Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos is a mystery/adventure, with little hints of mythology, all rolled into a fun summer read. Theodosia will enchant you and make you never want to put it down.

When her father works late at the London Museum of Legends and Antiquities, Theodosia sleeps in a sarcophagus! Her father is the first curator of the museum and frequently works late into the night. Her mother is not home because she works in Egypt as an archeologist. Theodosia doesn’t go to school because she finds it utterly boring and prefers to spend her days at the museum. She also has a talent to detect black magic and so it’s up to her to stop the bedlam before someone or something gets hurt.

One day Theodosia’s mother returns from Egypt with an object so evil and vile it is sure to destroy Britain from the inside out. The object, the Heart of Egypt, is straight from the tomb. Every pharaoh had an amulet made and Theodosia soon learns that she has to return the Heart of Egypt to the crypt before its evil is unleashed. So she convinces her parents to sail back to Egypt—only one problem—she’s not invited. So she sneaks aboard the ship and hides in a lifeboat with her provisions of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Although she is discovered, she arrives safely in Egypt with her parents. In an attempt to return the amulet to its rightful owner she is chased and threatened with her life by a greedy German archeologist hoping to steal the priceless object for himself.

I think this is a good book for kids ages 10-14.

Theodosia and the Serpents of Choas, written by R.L. LaFevers and illustrated by Yoko Tanaka can be found at the Four Seasons Book Store in Shepherdstown and at the Shepherdstown Public Library.