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Editorial Review:
Charlie Ashanti, the hero of LIONBOY, speaks cat - the language of all cats wild and domestic alike. His unusual talent helps him on his quest to find his kidnapped parents who have discovered a cure for asthma. The local cats of his home town (a futuristic London) start him on his search to solve the mystery of his missing parents, which leads him across the channel on board a circus ship bound for Paris. It is on this wonderful vessel that Charlie establishes a close relationship with the homesick circus lions who become his accomplices. But Charlie is in danger, for close behind him on his trail, is a crony of the mysterious group who have kidnapped his parents. They want Charlie too.
Description of Lionboy (Unabridged):
Mysteriously missing parents, a boy who speaks Cat, an extraordinary floating circus, and a handsome hoodlum villain...get ready for one of the most spectacular adventure stories around! When young Charlie Ashanti returns home one day to find an empty house, he launches immediately into the journey of a lifetime. Sleazy Rafi, a teenage boy who can usually be found lurking around the playground, shows up, claiming that Charlie’s parents have gone on a trip. Our hero plays dumb and quickly escapes Rafi’s clutches only to find himself stowed away on the most remarkable ship the Thames River has ever kept afloat. Taking advantage of his astonishing ability to speak the language of cats, Charlie sets in motion a chain of communication from London to Paris via scruffy alley toms, fluffy lap kitties, and even a ferocious lion or two. Along the way, the clever boy manages to stay one step ahead of the rogues pursuing him, but unfortunately always one step behind his parents.!
Penned by a mother/daughter team who call themselves Zizou Corder, Lion Boy is the first in a trilogy that is bound to become a classic. Readers will shriek when they read the evil yet tantalizing words at the conclusion--"To Be Continued..."--and won’t rest until they get their hands on all three breathtaking, funny, well-written titles. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
Lionboy (Unabridged) Reviews:
Worth a listen! 
2008-06-12 - I know you've heard audiobook narrators who work so hard at different characters' voices that they seem to be about to strangle themselves with the microphone chord.
Audiobook performance is difficult, which makes Jim Dale's (Harry Potter) achievement even more extraordinary. In this production, Simon Jones's narration never gets in the way of the story. His expertise in this genre shines here.
Charlie Ashanti has a happy life. His scientist parents provide him with love and security. When they disappear under mysterious circumstances, Charlie uses the clues they leave behind and his gift for speaking the language of cats to trace their whereabouts.
His search takes him to the river's edge where he joins a circus which travels the rivers of Europe on a huge barge. The calliope music is of the circus is utterly beguiling and puts the listener on board the ship along with Charlie. He is taken on as the lionboy, the assistant to the sinister lion tamer. Keeping his ability to communicate with the lions, a secret is a challenge. He receives updates about his parents from cats at the various cities and towns where the circus performs. Charlie longs to free the circus lions from their captivity and continue the search for his parents but accomplishing an escape is dangerous. Then there is the problem of traveling through a city with a group of lions and not attracting unwanted attention.
Very original story with sequels to listen to.
Oh boy!!
The Lion Boy
2008-04-15 -
By Zizou Cordor
The lion boy is one of the best books that I ever read. The book takes place in America, a little bit in the future. The main character is a boy named Charlie, who can talk to cats. One day, Charlie is talking to one of the neighborhood cats, and he discovered that the number of cat allergies has doubled in the last couple years. Then he gets home and discovers that his parents have disappeared. This is one of my favorite parts. Charlie finds a note on the table that says that his mom and dad had gone away on a trip and that he should be "go boy while there away." Charlie knows its fake though and that his parents had been kidnapped because they would never leave on a trip without telling him, and also his mom had put a few hints into the letter. She had used babyish words and sayings like "Charles" and "you be a good little boy now." This makes Charlie suspitios and he sets out to find his parents. Along the way Charlie finds out that a paper full of brackets and weird numbers that his mom had given him the day before they "left" is actually a cure for asthma that they had discovered. He also finds out that the reason his parents were taken is because a bid medicine company wants the cure first so that they can get rich. This is where the best part of the book starts and that is why can't tell you anymore.
written by Zachary Reizes
Fun, action-adventure book 
2008-02-23 - I chose this book because I read the back of the book and I like action-adventure books, and this book was one. I thought this book would be an action-packed book and I got more than that which was great! I loved reading this book, except I didn't know that it was part of a trilogy! I also loved the fact that it takes place in modern times. This story is about a boy named Charlie who can talk to cats! The story begins when his parents are kidnapped and he goes in search of them. With the aid of numerous animals from stray city cats to lions in a floating circus, he slowly reveals his parents' dissappearance. At the same time, he is being chased by a mysterious boy named Rafi. The author is Zizou Corder and the type of book is fiction. I liked this book because I like action-adventure books and I also like sequels. I had to get hold of the next two books. I think this book appeals to children from the ages of 10-12 years old. [...]
Fun, action-adventure book
2008-02-23 - I chose this book because I read the back of the book and I like action-adventure books, and this book was one. I thought this book would be an action-packed book and I got more than that which was great! I love this book, except I didn't know that it was part of a trilogy! I also loved the fact that it takes place in modern times. This story is about a boy named Charlie who can talk to cats! The story begins when his parents are kidnapped and he goes in search of them. With the aid of numerous animals from stray city cats to lions in a floating circus, he slowly reveals his parents' dissappearance. At the same time, he is being chased by a mysterious boy named Rafi! The author is Corder Zizu and the type of book is fiction. I liked this book because I like action-adventure books and I also like sequels. I think this books' age groupe is 10-12 years old. READ THIS BOOK OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENSES!!!!!
If you loved Harry Potter... 
2007-05-27 - This trilogy is one of those wildly entertaining ones that both children and adults can read, although at times the prose does dive into the childish. You don't have to be depressed that Harry Potter is ending; this book is right up that same alley. It's an adventure story where the protagonist boy is a strong, intelligent, and resourceful character. This book has everything: a circus, lions (the boy can talk to cats), voyages, Italians, and an evil corporation. Both imaginative and fun, it is the type of story that a parent can read to a child, and both can enjoy. I read each one in a day. I consider it rare to find children's books of this caliber, and I would consider this book on par with Jonathan Stroud's The Bartimaeus Trilogy and Niel Gaimen's Coraline.
