The Komodo dragon looked at Nipper and snapped twice. It turned back to Samantha and opened its mouth wider than before. Globs of clear goo dripped from the top row of its razor-sharp teeth.

Samantha reached for volume III of The World’s Deadliest Animals. She picked it up and held it out in front of her. The lizard eyed the heavy, leather-bound book and shrank back. She opened the book and quickly flipped through the pages.

“ ‘What to do when a Komodo dragon gets hungry,’ ” she read.

The lizard sprang forward and clamped its jaws on the open book. It hissed and shook its head, shredding the pages. Bits of cover fell to the floor and strips of paper filled the air.

Samantha knelt, keeping an eye on the lizard as she gathered torn pages. With the book still sandwiched in its mouth, the creature hissed and moved toward her.

“Read the book!” Nipper shouted.

The lizard jerked its head around to look at him. The mangled book slid from its mouth and fell to the floor with a heavy thud. The lizard began to move toward Nipper.

Nipper had backed into the corner and was sitting on the floor. He looked up at the Komodo dragon looming over him. The creature stood on its hind legs. It hissed loud and long. It sounded like someone had turned on a fire hose.

Samantha held a pom-pom of shredded paper in her hands.

“ ‘Talk to it. Say something in a low, calm voice,’ ” she said, trying to read the ball of torn pages. “Wait! No! That’s for Kodiak bears.”

Nipper closed his eyes. In a low, calm voice, he began: “In a mist-covered ocean far, far from home, there’s a mountainous island where dinosaurs roam. While it sounds like a place to amuse and delight you—watch out! Hungry creatures are waiting to bite you.”

The lizard froze. It stared at Nipper with cold black eyes. It closed its mouth and sank to the floor. It dug its sharp gray claws into the wood and inched closer to Nipper. It rested its head on his lap and began to purr as it slowly closed its eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Samantha stood still, stunned. She listened to the gentle purring of the Komodo dragon in her brother’s lap. Was the creature dreaming of a mountainous island far, far away?