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An Alaskan Inside Passage Adventure #1
True North
A shipwreck...
A mystery...
And the search for hidden treasure.
Twelve-year-old Shelby is looking for adventure. When the shiny object she finds frozen in a chunk of glacier ice hints at hidden treasure, she and her brother Cole rush to follow the clue. But they are not the only ones on the trail. Fighting the real dangers of Alaska's wilderness, they race to find the treasure before the man in the brown rubber boots gets it (or them).
A mystery...
And the search for hidden treasure.
Twelve-year-old Shelby is looking for adventure. When the shiny object she finds frozen in a chunk of glacier ice hints at hidden treasure, she and her brother Cole rush to follow the clue. But they are not the only ones on the trail. Fighting the real dangers of Alaska's wilderness, they race to find the treasure before the man in the brown rubber boots gets it (or them).
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2018
19 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 12, 2019
Okay, so I realize it's difficult to write a suspenseful kids' mystery without making the kids secretive or the parents negligent or both (although, yes, I have seen it done). But kids who sneak around behind their parents' backs and lie about what they're doing really set my teeth on edge--especially when there's no reason for it except to have an "adventure" on their own. And I really liked the parents' relationship with their kids in this story, so that made all the sneaking and lying even less excusable. And the fact that it continued after they'd already been in enough/dangerous enough scrapes that they should have learned their lesson really bugged me.
All that said, the fact that the value of truthfulness is the lesson being learned here and not just a line of correction thrown in on the side redeems it for me a little. That is definitely an important message for kids, and if the trope didn't grate on my nerves so much in general, I'd probably appreciate it more. :)
Content--kids lie to and disobey their parents (corrected); kids are chased and threatened with guns; kids put themselves in various unsafe situations; mention of vomiting (not graphic)
All that said, the fact that the value of truthfulness is the lesson being learned here and not just a line of correction thrown in on the side redeems it for me a little. That is definitely an important message for kids, and if the trope didn't grate on my nerves so much in general, I'd probably appreciate it more. :)
Content--kids lie to and disobey their parents (corrected); kids are chased and threatened with guns; kids put themselves in various unsafe situations; mention of vomiting (not graphic)
March 26, 2019
"I hid our future's shiny cache
Where gold and mercury make their match
Where Eagle flies to frozen north
Where tracks lead back and trails lead forth"
Twelve year old Shelby is onboard the Sea Otter off the Alaskan coast. A storm is raging. Her dad is at the helm and her mom is helping. They are hoping to avoid a dangerous reef. Cole, 10, seems oblivious to the danger they are in. With an exciting start to the book, the reader is quickly and easily dragged in.
Grumpa has given Shelby a compass which she treasures. Knowing where true north is, she will never get lost. Despite learning a LOT in the three weeks they have been on the boat, Shelby still has a LOT to learn. When the kids find what they think is a treasure in the ice, they get involved in a quest to discover exactly who it belongs to.
IMPORTANT to note that this story is a little too unrealistic and there are gaps. There is no way that a ten and twelve year old would do what they do, chasing over the town, visiting folks and asking questions without an adult. Cole has the ability to disappear VERY quickly causing Shelby concern and worry. At one point Shelby is wet up to her neck in the Alaskan waters. I know how cold that is, yet she comes up out of the water and nothing else is said about it for several sections. There is some good scouting and of course, there are baddies! I do NOT like the lying in the story. Yes, the kids get grounded by their parents and do appear to learn their lesson but I will read the next book to see if things improve. If not, we won't be reading any more.
This fictional story was based on an actual historical event so readers do learn something. I downloaded this book onto my Kindle. I was not required to write a review but chose to do so. Thanks, Liz
Where gold and mercury make their match
Where Eagle flies to frozen north
Where tracks lead back and trails lead forth"
Twelve year old Shelby is onboard the Sea Otter off the Alaskan coast. A storm is raging. Her dad is at the helm and her mom is helping. They are hoping to avoid a dangerous reef. Cole, 10, seems oblivious to the danger they are in. With an exciting start to the book, the reader is quickly and easily dragged in.
Grumpa has given Shelby a compass which she treasures. Knowing where true north is, she will never get lost. Despite learning a LOT in the three weeks they have been on the boat, Shelby still has a LOT to learn. When the kids find what they think is a treasure in the ice, they get involved in a quest to discover exactly who it belongs to.
IMPORTANT to note that this story is a little too unrealistic and there are gaps. There is no way that a ten and twelve year old would do what they do, chasing over the town, visiting folks and asking questions without an adult. Cole has the ability to disappear VERY quickly causing Shelby concern and worry. At one point Shelby is wet up to her neck in the Alaskan waters. I know how cold that is, yet she comes up out of the water and nothing else is said about it for several sections. There is some good scouting and of course, there are baddies! I do NOT like the lying in the story. Yes, the kids get grounded by their parents and do appear to learn their lesson but I will read the next book to see if things improve. If not, we won't be reading any more.
This fictional story was based on an actual historical event so readers do learn something. I downloaded this book onto my Kindle. I was not required to write a review but chose to do so. Thanks, Liz
October 20, 2019
TO be honest--because as Shelby learns, honesty is key, I was considering giving this 2-stars.
Then I realized that a few things that bothered me are actually good characterization.
Twelve-year-old Shelby and her ten-year-old brother Cole are on summer vacation with their parents on a boat trip to Juneau, Alaska. Mom is doing university work and dad is doing his own explorations. They begin on a little hike as a family, where Shelby finds an old compass in a piece of ice. She and Cole inspect it and see the words 'hidden treasure' on it, along with some names. The next day they're on their own, so they go to a museum to do some research.
Shelby loses Cole on the way (which she is constantly doing because he's 10 and doesn't always want to listen to his sister), but the two find some very interesting information. Unfortunately, someone is after them.
It is so obvious who's after them to me, but it's a kid's book.
However, for being 'clean' lit, some things bother me. One is that even after being grounded for going off in the skiff on their own (and having someone cut the mooring rope), Shelby still runs ahead of her dad and goes out of site. She barges into a break room...but then isn't followed by a worker of the museum. Her behavior is that of a bratty pre-teen, but seriously? She's not kicked out?
She also acts haughty to Cole, but that is typical pre-teen (and older sister) behavior!
What I also didn't like is that she hitchhikes at one point and looks for a minivan because "Bad guys don't drive minivans."
But bad guys have beards or drive pickup trucks or have gun racks.
And she turns out fine by accepting a ride from a "nice looking woman."
How is this clean if it teaches kids to profile and also that bad people won't drive minivans?
It DOES show the absolute dangers of lying and mortal danger even a pre-teen can find themselves in if they constantly ignore their parents and/or don't talk to them about things.
There is interesting history about the Princess Sophia and its wreck, and knowing we'd learn what the treasure was kept me reading.
I also like the fact that their parents try to stay involved, follow through on threats, and are simply there for the kids. It's quite family-oriented, making this very appropriate among all the other middle grade books out there.
And the end IS good, and but I still feel like the book was overall mediocre for me, even after forcing myself out of an adult mindset and into my childhood one.
Then I realized that a few things that bothered me are actually good characterization.
Twelve-year-old Shelby and her ten-year-old brother Cole are on summer vacation with their parents on a boat trip to Juneau, Alaska. Mom is doing university work and dad is doing his own explorations. They begin on a little hike as a family, where Shelby finds an old compass in a piece of ice. She and Cole inspect it and see the words 'hidden treasure' on it, along with some names. The next day they're on their own, so they go to a museum to do some research.
Shelby loses Cole on the way (which she is constantly doing because he's 10 and doesn't always want to listen to his sister), but the two find some very interesting information. Unfortunately, someone is after them.
It is so obvious who's after them to me, but it's a kid's book.
However, for being 'clean' lit, some things bother me. One is that even after being grounded for going off in the skiff on their own (and having someone cut the mooring rope), Shelby still runs ahead of her dad and goes out of site. She barges into a break room...but then isn't followed by a worker of the museum. Her behavior is that of a bratty pre-teen, but seriously? She's not kicked out?
She also acts haughty to Cole, but that is typical pre-teen (and older sister) behavior!
What I also didn't like is that she hitchhikes at one point and looks for a minivan because "Bad guys don't drive minivans."
But bad guys have beards or drive pickup trucks or have gun racks.
And she turns out fine by accepting a ride from a "nice looking woman."
How is this clean if it teaches kids to profile and also that bad people won't drive minivans?
It DOES show the absolute dangers of lying and mortal danger even a pre-teen can find themselves in if they constantly ignore their parents and/or don't talk to them about things.
There is interesting history about the Princess Sophia and its wreck, and knowing we'd learn what the treasure was kept me reading.
I also like the fact that their parents try to stay involved, follow through on threats, and are simply there for the kids. It's quite family-oriented, making this very appropriate among all the other middle grade books out there.
And the end IS good, and but I still feel like the book was overall mediocre for me, even after forcing myself out of an adult mindset and into my childhood one.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews