Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris (Theodosia)

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Theodosia Throckmorton is in a fix. Allowed to attend a reception given by one of the directors of her parents' museum, she stumbles across Mr. Tetley of the British Museum?in most unusual circumstances! Since Theo has last seen him in a showdown in an ancient Egyptian tomb, his reappearance could mean only one thing: the Serpents of Chaos are back. Once again Theodosia will have to take on secret societies, evil curses, and dark magic too sinister to imagine, especially if it falls into the wrong hands. Blocked at every turn, Theodosia will have to rely on her own skill and cunning?along with a little help from the most unexpected places.

Customer Reviews: Read 46 more reviews...

2 out of 5 stars

A Slow Read, Especially for Targeted Age Group September 27, 2008
5 out of 9 found this review helpful

Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris starts with a very interesting premise...an eleven year old girl, part Nancy Drew, part Indy Jones, involved with secret societies and magic artifacts. On the surface it sounds great, but to be honest, the book was a tough read.

Targeted for ages 9-12, the book was a slow read for me at age 40. There was little action right off the bat, and numerous artifacts and character were introduced. The problem with this being that there was little to no description given to the characters, making it nearly impossible to distinguish one from the other. Because of this, the book became muddy very quickly.

Even Theodosia was bland. Were are given no hint of her personality or quirks. She is merely a first person narrator, and a bland one at that.

Overall, the main flaw with the book was the author's writing style. Some books just don't flow well, and this is one of them. It was hard to follow, not because of complexities, but more because everything was bland. And that pretty much sums Lefever's writing, and this book in general.

At age 40 I found it a great disappointment. I can't see where the target age group will find much more joy out of it than I. Not anywhere near the same class as Charlie Bone, Harry Potter, and the like.

5 out of 5 stars

Secret societies, mummies, curses, and governesses September 29, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

This second entry in R.L. LaFevers' delightful fantasy series starring the clever, resourceful 11-year-old Theodosia Throckmorton was even more fun to read than the first. And that's saying a lot! Right at the outset, Theo, attending a reception for Lord Chudleigh, a VIP on the board of the Museum of Legends and Antiquities, where her parents work, recognizes an unwrapped mummy as Tetley, of the British Museum, last seen in an ancient Egyptian tomb. This means the evil Serpents of Chaos, of which Tetley was an agent, are back in London stirring up trouble.

Again, it's up to Theodosia, who is now an agent for the Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers, to thwart the Serpents in their efforts to cause strife and discord so that they can dominate the world. She must keep the Staff of Osiris, which can reanimate the dead, out of their hands. As if this weren't enough, Theo must elude her newly hired governess, the beastly, mean, ever-vigilant Miss Sharpe, in order to carry out her vital mission.

This sequel is even more complex than the first book, with more action and quite a large assortment of interesting characters, not all of whom are what they appear to be. So who can Theo trust? And we find out that the "Fog of War" is not just a metaphorical term. There's also a third secret society, the Arcane Order of the Black Sun, which I guarantee you'll enjoy reading about. This is a wonderful read, and I think fans of Eva Ibbotson, of all ages, will especially like this series.

5 out of 5 stars

**CHAOS** IS RISING...In This Supernatural- Mystery Book ! September 30, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

THEODOSIA AND THE STAFF OF OSIRIS by R.L. LaFevers is the second book to come out in the "Theodosia" series, the first being Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos (Theodosia)..

I haven't read that first book but I enjoyed reading "...Staff of Osiris."

The main character is Theodosia Throckmorton, an 11-year-old girl--wise beyond her years---whose father is head curator at a London museum in the early 1900s. Her mother is an Egyptologist and archeologist and brings back fantastic Egyptian artifacts for the museum. The young girl doesn't attend school, she's tutored, and mostly left alone to explore the museum and basically take care of her self, since her parents are so busy.

In this book, Theodosia discovers an ancient staff that has the power to raise the dead. Mummies from all over are drawn to it, which causes problems for her father, since the police think he's stealing the mummies. And while she tries to find out more info on the staff, someone steals it...a nefarious organization known as "the Serpents Of Chaos." Now it's up to Theo to get to the bottom of all these weird happenings and try and save the day!

Theodosia is like a cross between Nancy Drew Starter Set (Nancy Drew) and The Ramona Collection, Vol. 1: Ramona the Brave / Ramona and Her Father/Ramona the Pest/Beezus and Ramona. She's smart and likes solving mysteries (and removing curses) like "Drew" and yet she still has that sincere honest truthfulness like "Ramona," and I feel that LaFevers has created a very likable child character that young readers will enjoy.

I love that it takes place in London during the early 1900s and that Theodosia is left alone to explore the museum, sometimes sleeping over night in a sarcophagus when her parents decide to work late. She's left by herself and has to find her own excitement and adventure.

There's never a dull moment in the book. Whether it's outsmarting her evil wicked tutors, trying to wrangle up some bad curses, or spying on the enemy, Theodosia takes young readers on a thrilling adventure where people are not what they seem. And she makes funny comments and observations that will keep readers laughing along the way.

Since I read an "advance reading copy" (ARC), I'd like to point out that there are some really cool full page illustrations by Yoko Tanaka, that I hope will be throughout the book in the final release. Also, there are Egyptian words like "mut" and "ka" and a few others that aren't clearly defined that keep popping up throughout the book. Hopefully those words will come with better definitions in the final print or young readers (and their parents) will be lost.

5 out of 5 stars

Indiana Jones for girls...finally October 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Let's face it: Even after the success of the Crystal Skull, Indy is probably ready (barring another sequel) to hang up his bullwhip and famous chapeau.

If Indy had a daughter, she might just be Theodosia Throckmorton, an early twentieth-century eleven-year-old (the text keeps repeating that she's eleven) British budding archaelogist/anthropologist whose likable but career-driven parents would probably be locked up today for breaking Child Welfare laws. The official reviews say that Theodosia is "a sure bet for Harry Potter fans". While the world of pre-World War I London (Theodosia mentions Kaiser Wilhelm, which any nine-to-twelve-year-old can Google if interested) and Egyptian magic are not the same as Harry's Hogwarts, Theodosia herself combines Harry's talent for trouble with Hermione Granger's braininess (Theodosia talks way above her age level and indeed, as she comments, above most adults). Theodosia is a bit more irreverent (in a proper British way) than Hermione. Still, like Hermione, Theodosia won't hesitate to question a grownup on a matter of learning---such as a mummy at a reception that, when unwrapped, turns out not to be a pharaoh but a former corrupt British Museum bigwig.

Theodosia knows that this corpse formerly known as Mr. Tetley means that an underground group of Death Eater wannabes, a secret Egyptian-black magic society, is back. The Serpents of Chaos have the annoying habit of causing mummies to converge on Theodosia's parents' museum. In typical kid-fantasy/Bilbo Baggins fashion, Theodosia discovers the title artifact, the mystical staff, that animates the mummies. Naturally, everyone and their mummy wants the staff and Theodosia is in terrible danger but can't tell her parents, who are too busy with the most fixated police inspector since Javert. Oh, and Theodosia's grandmother, a grande dame in love with a British Admiral, doesn't exactly think sleeping in a sarcophagus and cataloguing artifacts and hanging around long-dead pharaohs is a suitable occupation for a proper British girl. Theodosia's parents are at least part of the aristocracy in some way, but they are so absorbed in the study of antiquities that they throw convention to the wind. Resilient Theodosia, who's part of a secret society of good guys, views her life as entirely normal, even when it means skipping dinner and breakfast and confronting evil, not to mention. Although her sympathetic and accomplished parents (her mother is brilliant) parents are concerned for her safety, they have little idea that Theodosia is responsible for keeping her family, and Britain, free of Egyptian curses. There's an amusing bit of satire in which people load up on gold (like anthrax gas masks) in order to protect themselves.

If Theodosia lived today she'd probably be overscheduled up the wazoo and guarded against every imaginary harm (although in an amusing satire on British aristocracy, her pursuits are less important than, say, rote memorization of Britain's glories). As it is, she is eminently comfortable in a big world, with the only companion in her age group being a former pickpocket. and prone to tossing out Egyptian words (which need definitions) the way eleven-year-olds today rattle off texting lingo.

I love the author's quote that encourages all odd ducks everywhere by pointing out that "odd duck" is another name for a swan. Theodosia is indeed a role model for girls and challenges kids to stretch their intellects and imagination.

3 out of 5 stars

Not bad, but not extraordinary October 5, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

Like some previous reviewers, my first response to "Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris" was that it had something of a flavor of Lemony Snicket to it and that Theodosia was a junior Lara Croft. "Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris" is not similar in subject or writing style to the Lemony Snicket series, but I think that the way adults are portrayed is similar. The "good" adults are remote and/or clueless and the "bad" ones are over the top crazy wicked and the only ones who seem aware of it are the kids. But Theodosia definitely gives Lara Croft a run when it comes to facing mummies and ancient curses.

My only hesitation at giving "Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris" a higher star rating is the story itself. We learn that Theodosia is a self-sufficient little girl who lives an intriguing life spent mostly at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities run by her parents. She has a special ability of sensing and dealing with ancient Egyptian curses and unquiet mummy sprits, all of which is terrifically interesting. However, the plot of "Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris" just isn't executed in an exciting and dramatic manner. Theodosia's rather matter of fact narration left me feeling like the exciting moments were anticlimactic. The humorous episodes were much more well-done and clearly envisioned, such as when Theodosia's nasty governess Miss Sharpe gets her comeuppance and all of Theodosia's interactions with her friend Sticky Will and his little brother Snuffles.

I think "Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris" is a good book for the age group it is marketed toward. There is some assumption of understanding of culture and life in the time period it is set in that kids may not actually have and use of ancient Egyptian names that will be challenging. But there are only a few ancient Egyptian words used that aren't proper nouns and I think the context makes it clear enough. I think as a series book of its length, "Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris" is good and worth reading if the reader likes stories with mummies and supernatural elements that aren't too scary.

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