From School Library Journal
Grade 7-10βIsabel Allende's trilogy (Kingdom of the Golden Dragon and City of the Beast , both HarperCollins) comes to a satisfactory conclusion in this volume (Rayo, 2005). The adventures of Nadia and Alex take them to Africa where they survive a plane crash and bring about the downfall of an evil dictator, thus freeing his enslaved pygmies. Although the plot is simple to follow without having read the first two titles in the series, the fantastical elements of Alex's and Nadia's mystical abilities such as talking with the animals and becoming invisible are simply part of the tale and not explained. Blair Brown reads the novel, most of which is in narrative form, at a quick pace reflecting the emotions of the story, varying her tone and sound level when appropriate. Her diction is precise, and she speaks the African names with ease. She uses several different accents to differentiate between the characters when necessary. A good choice where the first two novels are popular.β*Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA *
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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
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