New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith pens a tale that's sure to please children and their parents.

Ten-year-old Akimbo gets to spend several days with his uncle, Peter, at his east African snake park! His uncle first takes him on a tour of the snake-filled sanctuary. Soon Akimbo learns important facts about snakes and helps his uncle with various tasks, from milking cobra venom to feeding constrictors. But when local livestock begin dropping dead, he and his uncle must capture the offending green mamba: a rare and deadly snake.