The Unseen Enemy - a Goldsmith Book for Boys and Girls

This book was another one of those spur of the moment purchases for me.  I am not usually prone to picking up books that aren't a part of a series; however, having read one of Baxter's other books (Becky Bryan's Secret) and rather enjoying it, I thought I would give this one a chance.  Both the title and the cover art are rather unusual for a children's mystery, but the description of the story on the inside front flap of the dust jacket was enough to pique my curiosity.  This is the second of three books authored by Betty Baxter Anderson that were published under the name "Betty Baxter."  Anderson also wrote books under the pen name "Alice Anson" and her her given name of "Betty Baxter Anderson."  As much as I enjoyed the previous book, I admit I enjoyed this story even more!

 

The Unseen Enemy follows two girls - Polly Squires and Margot Graham - during their summer between high school and beginning university, where they plan to study social services.  In order to get a head start, Polly gets the bright idea of helping out at "Neighborhood House," a community center that helps children in the local area by giving them a place for activities while not at school.  But they quickly learn that the Neighborhood House is not doing well, and that the man who donated the house upon his death (one Doctor Brighton) put a stipulation into his will - if after 20 years, the House was not succeeding and a relative wanted to claim the house, they could!  Well, that 20 years is about expired, and it seems the House is having a number of problems.  First, a young girl goes missing, only to be discovered later asleep in the attic; then a young boy is injured on some climbing bars, which bars strangely disappear right after the incident; after that, another young boy falls into the water during a scavenger hunt, nearly injuring himself; then a young girl who was to be the lead in a benefit play for the House goes missing, only to be discovered later to have been struck by a car!  And what is even worse, each of these events somehow makes it into the local newspaper, despite the best efforts of Polly, Margot, and Sage Brian (who manages the House) to keep it quite.

 

An "unseen enemy" is determined to see the House fail, but the question remains:  why?  As far as anyone knows, once Doctor Brighton's wife died, years after his own death, there were no living relatives to claim the house.  So, then why is someone so determined to see Miss Brian fail in managing the Neighborhood House for the children?  Polly is determined to garner good publicity for the house, since the council overseeing funds for the House is preparing to pull those funds to give them elsewhere.  But her and Margot's plans are made difficult by Catherine Peasley, the spoiled daughter of a rather affluent man who happens to also be the president of the board who oversees the House.  Catherine could definitely give Lettie Briggs (from the Dana Girls series) a run for her money when it comes to causing trouble and using her money and family's power to get her own way.  When Polly and Margot devise a scavenger hunt for the children, Catherine takes charge and makes it way more extravagant.  When Polly and Margot plan the children's play as a fundraiser to get funds for the House, Catherine becomes angry and bitter that she was not asked the direct the play, and she executes plans that nearly sabotage the play on its opening night.

 

Baxter-Anderson provides readers with a well-plotted mystery that has several twists and turns, and while the revelation of the person behind all of the sabotage (which, after all, is what it really is) does not come as a huge surprise, the truth behind this person's actions is not quite what the reader will expect!  The author uses some rather ingenuous red herrings, as well as some subtly-placed clues that make for a really great read. 

 

Being a Goldsmith publication, there are no internal illustrations, and the cover illustration is not credited, so I have no clue who did the art.  It is rather unique (or odd, depending on your point of view), as the grey walls and floor surround a pantry door that Polly and Margot are about to enter.  While this scene does not exactly occur within the story, it does rather hint at the climax of the tale, when the girls make the big reveal about what the crook was really after in the House and who it was that was after it.  In fact, I had to smile at the way Polly manages to pull the newspaper and the Mayor into the scene, so that all can be witness to the criminal and the revelation as to his real identity!

 

A couple of things worth noting about the book.  While none of the story takes place in Florida, there are references to St. Petersburg, Florida (p. 17), from where Catherine Peasley's family seems to have come.  And as far as where the story takes place, it is in a city called "Kenwood" located in Iowa (p. 113).  There is a Kenwood that was established in Iowa back in 1886, with the plat for the town being filed in the county courthouse in 1887.  (Note, this tiny little town should not be confused with Kenwood Park, Iowa, which is located in a different county.)  Since the author is from Iowa, it should not be a surprise that she would write about the state with which she would be familiar (although, the real town of Kenwood is nowhere near the size of the city within this book).   The author also references a luxurious hotel called the Lexington (p. 182); but the only hotel in real life that is anywhere near that would be the Lexington Inn in Bedford, Iowa, which is about two-and-one-half hours away.

 

Now there is one error in the book, and not sure how it came about.  When Polly first learns about Doctor Brighton from an elderly woman in town, she is told the Doctor's wife's name is Martha.  Throughout the book, Mrs. Brighton is always Martha - except one time, where she is called "Sarah Brighton" (p. 210).  Not sure why the sudden name change, unless the author forgot the name she was using in the rest of the story, although she does refer to her as "Martha" again just three pages later.  I suppose we can simply chalk it up to a continuity and editing error!

 

RATING:  9 beautiful old teakwood boxes out of 10 for a grand treasure-hunting, sabotage-stopping mystery with some great characters and fun mishaps! 

Samantha Wolf Mysteries, Book Twelve - The Mystery at Ocean Side

This twelfth book in the Samantha Wolfe Mysteries series, written by Tara Ellis, appears to be the last.  It was first published in 2022, which was four years ago, and I'm not finding any indication that another book was solicited or even hinted at by the author.  In today's market, a 12-book run is not bad; however, I can't deny my fondness of ongoing series (such as Nancy Drew, which has been ongoing for more than 90 years at this point!).  That being said, if this book is to be the final Samantha Wolf mystery, then Ellis did a bang up job of going out on a high note.  The mystery is creative, the new characters engaging, and the danger just enough to give the book some suspense.  Plus, Ellis does something surprising with the narrative form of this book - after 11 books written in the present tense, Ellis offers readers a break with this final mystery, as it is written completely in past tense!  As soon as I starting reading the first page, my mind immediately picked up on the difference - it was a smooth read without that initial jarring I usually felt when reading present tense tales.  I thought perhaps this first part would be a flashback, and she would switch to her standard present tense narrative, but nope.  Ellis maintained the past tense narrative throughout the entire book, making it the easiest read of the series!

 

That being said, The Mystery at Ocean Side introduces readers to Sam's new neighbor, Tanner Hobbs. He and his father have just moved to Ocean Side for two reasons: one, Mr. Hobbs has taken a new position with the same company who employs Mr. Parker (the father of Sam's best friend, Ally); and two, Mr. Hobbs has inherited the land in Ocean Side known as "Hobbit Hollow" - where an old resort owned by Tanner's grandfather burned down years ago, and the residents of Ocean Side believe is haunted by the ghost of the one person who died at the time.  Sam and Ally, and their brothers (Hunter and John, respectively), find young Tanner to be a bit off-putting, but gradually he warms up to the teens, and soon all five of them are camping with Mr. Hobbs on the land he has inherited.  Sam is excited at the prospect of exploring and, maybe, catching a glimpse of the so-called ghost.  Of course, the haunting of Hobbit Hollow is not the only mystery afoot.

 

Ellis throws in a bigger mystery involving the death of Mr. Hobbs' father and his Will.  It seems he left most of the land to Mr. Hobbs, but a small island just off the coast he has bequeathed to a woman named Stephanie Davis, who arrives in Ocean Side with her daughter, Alayna, to claim her inheritance!  Hobbs is taken by surprise, especially when Mrs. Davis claims to have no knowledge of Hobbs' father and no understanding of why he would leave her the island.  Sam senses there is much more here than meets the eye, and even though she has promised her parents not to get involved in any more mysteries, she cannot help herself.  She offers Tanner her help, and before you can blink an eye, Sam and the gang are assisting Tanner in his search for the truth - a search that leads them to a small cabin located in the woods of the Hobbs' property, where Tanner finds a journal left there by his grandfather.  A journal that has a number of drawings, all of which are clues to help Tanner "right a wrong" done generations ago!

 

It's a well-crafted mystery with fun clues, and while the culprit sort of comes out of left field (no one even knows this person exists until half-way through the book!), it is still an enjoyable read.  The missing treasure, the heart-breaking backstory, and the climactic confrontation with a gun-toting villain whose greed sees him threatening young teens without a second thought are all part of this dramatic story, and, of course, Sam's quick thinking is what manages to put the clues together to reveal the location of the long-lost treasure.

 

I'm kind of disappointed to see this series reach its end.  While it was not necessarily my favorite must-read series, it consistently offered decent mysteries with main characters that evolved and matured as the series progressed, gradually adding to the supporting cast (adding Hunter and John, as well as Cassie, along the way), and I though the addition of both Tanner and Alayna in this book would have offered some fresh blood into the series for future stories.  Who knows?  Two years passed between books 11 and 12, so perhaps sometime in the near future, Ellis will get inspired to revisit the world of Ocean Side and share another Samantha Wolf mystery with her fans.  If not, at least she can rest easy knowing she gave readers a solid 12-book series that is worth the read.

 

RATING:  8 plush armchairs with stuffing hanging out of 10 for offering up one final mystery for Samantha Wolf to solve, filled with ghosts, treasures, and wills - all the makings for a great story! 

Secret of Pirates' Cave - a Thorne Twins Adventure Book

This is a book I picked up for a couple of reasons.  First, the title is reminiscent of the second Bobbsey Twins mystery published back in 1980 under the Simon & Schuster "Wanderer" imprint, with even the cover art bearing a slight resemblance to that book.  Second, the book features twins (a brother and sister), and I'm always picking up books about twins - although, unlike the Bobbseys, this series features only one set of twins, not two.  Now, normally, I would not pick up just one book in a series - my OCD would force me to go find all of the other books in the series, so I can have a complete set!  In this case, however, I made an exception, since my main reason was the similarity in title and cover art - the fact that it features twins is merely a bonus.  I could not find out anything about the author, Dayle Courtney, and it appears this series is the only books written by the author.

 

Secret of Pirates' Cave is the 19th, and from what I could find, final title in the Thorne Twins Adventure Book series. Interestingly, the book opens not with the title characters, but with one of their ancestors, Eric Thorne, and his family, who are sailing along the California coast, preparing to settle and start a new life in America in the year 1850.  Their ship inadvertently runs into a pirate ship, and the band of pirates - led by one known only as Scarab - take over the ship, stealing all of the family's belongings, as well as those belonging to the Roberts family, who has joined them in their adventure to the New World.  It is not until the second chapter where we flash-forward 130 years to the present, where young Eric Thorne and his twin sister, Alison, are sitting down to dinner, and Eric is telling his father about a boy in his class that shared a story about his ancestors having been robbed by pirates along with another family by the last name "Thorne."  It is here that the twins learn from their father the history of Eric's namesake, and how the stolen good were never recovered - however, the pirate reformed later in life and wrote a letter that he sent to both the Thorne and Roberts families, giving each half of the directions as to where they could find their stolen valuables (hmmm, what other story have I read where there are two pieces of a "map" that must be put together to lead the sleuths to a lost treasure...?).  The two families never found each other, and so the treasures were never recovered.  Until now...

 

As with all good series books, it's a series of coincidences that puts Terry Roberts in Eric Thorne's class, and provides them the opportunity to join forces to locate their family's heirlooms.  As Mr. Thorne is heading to Africa for his work, he sends Eric and Alison to California with Terry to visit Terry's aunt and cousin, who live in a large house on a hill, just outside of Monterey.  While the Thorne family had kept and preserved the pirate's letter and half-instructions, those sent to the Roberts family had been lost over the years, and no one knew where to find them.  Thus, the children plan to inspect every inch of the Roberts' ancestral home in the hopes of finding the other half to those instructions so they can find the treasure. The house is filled with plenty of hidden compartments and secret passages, and after some false starts, they happen across the missing half of the instructions in the pocket of a pair of pants they find inside an old trunk hidden away in a cave far beneath the great house.  Now, armed with both halves of the instructions, Eric, Alison, and Terry firmly believe they will find their families' missing heirlooms!

The author does not make it easy on the kids.  With a letter written over a century before, the places mentioned in the letter are certain to have changed considerably.  The old church was long destroyed after an earthquake.  The stained glass through which the light points the way is no longer there.  The walled fort, the boulder in the shape of a lion's head ... such cryptic clues made all the more hard to decipher, since the landscape has changed so much over the past hundred years.  But the twins are determined, especially Eric, whose growing desire to find that treasure and become rich seems to increase in strength the closer they get to finding it.  He refuses to give up, even if that means breaking a few laws to find the lost heirlooms - such as sneaking into a cemetery at night, breaking into a caretaker's shack, and opening a long-sealed crypt, all in the hope of recovering the Thornes' and the Roberts' stolen belongings.

 

Astute readers will begin to pick up on some subtle clues along the way that someone is working against them - someone wants the kids to find the treasure only so they can take it away from them.  There's the sudden appearance of the "ghost" that haunts the cemetery.  There's the odd reluctance of the elderly caretaker to provide the twins and their cousin with any information regarding the old pirate and his family (as it seems the pirate changed his ways, turned to God, and worked hard to make amends for his old life - including sending that letter to the two families, in the hopes they would forgive him if they got their heirlooms back!).  There's the strange feeling that someone is always watching them, following them, always just out of sight.  But, as with any good teen detectives, these three persevere, ultimately finding the missing treasure - which discovery also brings to light some secrets about the two families that have repercussions on a number of members of the families!

 

From what I have been able to learn about the Thorne Twins series, this is the last book in the series.  It is a rather unique series, in that it is a Christian-based series, with the main characters devout in their faith; yet, the mysteries involve chasing UFOs (book 17), saving a captive girl from a drug ring (book 16), finding a foreign dignitary (book 15), chasing down bigfoot (book 13), outwitting terrorists (book 12), and even fighting to stop a civil war on an island in the Aegean Sea (book 11)!  These are some rather adult themes for a young adult series, and definitely some themes I am surprised to find in a Christian-based series.  Although, if the rest of the series is anything like this book, right always conquers wrong, and any temptations the twins may face (such as the idea of riches in this book), by the end of the story they see the folly of their ways and realize their faith in God is more important than anything else.

 

As indicated above, I picked up this book because of the similarity in title and cover art to the second Bobbsey Twins books published back in 1980. Since this book did not come out until four years later, one is left to wonder if the Courtney, or the cover artist for this book (who is unidentified, although could be John Ham, who provided the interior illustrations), was influenced by the earlier Bobbsey Twins' book.  The stories are not overly similar, since this book is set in California and the Bobbseys travel to Bermuda in their book.  However, both stories involve pirate thieves and hidden caves under a property that is used for smuggling.  It is the covers that are more similar, with the boat heading for a cave, and the girl standing/seated above the boys, looking toward the dark entrance of the cave ahead of them.  What's funny about this is that the Bobbsey Twins' book, Secret in the Pirates' Cave, is actually taken from an even older book written by Andrew Svenson (using the pseudonym Alan Stone), The Mystery of Pirate Island, which was the second of the three-book Tollivers series published back in 1967.  When the Stratemeyer Syndicate needed new titles for their new Bobbsey Twins series being published by Simon & Schuster, they simply took the three Tollivers books and replaced the names of those characters with the names of the Bobbsey Twins and published them as "new" books in the Bobbseys' series!  Thus, we have one basic story, and three books...

 

While I did enjoy the story for the most part, it was not engaging enough for me to want to go out and hunt down the entire series.  I'll simply put this with my Bobbsey Twins collection as a knock-off of one of their books.

 

RATING:  7 broken lanterns out of 10 for combining pirate legends, hidden treasures, secret passages, and torn maps into a fun little mystery! 

Short Lived Comics Series #31 - Little Archie Mystery (Archie Series)

There is a story behind how I came to possess these comic books, since I am not really an Archie Comics fan. My mom grew up reading and loving Archie comics, but I have never been much of a fan, the humor in these books simply not my cup of tea.  However, I did learn to appreciate their "Red Circle" cast of heroes (such as The Shield, Jaguar, The Fly, Black Hood, etc.), and in recent years, I have discovered current versions of Young Dr. Masters (who had a two-issue series published by Archie many decades ago) and Fran Frazer, a female photographer/reporter/detective who had a regular feature in Top Notch Comics back in the early 1940s.  Well, being a mystery fan, when I discovered a cartoon on one of our streaming networks titled Archie's Weird Mysteries, I was curious. The cartoon was rather kooky, and when I looked it up online, I discovered there was also a comic book series that evolved from Archie's Weird Mysteries to simply Archie's Mysteries. Thus, it was while I was looking for issues of those comics while vacationing in Kentucky earlier this year that I chanced upon the second issue of this series...

 

Little Archie Mystery is a two-issue series published by Archie Comic Publications, Inc. back in 1963 (featuring cover dates of August and October).  This was apparently a spinoff of the Little Archie series that had begun publication back in 1956 (which a previous spinoff titled Little Archie in Animal Land having been published from 1957-58).  Both the scripts and the art for these two issues were provided by Bob Bolling, who was the original designer of the Little Archie characters, as well as the writer and artist for the regular series when it began.  Bolling stays with the Little Archie universe of titles until 1965, when he was replaced by Dexter Taylor, while Bolling was moved up to some of the regular Archie Comics titles.  Bolling's art style for these two issues strays a it from the comical appearance of the regular Archie Comics characters - although Little Archie himself is drawn in a similar appearance to his teenage self, the rest of the cast and the backgrounds have a more realistic comic book feel to them.  Perhaps it was because of the mystery element to the stories, or perhaps the series was aimed at a more serious audience than the typical Archie Comics.

 

It's actually a shame the series only lasted two issues - both issues offered up some good stories, with fun mysteries mixed with just a touch of humor (after all, this is an Archie comic).  The only thing I felt was missing from the two stories was Archie's supporting cast (i.e., Veronica, Betty, Jughead, etc.); instead, Little Archie interacts only with adults in both tales, making it a bit awkward that an elementary school age child would be accepted and permitted to tag along with adults as they investigate crimes in the city!  Maybe if the series had continued, we might have eventually seen Little Betty or Little Veronica show up - but, as it stand, we only get these two mysteries, of which Archie was not truly the main "detective" solving the case.

 

In issue one, we get the "Egyptian Goddess Mystery," which finds Little Archie teaming up with Peggy Drake, a wanna-be detective who has "taken a correspondence course in criminology" and has a diploma to prove it (p. 2)!  There have been a series of bank robberies in town, and Peggy is determined to find the crooks and stop them (with Little Archie tagging along).  Readers are introduced to Chic Cooper (any relation to Betty??), who is Peggy's somewhat boyfriend that she mainly uses as a driver to take her where she needs to go to investigate her cases.  We also meet Police Captain O'Brien, who refuses to listen when Peggy tells him she's determined the criminal mastermind behind all of the robberies is a woman.  As the story progresses, we learn that old Professor Hadley is working on a special project with two assistants - but his house and his project have been overtaken by a mad woman who thinks herself to be an Egyptian goddess, hoping to restore her jewels and great fortune by stealing it from others.  Of course, Peggy interferes with their plans, and Little Archie manages to bring Chic there in the nick of time to save her and the Professor and stop the criminal from escaping in their boat (Little Archie actually drives Chic's delivery truck off the wharf and into the boat, sinking it, the treasures, and the criminals!  How he was ever able to reach the gas pedal - well, that's a question that will probably never be answered...)

 

In the second and final issue, we read about "The Strange Case of the Mystery Map, with a cover that is basically repeated on the first splash page when you open the book.  Readers are given a brief hint of things to come by the announcement that the home of Caleb Warfield is the only home in all of Riverdale that does not subscribe to and receive the Riverdale Record each morning.  The scene then quickly shifts to an antique store that is about to be robbed.  An elderly woman is purchasing an old diary, and when the thieves break in, Little Archie happens to be watching when the old woman beats up the two criminals, sending them running off down the street.  Little Archie happens to be hanging out with Jimmy Lee (hmmm, makes me think of Jimmy Lee Holt from General Hospital, but this was well before that character made his first appearance on the show...), who works for the Riverdale Record and wants to do a story on the old woman's amazing feat.  She refuses, and when Jimmy and Little Archie follow her, hoping to convince her to give him a story, she shakes them in a very unusual way - by turning into a young woman!  Jimmy pitches a story about the woman to Parker Penbinder, the editor of the Riverdale Record, but it's a no go. While readers learn that the woman is actually the niece of Caleb Warfield, who wanted the diary because it belonged to an old relative and reveals the whereabouts of a family treasure, poor Jimmy is determined to learn the woman's secret (with Little Archie tagging along, of course).  The mystery culminates during the town's Civil War re-enactment, when Caleb and his niece locate the missing map (gee - an old diary, a missing map - sounds rather familiar, doesn't it?) and Jimmy and Little Archie locate them!  It turns out the map reveals the family treasure is actually in New York City - under the Empire State Building!  The final panel shows Caleb Warfield sneaking off to the train station with the final words, "The End?"

 

Unfortunately for us, that was the end, and we'll never know if Caleb Warfield did find the treasure in New York, where the map showed it to be, and whether he kept his promise to donate whatever treasure her found to the town of Riverdale,  That is a Little Archie Mystery that will forever remain unsolved...

 

Even with the small amount of participation of Little Archie in the actual mystery-solving process, both issues were pretty enjoyable.  Unlike most of the Archie Comics, both issues featured full-length stories (although, the first issue did include a four-page story at the end entitled "A Love Story," in which Little Archie learns a lesson on how much more love can accomplish than yelling and screaming).  And since both issues featured entirely separate casts of characters, there is no actual continuity between them.  But that is okay, because they are simply fun reads, and after all, isn't that what an Archie comic is supposed to be?

 

It would have been interesting to see the characters of Peggy Drake and Jimmy Lee used more in the Archie universe - although I did discover that the Riverdale television show had a character named Jillian Drake, who was an ATF Agent - maybe she was inspired by Peggy Drake?  Jimmy Lee, unfortunately, never appeared again and had no characters appear with a similar name.

 

Once I manage to track down all of the issues of Archie's Weird Mysteries / Archie's Mysteries, then we'll find out just how that more modern series compares to this!

 

RATING:   9 maps hidden in a bottle out of 10 for fun and creative mysteries that make for a very enjoyable read!

Meg and the Treasure Nobody Saw - Mystery #3 in a series

This book marks the halfway point of the Meg Duncan series, by Holly Beth Walker.  It also turns out to be the book that has the only scene I remember from the series from back when I read these as a child (more on that below).  So far, I have been enjoying my re-reading of this series, and I am thankful my friend, Jarrell Dickey, made the suggestion that I should pick these up and re-read them.  Yes, admittedly, these stories are fairly simple and clearly aimed at early readers (not quite the Nancy Drew Notebooks age group, but definitely younger than the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories age group).  They are fun, and Meg is not your typical financially-secure, freedom-enjoying teenager - she is probably closer to Trixie Belden in that aspect, as her father, as well as the family housekeeper and her husband keep a close eye on Meg, and she does get in trouble when she does not listen to them.  This gives the series a bit more of a realistic feel to it, giving young readers someone with whom they can easily identify.

 

The Treasure Nobody Saw does not have an identifiable author; yet, despite what online sources say, the stories still feel rather consistent.  A slight variation in names (calling Constable Hosey "Mr. Hosey," or the Carmody children calling their dad "Father" instead of "Sir," do not really make much of a difference when the reader is focused more on the story and Meg's adventures in solving the mystery.  In this instance, the mystery starts off as one things and leads into something entirely different by the end.  With her best friend, Kerry Carmody, out of town, Meg is rather lonely and bored.  So, on a dark and stormy night when she witnesses a car driving up to the Haywood house (which is supposed to be empty, since Bud and Sally Haywood were gone for the summer for jobs), Meg smells a mystery!

 

For the first half of the book, Meg sets about uncovering the identity of the person or persons who have taken up residence at the Haywood house.  First, it was merely the car driving up.  Then there is the person she sees in an upper window.  Finally, she sees a girl not much other than her in the yard, and that is when she finds out the truth!  A traveling family was forced to stop the night of the rain because the father had taken ill, and with no place else to go, they stopped at the Haywood house - finding it unlocked and empty, they chose to stay until the father was recovered and could drive (planning to leave money for anything they used while they were there). Meg agrees to keep their stay a secret, and even helps them out by bringing them food from her own house (and don't think that does not go unnoticed by the housekeeper!).  

 

After Meg makes friends of the James family, she then learns that the family has heard strange sounds in the house, as if someone was breaking in.  Meg sets about to find out who could be breaking in and why, and what she ultimately learns is that the house contains a treasure worth as much as twenty-five thousand dollars (which would equate to more than $200,000 in today's currency!), a treasure that would greatly help out Bud and Sally Haywood, who are in danger of losing the house due to a lack of money.  This is now the second mystery in a row where Meg has uncovered a hidden treasure that helps save a family homestead.

 

As with the previous books, the internals are provided by Cliff Schule, with a new cover on the paperback painted by Olindo Giacomini.  Looking at the original cover, if one was not aware of the story inside, one would assume the picture is that of Meg and her best friend, Kerry; however, when you read the story, you realize the blond-haired girl is actually Abigail James, the daughter of the family staying in the Haywood house.  The cover for the paperback edition gives us a more dramatic scene, where Meg and Mr. James are hiding behind a curtain while the intruder is climbing in through a library window (although, admittedly, you cannot see Mr. James - you only know he is there if you read the story!).

 

A few tidbits gleaned from the story.  One is a reference to the county in which Meg resides.  Mr. Wilson mentions there are "big tree branches down all over Kenilworth County" after the big storm (p. 24); however, that is a fictitious county, as Virginia does not have a county by this name.  There are cities by that name in New Jersey and in Illinois, so perhaps the name was pulled from there.  We also get some information about Meg's mother, when Meg looks up at her mother's portrait hanging over the mantel (p. 43).  Her hair and eyes match Meg's, and the color of the dress she is wearing in the portrait even happens the match the color of Meg's outfit on that day.  Meg begins to wonder what her mother's voice sounds like, and whether Mrs. Duncan would have listened to Meg when she talked about her mysteries?  It is actually a very touching scene that will pull on the reader's heartstrings.

 

Finally, that "treasure" worth so much money - SPOILER ALERT - it turns out to be a first printing of Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue,  which the Haywoods had in their library without ever realizing its worth.  It is odd that the book places the value of the book at $25,000, when some research online reveals the book today is only worth about $7,500, which is considerably less!  The Haywoods may very well have been in for a big shock when they eventually tried to sell the book and discovered it was not worth near as much as Mr. James claimed it was!

 

Now, about that scene I remembered as a child.  Of all of the Meg books, the only thing I could ever really remember (before re-reading them now) was a scene where Meg wanted to pretend to be sick, so she took the thermometer the housekeeper gives her and sticks it in her hot chocolate to make the temperature rise - only, it rises too high, making the housekeeper realize the ruse!  Well, this is the book where it happens, right there on page 83, as Meg is hoping to make the housekeeper and her husband think she is sick so they will let her stay home for the day and she can escape over to the Haywood house to help out the James family! Mystery of the remembered scene solved! 

 

Overall, another fun read, and at least this time, we get some more time with Thunder (Meg's Siamese cat).  Not sure why, but I absolutely love the cat as a supporting character, and I'm glad the author chose to utilize her in the story.

 

RATING:  9 cans of pineapple, tuna fish, and baked beans out of 10 for another fun little mystery that is an easy and enjoyable read! 

The Mystery of the Abecedarian Academy - the First (new) Three Investigators Mystery

As a kid, my mother introduced me to Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators, knowing how much I loved mysteries (I was already well into reading Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, and other series at that point).  She loved Alfred Hitchcock films, and she and I watched Alfred Hitchcock Presents... every Saturday afternoon; so, when she saw the series books with his name on them, she thought I would enjoy them.  And I did!  Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrew solved some creepy mysteries involving Terror Castle, a Whispering Mummy, a Fiery Eye, a Moaning Cave, and many others.  There were 43 books in the series (with an unpublished 44th book), along with two off-shoot series:  four "Find Your Fate" books (similar to the Choose Your Own Adventure books) and eleven "Crimebuster" books (with two additional books published only in German).  Only 10 of the first 11 books were written by the original creator of the series, Robert Arthur; he died in 1969, after which, the series continued publication with various other authors.  The series ended (here in America) in 1987, with the publication of the 43rd book, and it seemed that we would never see any more adventures of Jupiter, Pete, and Bob ... until now!

 

The Mystery of the Abecedarian Academy marks the return of The Three Investigators in book form here in the States (as the series has continued over in Germany, but that is a whole 'nother story that is too complicated to go into here).  Written by Elizabeth Arthur (the daughter of the original author and creator of the series!) and Steven Bauer (Elizabeth's husband), this first book in the new series gives readers new adventures of Jupiter, Pete, and Bob for the first time in decades, and based on the references to former mysteries in this book, it would seem that it is set fairly early in the original series (the mysteries referenced are those written by Elizabeth's father, Robert Arthur).  Since they do not have the rights to use Alfred Hitchcock's name and likeness (Hitchcock was dropped from the series in 1980, following the famed director's death), Arthur/Bauer used Hector Sebastian, who took Hitchcock's place in the original series (and who was retconned into the early books when they were later revised by Random House to remove references to Hitchcock), as the investigators' benefactor.

 

The mystery begins rather benign - a friend of Sebastian's asks the boys to look into her family's history to learn more about one of her ancestors who is rumored to have discovered gold and hidden it away.  Most believe any gold found is long gone - including the client's distant cousin who lives in the Gold Country area - but Isabella Chang simply wants historical information on her ancestor and the one room school house where he attended as a youth.  Jupiter, Pete, and Bob, along with their trusted friend and chauffeur, Worthington, head north to see what they can dig up about Li Chang.  The boys quickly learn there is more to the story when they arrive to learn the one room school house, which has stood for over a hundred years, was recently torn down - and the one who gave the order was none other than Isabella's cousin!  There's also the coincidence of the Chinese talisman used to ward off demons that Jupiter's dad happened to come across back in Rocky Beach, which has a twin talisman right there in Auburn!  Some missing letters, a secret code, and some deep research at the local library ultimately reveal the truth about the death of Li Chang's father, an Irish curse, the history behind the Changs' family secrets, and the location of the hidden gold!

 

The plot is actually rather interesting, and the fact that Arthur tries to steer the boys away from depending on technology to do all their work for them is refreshing.  What I have to admit I was not particularly thrilled with was the sudden change in ethnicities of some of the characters.  Now, admittedly, it has been several decades since I read any of the original Three Investigator books; but I do not recall Pete Crenshaw's parents both coming from Hispanic backgrounds, and that his family originally had a Spanish name that was Americanized when they migrated here. I also do not recall Bob Andrews' mother being Chinese, and Bob having eyes that give others the instant impression that he is part Chinese.  Then we get introduced to Mallory MacLeod, who turns out to not only be Skinny Norris' cousin, but she is from Scotland and talks quite a bit about her heritage.  Yes, the subject of family history plays an important part of the mystery - but it is Isabella Chang's family history that is important to the case.  The fact that Arthurs spends an inordinate amount of time focusing on Pete's, Bob's, and Mallory's heritages feels out-of-place and unnecessary, and quite frankly, it bogs down a large amount of the opening chapters.  Perhaps Arthur and Bauer simply wanted to give some backstory to these characters for first time readers of the series and provide something new for longtime fans; but, whatever the reason, I wish it had been spread out over the series and not force-fed to the reader in such large amounts in this first book.

 

Those family changes aside, it was fun to follow along with the boys again on their adventures.  I do believe Arthur and Bauer worked hard to remain true to her father's original characterization of the trio.  Jupiter is the boy genius who is always one step ahead; Pete is the action guy, always looking for physical activities; and Bob is the organized one, the team secretary and recorder of all things.  Their individual strengths complement one another well, and they work together nicely to get to the bottom of things.  It is pretty clear that Mallory is going to be sticking around, most likely joining the boys as an honorary fourth investigator (although that will not happen if Jupiter has anything to say about it!).   

I do like the alliteration of the series' titles, going through the letters of the alphabet. It reminds me of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series, which started with A is for Alibi and sadly ended with Y is for Yesterday (since the author died before she wrote the "Z" novel). This is even integrated into the story, as Bob tries to come up with a catchy way to make the documenting of the Three Investigators' cases more interesting.  He ultimately settles on the alphabet names, starting with "A."  And for those wondering, the word "Abecedarian" (pronounced "a-b-c darian") means arranged alphabetically, although it has an older meaning, of one who is learning the rudiments of something.  The name does play a part in the mystery, but I will not spoil that by revealing it here.  

The cover design for this book (and the next two, which all came together as a breeder set of three) is creative and eye-catching.  The credited artist for the cover is "Pashur House," which, when I looked this name up online, is the name of a rather famous body painter - one who has traveled the world to participate and show off his work at various events for nearly two decades.  I hope Arthur/Bauer and the publisher retain this artist for all 26 books of the series, because I would love to have a complete set of this series in a uniform style and art!

 

I am hoping that book two (the "B" book) will ease up on the boys' family histories and focus more on the mystery itself!

 

RATING:  8 Scottish music camps filled with fiddlers out of 10 for reviving these lovable investigators with a unique and interesting new series of mysteries to enjoy!

Stella's Victory - from the Crown Library for Boys and Girls

This was one of those unique books that when I saw it, the cover struck me as interesting, and I knew I had to have it.  My friend, Pam, who is a librarian, was going through books at her library sale, and so she was showing me some of them for sale, and when she held this one up, I fell in love with the beautifully painted cover and asked her to get it for me.  I was not really sure what the story would hold in store, but the book was published by "The Girl's Own Paper" Office - The Girl's Own Paper being a British weekly newspaper for girls published from 1880 to 1956.  I was intrigued by the fact that this weekly newspaper was also publishing full length novels, and I wondered if perhaps this was a collected edition of a story that appeared in weekly installments in the newspaper; however, from everything I was able to find out about the book online, that does not appear to be the case.

Stella's Victory was written by Bertha Leonard, who authored a number of books for girls across the pond, including Castle School Mystery, The Riddle of Rockview School, The School at Kesteven, Silverways Manor School, Nan's Highland School, among others.  Clearly, Leonard enjoyed writing about girls' school adventures and mysteries.  Bertha Leonard was, in actuality, Bertha Howick Fry, who, aside from writing, enjoyed reading and collecting antiques, and whose daughter, Leonora Fry, also went on to write a number of books, many of which were educational in nature (Bertha Fry a/k/a Bertha Leonard).  From what I was able to learn, Stella's Victory was her first full-length novel.

The story centers around Stella Willoughby, the teenage daughter of a once wealthy family who has lived a more than comfortable life and has been used to doing as she pleased.  As the book opens, Stella discovers the family is going to have to leave Trevorholt, their Elizabethan house with its extensive gardens (p. 10) and allow an American family to rent the house for a year.  Even then, Stella is shocked to discover that unless her parents are able to turn the family finances around, they may have to actually sell the great house.  But worse than all of that, Stella is told she will be going away to an all-girls boarding school, and that her holidays will be spent with her Aunt Selina - a wealthy woman in her own right, who spends her days (and her money!) helping those less fortunate.  Stella cannot think of a duller way to spend her holidays, and the only thing giving her hope is her brother's story of a family fortune hidden many years ago somewhere in Trevorholt.  But with the family leaving for a year, and Stella going away to school and her Aunt Selina's, how can they search for the treasure and save their family home?

While this treasure-hunting mystery is set up at the beginning, Leonard pretty much puts that on hold and spends a good portion of the book focusing on Stella's schooldays at the boarding school, her interaction with these new girls (who refer to her as "Duchess" because of her haughty attitude), and her plans to somehow escape staying with her Aunt Selina when the holidays arrive.  The boarding school has some rather strict rules, and in many ways, it reminded me of Starhurst from The Dana Girls Mystery Stories.  Stella and her new friends wind up in trouble when they sneak away to have a picnic on a nearby island where a fortune teller lives, but they give themselves away when they find the older woman unconscious and Stella has to swim back to shore to get help.  

It is during Stella's first holiday with her Aunt Selina that the author plainly reveals the story is a set up for leading Stella on a path to change her ways.  Selina is a devout woman of God, and she wants to leave her great fortune to Stella, but only if she will use the money wisely to help others.  Stella, at first, seems to awaken from her selfish life, as she helps her aunt provide a merry Christmas to a number of homeless children; however, she seemingly reverts right back to her old ways as soon as the holidays are over.  Stella eventually finds a way to spend one of her holiday breaks with her best friend, Celia, and they sneak back over to Trevorholt to search for the treasure.  A surprising scare sends Stella flying down the stairs, and she suffers an injury that leaves her bedridden for some weeks, under the care of her Aunt Selina.  These events ultimately lead to a greater understanding for Stella, and she resolves to not only turn over a new leaf and stop being so self-centered, but she also expresses a desire to aid her Aunt Stella and spend more time helping her help others.

The story definitely has religious undertones, and there is a clear message of Biblical values, but the author is not pushy with the subject matter.  There is no discussion of accepting Christ as Savior or a need for salvation; however, the moral of the story is undeniably the need to not rely on and live for material wealth and focus instead on serving God by serving others.  The mystery element of the family treasure and alleged ghost that haunts Trevorholt are minor elements within the tale and are not the main focus of the plot (although the possible loss of Trevorholt weighs heavily on Stella and influences much of her attitude and actions - and it is not until she lets go of her selfish nature that she is provided the means by which the family home can be saved; which, in a way, is a allegory of the Christian faith, that letting go of "self" and simply trusting in God is how and when you will find true peace and success).

The book has two black and white internal illustrations by E.S. Farmer, as well as a color frontis piece by who I can only assume is Alfred Bestall, a British artist who illustrated books by Enid Blyton and later took over the Rubert Bear stories in the Daily Express.  The color print only shows the signature of a last name in the bottom left hand corner, and it appears to be Bestall's, although I cannot be one hundred percent sure.  It is odd they had a different artist provide the interiors than the one who provided the frontis; and as far as the cover goes, I have no idea who provided the art for that.  The book itself does not have a publication or copyright date; in fact, the page that normally contains that information merely says "Made in Great Britain / Printed by Butler & Tanner, Ltd., Frome and London."  Thus, I can't even be sure when this particular copy of the book was published.

Nevertheless, the book was a fair enough read, although not enough mystery for my taste.  Again, this is one of those rare "non-series" books that I picked up, and for the price I paid, I certainly can't complaint too much about the quality of the tale.  Fans of girls' school books will probably enjoy the story, with its adventures of the girls in Dormitory Six; as for me, I'll stick to the mystery stories!

RATING:  6 empty iron-bound boxes out of 10 for providing a tale of character growth and moral expectations, with just a hint of mystery thrown into the mix.

Bitsy Finds the Clue - an Augusta Huiell Seaman mystery story

Over my years of collecting, I've heard the name "Augusta Huiell Seaman" mentioned time and again as an author of children's mysteries back in the day, and I've actually come across several of her books here in there during my travels, but I never really picked one up.  Last year, while visiting my Dad in Kentucky, we visited an antique mall that was going out of business, and I happened to come across one of Seaman's books in hardcover (no dust jacket, unfortunately) for only $2.00, so I figured I'd give it a try.  I set it up on my "to be read" shelf and promptly forgot about it.  Until later in the year, when I was at a used book store in DeLand and came across another of Seaman's mysteries in hardcover for just a few dollars as well.  I thought, why not?, and I picked it up as well.  After sitting on my shelf for some time, I finally picked up this one (which, ironically, is the one I found in DeLand - still haven't read the one I bought earlier in Kentucky!) and gave it a read.  I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I enjoyed it.

Bitsy Finds the Clue tells the story of Elizabeth Bates (known to her friends as "Bitsy"), a sixteen year told girl - "I'm nearly seventeen," she reminds her mother on page 2 - who is leaving home for the first time, enrolled as a freshman for the upcoming Fall semester at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Because of health issues, Bitsy's parents are concerned about her being so far from home, but Bitsy is both excited and nervous about being on her own. A college senior named Celeste Dufresne has been corresponding with young Bitsy and has promised to show her the ropes - but during the train ride down the East Coast, as well as the first few days of college, it seems Celeste barely has time for her young friend, and Bitsy is prepared to return home, having found the other freshman not as welcoming as she hoped and feeling more alone each day!  Celeste, who lives off campus with her great-aunts and great uncle, comes up with a way for Bitsy to stay in school but not have to face the unfriendly freshman - she can board at the Romney House, which is the old home owned by her Uncle Drew, Aunt Abigail, and Aunt Eva.  Bitsy is willing to give it a chance, and thus begins the mystery that Bitsy can't help but get drawn into!

While Seaman does a slow build to the mystery, the story is by no means boring.  Seaman introduces readers to some rather odd characters in the Romney House - Aunt Abigail and is stern and definitely filled with the Old South mentality; Uncle Drew (a nod to Nancy "Drew" perhaps?) is not quite as stodgy, but he is very secretive about his research into his family's history; Aunt Eva is more congenial, but being the youngest of the three, she adheres to the demands of her older sister and brother.  No mention is made of spouses, so one can only assume the three siblings have never been married.  There is also Cousin Eustacia, who lives across the street.  She is definitely more modern than the rest, which puts her at odds with Abigail at pretty much every turn.  And one mustn't forget good ol' Eliza, the family's cook and general housekeeper.  She is a stereotypical black maid of the time, and Seaman manages to further the stereotype with Eliza's dialect:

"Oh, Lawdy, Lawdy!" moaned Eliza, removing her apron from her eyes.  "Hit's de Cunnel! He done fell and mashed hisself up! De doctor say he gwine tek him to de hospital in Richmond! He done gotta hab a operation - or somepin! Oh, Lawdy hab mussy on us all!"  (p. 73)

Yes, I realize by today's standards this type of dialect is extremely racist; however, this book was written back in the early 1930s, being published in 1934, and when placed in that time setting, one can understand that this was the perception many people still had of the African American men and women living in their communities.  So, reading it with that mindset, it makes these outbursts of Eliza almost comical and over-the-top (which could very well be what Seaman intended, as Eliza is definitely an easily excitable character in the book).

The mystery is hinted at by Celeste, when she informed Bitsy that the Romney House is allegedly haunted; but when Bitsy actually hears the knocking in the middle of the night, but can find no source for it, she begins to wonder.  Her curiosity grows as she discovers Uncle Drew, late one night, kneeling at the bottom of the stairs, studying the floorboards intently, unaware he is being watched.  There is also the strange animosity that Uncle Drew and Aunt Abigail have to the restoration of the home - while the rest of the neighborhood has willingly allowed restoration crews to come into their homes and basically restore their homes from the basement floor to the top of the roof, Drew and Abigail have been adamant that no one will touch their house (despite its decaying conditions).  Celeste finally breaks down and reveals to Bitsy that the mystery involves the research her great-uncle is doing on the family history, particularly as it involves General Sumter Romney, who died after the Spanish-Mexican War under mysterious circumstances.  When Uncle Drew is hurt and must go to the hospital, Bitsy and Celeste convince Aunt Eva to join them in a secret search for the "hidden staircase" and the missing "diary" that could hold the clue to what has been bothering Uncle Drew (funny how both items are connected to early Nancy Drew mysteries, eh?).  Even Cousin Eustacia joins in on the fun, along with Celeste's boyfriend, Campbell McDurford - popularly known as "Duff."

The crew get sidetracked and blocked at many a turn as they try to secretly investigate the locked room where Uncle Drew keeps all of his records, and a search in the attic reveals nothing of any consequence.  A look in the basement, however, leads to the discovery of an unusual rock in the floor that seems very out of place (and that ultimately plays a huge part in the mystery).  And while Bitsy proves her worth to the family by ingeniously piecing together a number of the clues that lead to the discovery of the diary (in a most unfortunate way!) and the missing papers that nearly go unnoticed by everyone else, she does eventually over-exert herself to the point where, after chasing down a runaway horse during a parade celebration, she ends up bed-ridden in order to give her body time to recuperate.

The mystery eventually turns into a treasure hunt, with the infamous pirate Blackbeard playing a part, and even some question as to whether General Romney was actually murdered back in the day for the part he was thought to have played in the missing treasure!  Seaman throws in some real historical facts into the story, as well as quite a bit of geographical reality, particularly in the city of Williamsburg and the area surrounding William and Mary College.  On pages 114-15, Seaman describes how Celeste takes Bitsy on a tour of the area on Duke of Gloucester Street, which leads out of the College, and her descriptions as the girls walk down the street and take side trips on cross-streets is pretty dead-on - if you pull up a map of Williamstown and follow the girls' journey, you'll be able to see Bruton Parish Church (p. 114), the Wythe Mansion facing Palace Green (p. 114), the Governor's Palace (pp. 114-15), and circle around to see the old St. George Tucker House (p. 115) before returning to Duke of Gloucester Street ... the Court House, the Paradise House, the Raleigh Tavern - it's literally a wonderful tour of the collegiate Williamsburg that is very much based in reality.

 

There is only one internal illustration, a frontis piece, as rendered by Irving Nurick.  I've never heard of him, so looking online, found that he was best known for his illustrations in early 20th century magazines, as well as World War II posters and illustrations for books.  His frontis piece for this book is somewhat plain (the same art is used for the dust jacket cover); however, his two-page spread used for the front and back endpapers is quite magnificent (in my opinion).  The detail is absolutely gorgeous - the building in the background, the trees, the statue, the college students milling about.  I would definitely love to  find other books for which he has provided illustrations.

Having now read my first Augusta Huiell Seaman book, I am definitely ready for more!

RATING:  9 old scrapbooks with glued pages out of 10 for taking a haunted house, a possible treasure, and a historical secret and mixing them into a great little mystery!

The Forgotten Five, Book 1 - Map of Flames

This is not a book I would have normally picked up had I seen it in the bookstore.  I'm not really a fan of fantasy and/or treasure hunting stories, although I do enjoy a good supernatural story here and there.  But this one I did pick up because it came highly recommended by the author's daughter - who just so happens to be Nancy Drew!  Well, she's plays Nancy Drew on TV, anyway.  Kennedy McMann, who currently plays everyone's favorite teen sleuth on the CW's show is the daughter of Lisa McMann, the author of the Unwanteds series, as well as some other fantasy series for young adults and children.  Honestly, I had seen those series at Barnes & Noble and other bookstores, but never picked them up, since they weren't mysteries (which is my all-time favorite).  But since this first book in Lisa McMann's new series was being recommended by Nancy Drew herself (sort of), I figured I had to give it a shot!

Map of Flames is the first book in The Forgotten Five series.  The series centers around five children - Birdie, Brix, Seven, Tenner, and Cabot - who have lived an isolated life with the parents, away from civilization, away from everything and everyone.  Life has been good for them.  Until Birdie and Brix's mother doesn't return from a scouting trip.  And when the other parents go searching for her, they don't return.  Leaving Birdie and Brix's father to care for all five children.  The years pass, their father becomes ill, and on his death bed, he confesses an important secret to his daughter, Birdie.  And he leaves her a map, with instructions to take the map to her mother, who she needs to find in Estero.  But how can Birdie do that, when she has never left the isolated beach area they call home?  Does she have what it takes to leave the only world she's ever known to go into the strange outside world of which she has only read about and heard stories from the parents?  And will the other four children agree to go, or will they try to stop her?  And just what is the map a guide to?

Oh, did I mention that the parents all had super powers?  And did I tell you that the five children (well, four out of the five) inherited their own powers?  And, oh yeah, did I forget to reveal that the parents were all wanted criminals, which is why they have been hiding all these years?  So, yeah, you can see how that kind of complicates everything.  Plus, on top of all of that, the children have been warned that the people of the outside world do not have powers, and they all fear and hate the "supernaturals," as they call them.  So how will a girl who can talk with animals (Birdie), a boy who can bounce and heal quickly (Brix), a boy who can see in the darkest night and hold his breath for extended periods of time (Tenner), and a boy who is virtually invisible (Seven) be able to search through the millions of people in Estero to find Birdie and Brix's mother?  Why, by using the map of course!  Well, once they let the flames die down that appear every time they open the map.  You see, Birdie and Brix's father could control fire, so he placed a spell on the map to prevent just anyone from having access to it.  And that map is the only guide that the children have to Birdie and Brix's mother and, perhaps, the rest of their parents as well!

The story is a fish-out-of-water tale of children who have never dealt with money, never seen let alone experience automobiles, television, and cell phones, or even used a modern public restroom; but it is also a treasure hunt, as the kids must use the map and clues given by Birdie and Brix's father to locate the stash of stolen treasure the parents had hidden away before they disappeared.  It is also a tale of supernatural and superpowers, as they children must learn to use their abilities to protect themselves, to provide for themselves, and to perform a daring rescue of Bridie and Brix's mother.  More than that, though, it is a story of friendship, family, and trust, as the children must learn more about each other and themselves in order to work together and form a true family that can do anything they set their minds to!  And, of course, since this is the first book, it ends off with a cliffhanger that will clearly lead into the kids' second adventure.

McMann does a great job of giving the children very distinct personalities that set them apart from one another.  And she captures the essence of what it is like to be a child between the ages of 9 and 13 - uncertain, fearful, questioning, yet daring and willing to head off into adventure (particularly when there is no parental figure to stop them!).  Despite their differences, though, they are fiercely loyal to one another, and they have to push back their own anger and distrust to help each other in the end.  As you read this first book, you'll see some character growth in a few of the characters, particularly Birdie and Tenner, who the first two to head into Estero and face the world they have never known.  McMann provides readers with some tense, yet at times comical, experiences as the kids come in contact with every day things that we take for granted - stop lights, staircases, menus, libraries, and even doors that only open one way!  There is a bit of romance and jealousy among the kids, which was probably the one thing about the story that I felt was a distraction.  For me, the romantic feelings that Tenner had for Birdie and Birdie had for Seven just didn't feel natural and felt more like forced moments simply to create some tension between the characters.  However, it did ultimately lead to a bit of growth for Tenner in learning how to express his inner thoughts and feelings more, so I guess it couldn't be all bad.

I probably most enjoyed the use of the kids' powers, and particularly in the big rescue at the end of this first book.  And although Cabot believes she has no real super power like the others, it's pretty easy to see that her super-smart, analytical brain holds her power - she only has to realize it.

I can't honestly say this was the most exciting story I've ever read - I did have to force myself to keep reading it, as the book opens at a very slow pace, with the kids (mostly Birdie, but in small ways, the others) being very whiny and self-doubting.  But, McMann really gets her stride by the mid-way point, and once Birdie and Tenner get into Estero and the other kids begin their own trek to reach the outside world, things start to pick up, and the story gets much more interesting.  With the stage set now, and the groundwork laid for what's to come, I have no doubt McMann will be providing exciting from beginning to end in future books in this series.

Would I have picked this up without Kennedy McMann's recommendation?  Likely not.  But it is a story that has its moments, and by the time I was done, I did have a sense of enjoyment from following the kids' first adventure in the big, scary world.  So, I'd say the book is worth picking up and giving it a shot, even if you aren't a treasure-hunting / fantasy fan.  

RATING:  7 a la carte menus out of 10 for adventure, friendship, and family all rolled into one story!

Finding the Lost Treasure - a Lost Treasure Series book

In my recent trip to the Tampa Bay area, I stopped in at Haslam's Bookstore over in St. Petersburg.  While they carry a number of old children's books, I rarely find any that I need or want.  This time around, however, I stumbled across this little treasure (pun fully intended) in dust jacket and since it was on sale, I figured what the heck.  I mean, with a title like Finding the Lost Treasure, it sounded like a decent enough mystery, and the cover with the man and woman running up to the man lying on the ground, there was enough to interest me.  (And just to give you the heads up - the photo in this post is actually from my book - I could not find an image of this cover anywhere on the internet, which was quite surprising!)

So I bought it.

I'm not sure who Helen M. Persons is, or whether she wrote any other children's books ... and yes, I realize this was published back in 1933, so it was written during a completely different time period when people acted and thought differently ... but to be honest, as I read this story, I got the very real sensation of reading a V.C. Andrews novel (and anyone who has read any of Andrews' books will know where I'm going with this).

The story centers around the four Wistmore children - John (18 - referred to throughout the book as "Jack"), Desire (14), Priscilla (9), and Rene (5), who are direct descendants of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, characters in the poem, The Courtship of Miles Standish, by Longfellow.  The children's parents die, leaving them to fend for themselves. When their home is foreclosed upon, they are left with nothing but a mysterious code (W-1755-15x12-6754) and a few worldly possessions.  A family friend, who drives a big covered wagon common to Nova Scotia at the time (basically, a general store on wheels) is injured and allows the children to take over his business while he recuperates, as a means of earning money for themselves.  The book follows the trials and tribulations of these four youngsters as they set out to make their way in the world.  Jack has given up his dream of going to college, Desire has had to forego her wish to go to high school, and the two younger children must learn to grow up fast and take on responsibilities for the good of the family.

While there are some similarities to the Bobbsey Twins (the two older siblings taking care over the two younger siblings), oddly enough, there are stronger similarities to Flowers in the Attic.  Left to their own devices, these four children create a unique family, with John as the "father," Desire as the "mother," and Priscilla and Rene as the "children."  What's worse is that the author portrays Jack and Desire as having a very close relationship - too close, for my taste.

p. 11 - "Now Dissy," said the boy, laying his hand affectionately over hers, "let's have the inspiration."
p. 38 - "You're a good little soul," answered Jack, with an affectionate good night kiss. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
pp. 79-80 - Desire nodded, burying her face on her brother's shoulder ... "I hardly think so dear," replied Jack, stroking her curls.

And so it goes, chapter after chapter, Jack and Desire acting more like husband and wife than brother and sister, referring to each other incessantly as "dear" and "darling."  In fact, on page 70, one of their customers mistakes Desire for Jack's wife; and, quite frankly, if she were reading the same book as I did, I can see why she would think that!

Now, as far as the mystery of that strange code goes - well, it's basically nothing more than bookends for this book.  It is mentioned at the beginning, giving the reader hope that it will be a central part of the story ... then it gets mentioned at the end, when suddenly, and with no warning, Desire comes across a metal box buried beneath the small house where they are staying - a box that, quite conveniently, is buried west of the house, back in the year 1755 - 6954 is the number of the deed, 15 is the depth of the hole, and 12 is the distance from the edge of the lot where they are living - and thus, the house where they are staying is found to legally belong to them, and they now have a permanent home.  All's well that ends well.  Except - there is absolutely nothing throughout the entire book that leads up to this sudden realization and discovery, making it, quite possibly, one of the most unrelated, sudden discoveries to wrap up a mystery ever!

It's hard to say whether I would recommend this book or not.  It does have its moments, as there are times when the adventures of the Wistmore children resemble those of the Ingalls clan in the Little House books; but then, there are those cringing moments when Jack and Desire seem a LOT closer to one another than a brother and sister should be.  There is certainly a great idea for a mystery, but there is no execution in it, and its resolution comes so far out of left field as to leave the reader wondering why it was even there, except to give a convenient windfall at the end of the story so that the children could all get everything they wanted without having to work for it.

Stumbling Across the Lost Treasure - That We Didn't Even Know Was Lost would probably have been a more apt title for this book.

RATING:  4 wagon wheels out of 10 for leading me to believe this was going to be a great treasure hunting mystery, but providing me with a Little House in the Attic tale instead.