Billy Stuart in the Minotaur's Lair

By Alain M. Bergeron and Sampar

Billy Stuart, the young raccoon leader of the Zintrepids Scout troop, aspires to be just like his grandfather, a globe-trotting adventurer who knows no fear. After accidentally traveling through time in pursuit of Grandpa, Billy and friends find themselves on the island of Crete, snout to snout with King Minos's Minotaur. It's a formidable challenge; Billy and his buddies have to escape the Minotaur, the labyrinth and King Minos's wrath and maybe, just maybe, find their way home!

Brightly illustrated and enhanced with games and puzzles, this sequel to Billy Stuart and the Zintrepids is sure to amuse readers of all ages.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Mar 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9781459818422

Alain M. Bergeron

A prolific author, Alain M. Bergeron has written over 250 children’s books. He devotes himself exclusively to writing and leading school workshops. His inexhaustible imagination has made him a fixture in children’s literature, and he has received many awards and accolades. Alain lives in Victoriaville, Quebec.

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Text copyright © 2019 Alain M. Bergeron

Illustrations copyright © 2019 Sampar

Originally published in French in 2011 by Éditions Michel Quintin

under the title Billy Stuart dans l’antre du Minotaure

Translation copyright © 2019 Sophie B. Watson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Cataloguing in Publication information available from Library and Archives Canada

Issued in print and electronic formats.

isbn 978-1-4598-1840-8 (softcover).—isbn 978-1-4598-1841-5 (pdf).— isbn 978-1-4598-1842-2 (epub)

Simultaneously published in Canada and the United States in 2019

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018954152

Summary: In this illustrated novel for middle-grade readers, Billy Stuart and his loyal Scout group have inadvertently traveled through time and are trapped in a labyrinth with King Minos’s Minotaur.

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the National Translation Program for Book Publishing, an initiative of the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013-2018: Education, Immigration, Communities, for our translation activities.

Cover and interior illustrations by Sampar

Translated by Sophie B. Watson

Ebook by Bright Wing Books (brightwing.ca

)

Orca Book Publishers

orcabook.com

Table of Contents

Characters

Dear Reader

Author's Note

Recap

Chapter 1: In the Land of Dinosaurs?

Topsy-Turvy

Chapter 2: Ancient Times

Anagrams

Chapter 3: An Unhappy Ship

Chapter 4: Little Beasts

Chapter 5: The Revelation

Chapter 6: King Minos

Chapter 7: The Labyrinth

The Enigma of the Crossing

Chapter 8: A Compass

Chapter 9: Moments of Distraction

Chapter 10: A Shadow

Chapter 11: The Monster Who Sees Red

The fastest Zintrepid

Chapter 12: With a Little Help from My Friends

Chapter 13: Meathead!

Chapter 14: The Exploit

Chapter 15: A New Threat

Chapter 16: Safe and Sound

Chapter 17: The Clue

Search and Find

Solutions

Landmarks

Cover

Body Matter

Table of Contents

Copyright Page

Title Page

dear reader,

Billy Stuart wasn’t exactly elected to this particular position. He doesn’t wear a magical ring on his finger like Frodo. He doesn’t have a secret collection of masks or stones hidden in his drawers like Zelda. He hasn’t walked through life accompanied by a daemon like Lyra. Nor does he have a distinctive lightning-shaped scar on his forehead like Harry. Basically, the future of the world does not rest on his thin and bony shoulders.

Billy Stuart is just a young, ordinary raccoon who has experienced some extraordinary adventures.

Here is the second adventure he told me about.

One twelfth of January, in the town of Cavendish.