Mamba Point

Starred review from June 15, 2010

Scaletta's expertly voiced narrative offers an experience of Africa—specifically, Monrovia, Liberia, in 1982—through the eyes of Linus, a Dayton, Ohio, seventh grader whose family has just arrived for a diplomatic posting. Self-conscious and more than a little bit anxious, Linus is ready to embrace his more courageous side. Amazingly, his braver version turns out to have a surprising spiritual connection to the deadly, rarely seen black mamba. The culture, politics and economy of 1980s Liberia are conveyed through the clear-eyed but skewed filter of Linus's young understanding. The sights, smells and sounds compete nearly equally for Linus's attention with his desire for friends and his delight in his family's acquisition of a new Atari system. The author gets exactly right the mix of the familiar and the entirely unfamiliar as well as the terror that makes even close encounters with the world's deadliest snake only an also-ran next to looming adolescence. Linus eventually begins to sort out his place in the world—or at least in his area of influence—in a tale tinted with magical realism that is by turns scary and very funny. (Fiction. 11-14)

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August 1, 2010

Gr 5-8-Linus and his family have moved to Monrovia, Liberia, where his father works for the U.S. embassy. Shy and anxious, the 12-year-old keeps seeing a friendly black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the country, and he discovers that he has a kaseng, a connection with this particular animal. As weeks pass, Linus begins to treat the snake as a pet, hidden from everyone, and he feels that he is changing, becoming more confident and bold, perhaps taking on the mamba's characteristics. When he sets up a dry terrarium in his closet for it, he forgets that he is putting others in danger. With parents away, his older brother locks him out because he is having a party, and the inevitable occurs. Fortunately all ends well. In this absorbing novel, Linus is trying to find out who he is so he can leave behind the anxious child he recognizes in himself. Set in 1982, the novel portrays life in an American embassy, separate from and yet part of a city quite different from mainstream America. Scaletta writes about Monrovia in real terms, a city whose people, like those everywhere, span many income and social groups, but where poverty is a constant. The novel also looks head-on at various stereotypes of Africa. Though this well-written work occasionally moves slowly, the excellent characterization and the unusual setting will appeal to many readers.-Barbara Scotto, Children's Literature New England, Brookline, MA

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2010
Grades 5-8 After his family moves from Dayton to Liberia for his fathers American Embassy job, 12-year-old Linus sees an opportunity to reinvent himself and become more confident, less fearful. Although he is initially scared when a rare, deadly black mamba appears, the snake doesnt harm him, and Linus soon finds himself increasingly attached to it. After secretly bringing it home, he finds himself growing more assertive. Then the snake escapes from his room, and the near-tragedy that ensues reminds Linus that the mamba is still a wild animal, and he must do whats right and admit responsibility, despite the difficult consequences. Scaletta (Mudville, 2009) has created an appealing, well-written protagonist whose everyday and extraordinary experiencesfrom sibling and adjustment issues to his intriguing, mysterious connection with the snakechange his life in unexpected, positive ways. With lively, sometimes droll touches and a well-constructed 1980s setting, the engaging first-person narrative and array of diversely drawn characters further enliven the novel, which concludes with a personal authors note that provides more story background.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2011
Linus, not yet thirteen, moves to Liberia with his family in the summer of 1982. Companionship with a deadly black mamba snake, with which he can seemingly communicate, helps Linus shed his scaredy-cat image. Predictably, his attachment to the snake results in a near tragedy. Though the multitude of eighties references grow tiring and Linus is rather two-dimensional, his emotions are relatable.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)