LIONBOY: THE TRUTH

In the third and final installment of the trilogy, it’s Charlie—lion-rescuer, shipwreck survivor, circus veteran, son of asthma-cure–inventing scientists—who is kidnapped. Page one quickly recaps the action as friends and enemies from the previous tales join the chase to rescue, or thwart, cat-speaking Charlie as he tries to outwit the evil Corporacy. Several plot devices, reversed situations and wily details gear up the fast action and rapid pace: a ship named Old Yeller, a cameo appearance by a man named Fidel from Cuba and a conversing chameleon. So who’s on the boats, following whom, why and where? A rip-roaring ending resolves the conspiracy (based on asthma-inducing cats). The fans who have been chomping at the bit for the conclusion can now sink their teeth into it. Skimpy black-and-white drawings don’t heighten the drama; maps would have sufficed. (Fiction. 9-12)