Victory in TRANSYLVAMPIA: Recent Episodes
Chris Botkin
Book 2, "Cousin Chronicles." The Cousin Chronicles is a series of books written for my nine grandchildren, about them, as characters they suggest to me. They receive a new book each Christmas; five books have been written to date.
In Book 2, "Victory In TRANSYLVAMPIA," the mermaid realm of Atlantis is a kingdom of undersea vampires, who force the Cousins and Pets into the greater vampire world. There are 23 Chapters in Book 2.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 23, the Cousins and Pets are all together again on the Gooneybird, at last; but Queen Ava has one more surprise for Emmett.
-- Chris Botkin
The Cousins may have won the game, but by doing so they have angered every vampire in Transylvampia. It's a race for their lives to the Gooneybird, only to be stopped at the last second -- by the ghost.
-- Chris Botkin
Chapter 21's title says it all: Game of the Century. The Cousins must win a game with no rules, refereed by a fan of the other team, on the enemy's home floor, or Madison and Amelia will never come home again.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 20, Parker and Jaksen unveil their secret weapon: the Botkinman, a seven-foot robotic Basket-Ball player made of Jaksen's tiny robot munchkins. But when they get to the arena for the game, the Musketeers appear to have a secret weapon of their own.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 19, the Ovampics Basket-Ball tournament begins. The Cousins meet the eight-foot-tall Desmodus Draculae Flyers from the Amazon River basin, while the host Transylvampian Musketeers draw the first-round bye.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 18, we meet Count Buttula, the tang-tongueled ruler of Ziggy-zorro and lone referee of the Ovampics. The girl Cousins meet at the Count's castle, and the boy Cousins meet for practice at Buttula Basket-Ball Hall.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 17, the Cousins watch a great host of mer-people vampire manta-ray bats burst out of the water above Atlantis and fly off to Transylvampia for the Ovampic Games. The Gooneybird is faster, though, and they step off the gangplank to explore the Ziggy-zorro town square in the pre-dawn light.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 16, Parker has a break-through in programming Jaksen's tiny robots, Nathan leads the dogs in practicing their maneuvers, and Emmett (16 months old when he received this book for Christmas) insists on playing for the Basket-Ball team, as the Cousins await the coming Ovampics.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 15, the Cousins accept King Crim's task -- and then learn some of the rather unique rules of the game of Basket-Ball, as it is played in the vampire realm.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 14, King Crim thinks he might have found a way to benefit from Madison being a Rose, which would allow Madison and Amelia to leave Atlantis. But it depends on the Cousins.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 13, Amelia learns what it means to be charmed by the Prince of Atlantis, as she dances and flies with the Prince through the water -- and that's not all.
--Chris Botkin
In Chapter 12, Princess Amelia and Princess Madison meet Prince Crim of Atlantis. Amelia is bedazzled by him, and Madison would have been, but for her name.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 11, Amelia and Madison meet the King of Atlantis, who welcomes them as royalty, much to the girls' and the Cousins' confusion.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 10, the Gooneybird takes the Cousins to the North Sea, and Madison and Amelia become mermaids again. They discover an underwater mermaid city, and are greeted by Bartifartslast, a merman Sun Sentry, who is very excited to meet them.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 9, Logan discovers some books he found late last night are now missing. The discussion turns to adventures, and Queen Ava decides Madison and Amelia may visit the mermaid realm, if the Gooneybird can find it.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 8: the Cousins (and Princess Jasmine) all think about mysteries as they fall asleep for the night -- except for Emmett.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 7, the girls hear a ghost story about the dawn of the Renaissance, and the Holy Roman Empire's war with the Fuhtstuhls; and Emmett is given a lance.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 6, Logan and the Cousins are bored, and, at Parker's suggestion, Queen Ava decides they will visit a Renaissance Fair.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 5, Logan makes his debut as Pig Rider on the mysterious porker Harry Parker, who plays basketball, of course; and Nathan collects the dogs together to train them to perform various tricks and tasks.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 4, Jaksen is working on a new invention. He's making tiny roBOT munchKINs that he calls "botkins," and he recruits Parker to help with the programming.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 3, Francisco de Orellana gets ripped off by King Charles V of Spain in 1543, and Plato provides us with 11,700 years of vitally important back story.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 2, "The Missed Shot," the Cousins cheer on Lukas, as he becomes a basketball hero in the big game.
-- Chris Botkin
In Chapter 1, "Long Live the Queen," we learn of the passing of Queen Luci the Furest from a Now Pet to a Then Pet.
-- Chris Botkin