Akimbo and the Snakes

Akimbo #4

by Alexander McCall Smith, LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)

Akimbo can't believe his luck when his father allows him to visit his uncle Peter's snake park. And when a local village calls to report a sighting of a green mamba snake―the rarest and most deadly one of all―Akimbo hopes to help his uncle catch it for the park. But little does he expect to find himself trapped face to face with the deadliest of reptiles. Bestselling novelist Alexander McCall Smith brings the majesty and dangers of Africa to life in this vividly imagined adventure for young readers.

Genres: Africa, Fiction, Childrens, Animals, Adventure, Audiobook, Realistic Fiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland. Visit him online at www.alexandermccallsmith.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Reviews

[Kirjapallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olipas jännittävä! Tämä kirja sai todella kiinnostumaan käärmeistä. :) Teksti ei kuitenkaan tuntunut kovin helppolukuiselta, joten suosittelen suht varmoille lukijoille.

[Shaunterria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no plans to read this middle grade book by McCall Smith, but found it while shelving one morning and happened to pick it up. Like the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries, this story is written in a highly accessible style that draws the reader in. The author has a unique way of painting pictures with his words that appeals to children and adults, which makes this book great for younger readers interested in learning about snakes and working with wildlife in Africa.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another of Alexander McCall Smiths's Akimbo adventure, this time with snakes.

Uncle Peter has invited Akimbo to come visit his snake park. He has the usual tour and then gets put to work, even milking the snakes. The bridge too far for me was the car ride with the green mambo that frees itself in the car, and finds close contact with humans is a great way to warm up.

Akimbo is a very charming fellow, but I wish they wouldn't let him wander like he does. It comforts me knowing that he is a fictional boy.

[Steph Lomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I was not sure whether I would enjoy reading this book as I am not a great fan of snakes. However, once I started reading it, I really enjoyed it and learnt so much. This is a brilliant, fun and educational book to read.

The book tells the story of Akimbo and the adventurous trip he experiences when he visits his Uncle’s Snake Park in Africa. Having always loved snakes, Akimbo could not wait to spend his summer holiday working with his Uncle. To Akimbo, this was not work – he was allowed to feed and hold the snakes, as well as show them to visitors. One day, his dream of an adventure came true when his Uncle received a phone call about a really dangerous and rare snake that had been sighted in an African village. After spending hours travelling and searching for the snake, Akimbo and his Uncle eventually capture it and head back to the snake park. But not all is as it seems!

The language in this book is fairly simple and would be most suited to independent reading with children in early Key Stage 2. The sentences are short and direct which should engage the child and build their confidence. The author cleverly creates suspense and even as an adult, I was racing through the book to find out what happened. Every other page contains a black and white illustration and I found myself turning the page quickly to catch a glimpse of this, so I could find out what had happened even before I read the page!

This is an excellent book and teaches children about an animal which often has a negative image, but yet serves an important purpose. Akimbo can be seen as a good role model as he is willing to help his Uncle with anything, he listens to his Uncle’s needs, and when he faces danger, he behaves in a responsible way, which in turn, saves his life.

At the end of the book, the author provides the reader with ‘Sssensational sssnake factsss’. These are very interesting to read and give the reader the opportunity to learn more about snakes if they wish. I would recommend reading this book and the facts – who would have known that the oldest snake lived to over 40 years old? These snake facts, along with references to the Egyptians and Cleopatra, makes this book an excellent choice to read in a school.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much better than the "young Precious" stories and quite a lot better than the run of McCall Smith's children's books that I've read. Google doesn't seem to recognise Akimbo as a name, only the phrase "arms akimbo", but then Google may not speak African languages. I seem to have missed any reference to an actual country in which the book is set, too.

As a child I was fascinated by snakes and other reptiles, just like the protagonist. This very short book is full of solid information about how they move, see, smell etc without being preachy or didactic. Akimbo goes off to spend his summer holiday at his uncle's reptile ranch, and they hunt for the elusive (and dangerous) green mamba to add it to the collection. Akimbo of course has a starring role but he is much less an unbelievably perfect hero-child than in the other McCall Smith kid's books I've read. I'll take Akimbo over Harriet Bean and "little Precious" any day of the week and three times on Sunday.

For me, three stars. For kids between six and nine, four. A good read-aloud.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are 4 for 4! What will I do when we finish the final book. My 4 and 6 year olds are hooked! This was a great story that held their suspense at the end....even mine! It had a great ending. AMS has done it once again!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The theme for this month is Snakes and I was hoping that I would encounter snakes in River of Doubt, which I am reading for my book club and which takes place in the Amazon. I am one third of the way through and snakes have been mentioned 3 times, less than a sentence each time. So I went to Hoopla to see if I could find an audiobook about Snakes that interested me. I enjoy Alexander McCall Smith's work and have been interested in reading the Akimbo series, so I was pleased to find Akimbo and the Snakes. This was a nice book with some great information about snakes in Africa where we learn about snakes with Akimbo, who goes to visit his uncle's snake park on school holidays. I learned that the green mamba is more of a threat than the black mamba and that the Gaboon viper is the biggest threat, although another snake (I forget the name) kills the most people. At the end of the story, the author included several pages of information about snakes, where they live, how big they are, and other interesting facts.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Akimbo's Uncle Peter operates a snake park. Akimbo is fascinated by it and enjoys hearing his uncle's stories. One school break he is given permission to spend the time with his uncle helping at the park. Akimbo's job involves feeding the snakes - putting the animals in the cages for the snakes. One day his uncle receives a phone call about a green mamba and Peter and Akimbo set off to capture it.
A fun story even though I truly do not like snakes. I have enjoyed this series for the animal facts that are included in the midst of the story.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library as an option for a quick read for one of the prompts for the Middle Grade March challenge. It seems that it is probably on the younger end of that scale, and was short (<100 pgs), so easily quick for me. I knew nothing about it beforehand, not having even read the synopsis; I picked it solely on the cover, title, and thin size.

I found this book enjoyable, even as an adult. The characters were all likable. the story progressed quickly. It held my interest, both with anticipation of the storyline (particularly with perspective of it being intended for a child) and in educational content. I think this would be enjoyed most by children who are interested in animals. As a child I would probably would have wanted to read the other books in the series after this.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's short, it's to-the-point, and the plot development isn't very deep, but this is an interesting, suspenseful, and fact-filled book for young readers. We finished this one quickly because my young reader always wanted "one more chapter."

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good and quick reaf but probably my least favorite in the Akimbo book series. Akimbo is the son of a game reserve ranger who lives in Africa and he goes on adventures, the majority of which involve saving and rescuing animals and learning valuable life lessons.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are great fun and I would imagine most boys (and men) and some girls would envy the adventurous and competent Akimbo.

[Fritzov · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's ok but not more that that.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter is reading this for her book club. Shot book about a boy who learns about snakes from his uncle who runs a snake preserve. They hunt a green mamba and antics abound.

[Coral Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to be him but I when he had the snake on his leg I didn’t want to be him

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though a book for kids, has a part that our littles (even one who is obsessed with snakes!) found a bit scary.

[Nikita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite interesssting 🐍🐍

[Edward Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educational and exciting at the same time. What more could you ask in a kid’s story.

[Johanna Gistvik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for a yearly challenge.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 5 out of 5]

Akimbo jumps at a chance to visit his Uncle Peter’s snake park. During his stay, he learns how to feed the less dangerous snakes. He watches in fascination as Uncle Peter and his assistants “milk” the venomous ones. The park has one empty case set up for a green mamba, the most deadly snake in Africa. Much to Akimbo’s delight, there is a mamba sighting while he’s at the park. As Uncle Peter and Akimbo hunt for the green snake amongst the dense green foliage, Akimbo’s sharp eyes pick out its shape. Together, they bag the mamba. During the return trip, Uncle Peter stops to refuel his truck. While he’s gone, Akimbo hears a strange noise. He looks back at the capture sack just in time to see the mamba slither out and away. Then, he feels a pressure on his foot and knows that he’s trapped.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because I'm a fan of the author's adult series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. This was a very exciting read, with the threat of being fatally bitten by a snake. The main character spends a week or so with his uncle who manages a snake park. This is a great book for kids who like snakes and even for those of us who don't. There's also an appendix of snake facts at the back for those who want to know more after finishing the story.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naisten etsivätoimistostaan paremmin tutun Alexander McCall Smithin "Akimbo ja käärmeet" (Otava, 2010) jatkaa lapsille suunnattua kirjasarjaa, jossa pieni afrikkalaispoika tutustuu jälleen Afrikan luontoon ja villieläimiin. Nopealukuisessa tarinassa on mukana on sopivasti jännitystä ja samalla sitä lukiessa oppii vähäsen eläimistä. Kertakaikkisen mainiota luettavaa alakoulun pienemmille oppilaille!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took this to a school to do a book talk, and I was amazed at how excited they were about the snakes. Unfortunately I wasn't aware and this was the advanced reader class and so the book was WAY too easy, but the kids still thought the story sounded interesting. They all wanted to know all about snakes, and since I like snakes we had quite the discussion.

[Reetta Saine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Täydellinen vinkkauskirja. Käännös kömpelömpi kuin muistin, mutta kun toiminta alkaa, sekään ei haitannut. Hyvä yhdistelmä tietoa, eläinsuojelua, erilaista Afrikka-kuvaa ja jännitystä.

si :).

[Susan Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a what would you do if this happened to you book! I love to ask open ended questions to children.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for the faint of heart or those with a fear of snakes! My kids LOVED it!

[Alida · Rating 4 out of 5]

The grandkids and I really liked this book. We thought it was very exciting and learned facts about snakes that we did not know before. Next book is The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by the man who brought adults the Ladies Number 1 Detective Agency, this is a series of kids books (mid to late grammar school) also set in Africa--very well done--Akimbo is a keeper

[Nandini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mccall Smith is a great story teller. He doesn't even need a great story to tell to write an engaging novel.

[Grace Oh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Alexander McCall Smith. So it's appropriate for young readers but not condescending or silly. It's information without being preachy.