Charlie Ashanti is the son of two scientists who are kidnapped as the result of a dramatic discovery they've made (the cure for asthma, which is rampant in this near-future world). Ten-year-old Charlie decides to go in search of them,...

Charlie and the lions have made it safely to Venice. But King Boris's palace becomes a prison rather than a haven: The king's right-hand man has secretly made plans to give the lions to the Doge (Venice's much-hated ruler). When word ...