The Lost Loot of Lima

by Melissa Wray, Sandy Flett (illustrator)

For ten-year-old, Benjamin, being a treasure hunter is great. Learning he is a pirate, that’s even better. Ben discovers a treasure map left by his grandfather. Ben embarks on one last treasure hunt with the help of his Nan. But does someone else know about the location of the treasure? Ben must face danger and use his wits, or risk losing the loot forever. But more importantly, Ben must deal with his grief and say goodbye to his treasured grandfather.

128 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2025

About the author

Melissa is an Australian author who lives on the Bellarine Peninsula with her family. She enjoys beach walks and chasing sunsets. She has always loved reading and grew up near a cosy little library where she spent most of her younger years reading.

Melissa is passionate about education, in particular literacy, and believes the ability to read and write gives power to change. Her novels include The Lost Loot of Lima, Summer Change, The Ruby Locket and Destiny Road. Melissa’s writing has also won honourable mentions and featured in several anthologies.

Melissa has a strong sense of wonder and adventure. She loves to travel and has seen some incredible places including Cambodia, Egypt, Turkey and Africa. Melissa has also travelled closer to home and visited every Australian state. Her bucket list of places to explore is still long, both home and abroad! Melissa enjoys writing fiction with snippets of fact hidden within her work.

Melissa believes everyone should Dream Big … Read Often.


https://www.instagram.com/liss_wray/

https://www.facebook.com/DreamBigRead...

Reviews

[Brenton Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE LOST LOOT OF LIMA
by Melissa Wray
illustrated by Sandy Flett
published by Wombat Books

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!

I LOVED this book. It is a chapter book, junior fiction, for ages 7-10, I'd say. Boys and girls both will like it. It's about a boy named Ben who goes to stay with his grandma in a coastal town. His grandfather has recently died, and has left a treasure hunt behind for Ben to solve one last time. Gran helps Ben too! They soon get caught up in some true treasure hunt trouble - including someone else who is after their treasure. This book was so funny, so real - the characters, especially that of Ben, were really true to life. You felt all the things Ben felt. And the emotional subtext of dealing with his grandfather passing away, and how his Gran was doing with this, was really sweet and lovely. I tore through this book in one evening and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Sandy Flett's illustration bring the story to life with the really cool visuals being perfectly matched to the text. A knock-out story of good old-fashioned adventure, fun, mystery and enjoyment!

[Heather Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treasure, pirates, a seaside town on school holidays – this new novella has bucket loads of appeal for readers 8-plus. It’s Ben’s first holiday at Nan and Pa’s house since the death of his beloved grandfather and he’s worried it won’t be the same. But things take a turn when Nan introduces him to a treasure map.
The Lost Loot of Lima fills a gap in the market, providing an enticing yet shorter read for 8- to 12-year-olds. With Sandy Flett’s fun illustrations throughout, it will be an easy read for advanced readers and an achievable one for those not quite ready for a chunky middle-grade. This book would make a great class read-aloud for primary school students and act as a model for using true stories to spark creative writing.

[Haylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh gosh what a sweet story. I’m rather partial to a pirate story and was excited to read The Lost Loot of Lima by Melissa Wray. I expected adventures and treasure hunts but this story has a whole lot more. With themes of family, grief and identity, this is a heartwarming seaside mystery for kids between 7 and 10.

[Benita Al-Samarrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This audiobook truly touched my heart. It's a heartwarming tale wrapped in the excitement of a treasure hunt! It's a fast, feel-good adventure full of family, secrets, history and seaside mystery.