women (including a fiercely independent Kenyan pilot). But the constant use of convenient magical realism removes all tension from the plot. There is never any doubt that the amulets and totems will help the good guys win. What will hold readers are the close encounters with elephants, crocodiles, snakes, and gorillas. Forget the people. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Praise for Kingdom of the Golden Dragon: 'Allende again proves her talent for evoking exotic landscapes, spinning tall stories and weaving seductive magic.' Sunday Times 'This spellbinding novel, like its predecessor, is storytelling at its best' Mail on Sunday Praise for City of the Beasts: 'Written with Allende's characteristic verve, City of the Beasts is the kind of accomplishment to show young readers that there's more to life than Harry Potter.' Literary Review 'A vivid fable! Allende's prose soars' Guardian 'Marvellous, marvel-filled! Beautifully written and utterly entrancing' Independent on Sunday

Customer Reviews

Blend of magic and fantasy with realism
The finale of the acclaimed trilogy, that began with Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, has had a lot to live up to. Alex, now 18, along with his grandmother and friend, Nadia, travel to Kenya on an elephant safari. Like the previous two books, things do not exactly happen simply, and the trio encounter a whole host of problems such as after a plane crash, they end up trying to help save primitive Pygmies from slavery. A mixture of magic, adventure, and a sensous surrounding gives this book an edge that many children's books do not have.

Having read a few of Isabel Allende's books I was certainly looking forward to this one, as I thoroughly enjoyed reading the first two. However, by the time I got around to reading this one, I realized something was missing; it may have been that I was older and a more experienced reader, for it has been a while since I have read the first two. The character's still amused me, and the magic they possesed created something far more interesting than the trilogy would have been had they not had it. However, I found myself bored with a long drawn out plotline that, although had twists, followed the same basic outline as the first two. Despite my problems with it, and my need for a change, I feel that many people will enjoy it, and I am certainly going to reread the first two books. The blend of magic and fantasy with realism, and an amazing setting, certainly gives this book a head start to many children's books.

Reviewed by a student reviewer for Flamingnet Book Reviews
www.flamingnet.com
Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations

Excellent trilogy
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the rest of the trilogy by Allende. The entire story of Alexander was my first introduction to Allende's writing and has made me want more young adult fiction by this author.

Oh decepcion!!

Hace poco terminé de leer este libro el cual a diferencia de La ciudad de las bestias y El reino del dragón de oro me tardé en leer más de dos semanas, y no porque lea muy poco o muy lento, sino porque jamás logró pescar mi interés y atención como lo hicieron los otros dos libros, de verdad que quedé terriblemente decepcionado en la forma que la señora Isabel escribió y dio fin a la que yo pensé sería una muy buena trilogía, había momentos en que me parecía estar leyendo el libro de un neófito escritor, de plano me dio tanta pereza leerlo que ni ganas me dieror de volver a leer El zorro y otros dos o tres libros que todavía no he leído de ella.

Espero que su creatividad y lo que me hizo interesarme por sus libros no haya muerto todavía y que pronto nos sorprenda con un nuevo libro como La hija de la fortuna, Retrato en sepia o el mismo La casa de los espíritus que tanto amé.

En serio que si la trilogía estaba dirigida hacia un público lector adolescente o infantil yo no se lo daría a leer a ninguno de mis sobrinos.