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Beyond the Reef
Life hasn't been easy for Chris in the five years since his parents moved to Key West and he and his father became treasure divers. Over the years they've made some startling finds: a seventeenth-century anchor and silver coins from a Spanish galleon.
But these early promises of an even greater cargo of Spanish gold have petered out, forcing Chris and his father to travel to Spain, to the Archives of the Indies in Seville. Perhaps more research will reveal clues to the lost ship. A year of deciphering the dusty records of a fabled era at last yields the final clue -- they are sure -- to the whereabouts of the treasure galleon.
Now the money and the credit have run out. Chris's mother is up north working, and he and his father are reduced to living on a derelct sailboat, scrounging for food, still in thrall to the silent lure of sunken gold.
But these early promises of an even greater cargo of Spanish gold have petered out, forcing Chris and his father to travel to Spain, to the Archives of the Indies in Seville. Perhaps more research will reveal clues to the lost ship. A year of deciphering the dusty records of a fabled era at last yields the final clue -- they are sure -- to the whereabouts of the treasure galleon.
Now the money and the credit have run out. Chris's mother is up north working, and he and his father are reduced to living on a derelct sailboat, scrounging for food, still in thrall to the silent lure of sunken gold.
- GenresYoung Adult
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
27 people want to read
About the author
Todd Strasser
224 books799 followersTodd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.
His most recent novel is Summer of '69
Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."
Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."
His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal
Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.
All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.
After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.
Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing.
His most recent novel is Summer of '69
Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."
Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."
His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal
Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.
All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.
After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.
Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 28, 2008
Beyond The Reef is an adventure fiction book about a father’s voyage to find buried treasure. The setting is Key West, Florida and the main character is a twelve year old boy named Chris. On a trip during Easter vacation, Chris’s family visits Key West. Ted (Chris’s Dad) decides to move the family to Key West because he wants to find buried treasure. After this, Ted decides to buy a boat and start searching for treasure. He finds some gold coins from 1632 and wants to more than ever look for buried treasure. Next, Ted learns about a treasure ship named Sevilla that sunk near Key West. This starts his long obsession with looking for this ship and to do this he has to make many money investments. Will he find the ship and overcome the many obstacles such as Chris’s mom going back to live in Flintville, and Chris’s family becoming broke and having to move to many rundown houses? Will they not find the ship and starve to death without any money? Read the book to find out. The conflict is internal. It is if Chris should stop looking for the buried treasure and move back to Flintville with his mother.
Strasser’s writing style is excellent. He is very descriptive in describing the setting including the ocean. Also he uses understandable language and words pertaining to sailing and scuba diving. The plot was fascinating and believable because there have been many expeditions to find buried treasures. I chose this book because the cover grabbed my attention and the first page was interesting. I liked this book because it communicated a great message to stick with something you enjoy no matter what the odds are of you accomplishing it. I would recommend this book to people that like suspenseful books or treasure hunting. (302 words)
Strasser’s writing style is excellent. He is very descriptive in describing the setting including the ocean. Also he uses understandable language and words pertaining to sailing and scuba diving. The plot was fascinating and believable because there have been many expeditions to find buried treasures. I chose this book because the cover grabbed my attention and the first page was interesting. I liked this book because it communicated a great message to stick with something you enjoy no matter what the odds are of you accomplishing it. I would recommend this book to people that like suspenseful books or treasure hunting. (302 words)
March 13, 2008
not bad, not bad at all!!!
definitely made the life of a treasure hunter seem not as glamourous as the movies make it out to be. showed people a little more real, too, than some books might
definitely made the life of a treasure hunter seem not as glamourous as the movies make it out to be. showed people a little more real, too, than some books might
October 29, 2023
Todd Strasser was the first YA author I ever read. Believe it or not, I never read the assigned YA titles in junior high or high school. For whatever reason, back then they all seemed stupid to me. But I was looking around the library one day and saw his book Rock'n'Roll Nights. His background of writing for Rolling Stone intrigued me, so I grabbed it and read. I read the other two books in that trilogy--Turn it Up and Wild Life--and then left YA lit alone for a lot of years. Strasser's Time Zone High (Timothy Zonin High) trilogy includes the book "How I Made My Perfect Prom Date" which was made into the movie "Drive Me Crazy" with Melissa Joan Hart.
I got a hold of Beyond the Reef, and I remember why I liked him so much: He tells a great story, easy and fast reading, but also delicioiusly multi-layered.
Chris Cooper's family visits Key West for vacation and stumble upon a treasure search just as a rich discovery is made. Dad leaves his job as a Spanish teacher, mom leaves her newspaper editor job in New York, they sell their house and move to Key West. Dad will look for a rumored sunken Spanish treasure galleon and mom will write a novel.
Both things soon go awry. Sunken treasure is hard to find, and expensive to search for, and soon mom loses interest in writing her novel. Not to mention the locals, "conchs" (pronounced conks), who resent the northerners who come down looking for treasure, run up debts and bills and then skip town. And treasure hunting takes a long time.
All these things take a toll on the marriage, and soon mom moves back to New York, while Dad and Chris stay in Key West.
Strasser explores marital issues, alcoholism, depression, predjudice, obsession, persistence, all of these things. The diving scenes have an air of authenticity, the joy of the new find, the desperation when the money runs out and all is lost.
I really liked this book, but I will say some of the things near the end don't seem to have much support from what had gone before in the book. It's worth re-reading again. I think I'll keep it.
I got a hold of Beyond the Reef, and I remember why I liked him so much: He tells a great story, easy and fast reading, but also delicioiusly multi-layered.
Chris Cooper's family visits Key West for vacation and stumble upon a treasure search just as a rich discovery is made. Dad leaves his job as a Spanish teacher, mom leaves her newspaper editor job in New York, they sell their house and move to Key West. Dad will look for a rumored sunken Spanish treasure galleon and mom will write a novel.
Both things soon go awry. Sunken treasure is hard to find, and expensive to search for, and soon mom loses interest in writing her novel. Not to mention the locals, "conchs" (pronounced conks), who resent the northerners who come down looking for treasure, run up debts and bills and then skip town. And treasure hunting takes a long time.
All these things take a toll on the marriage, and soon mom moves back to New York, while Dad and Chris stay in Key West.
Strasser explores marital issues, alcoholism, depression, predjudice, obsession, persistence, all of these things. The diving scenes have an air of authenticity, the joy of the new find, the desperation when the money runs out and all is lost.
I really liked this book, but I will say some of the things near the end don't seem to have much support from what had gone before in the book. It's worth re-reading again. I think I'll keep it.
April 6, 2018
Search for Spanish galleon sunk in the Florida Keys in 1632 with treasure aboard - emphasis on the many failed attempts to find the treasure - it's not easy. But they finally find it. Good feel for life as a treasure hunter.
November 25, 2017
Really enjoyed this diving adventure. The struggle and sacrifices and work it takes to discover sunken ships is on display with characters you come to care about.
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April 23, 2012I thought that this book was great. It had a good plot. Of all of the books I've read, this one is definitely up there. The ending is sort of a twist, though. The end is kind of weird.
The book is about Chris Cooper, a twelve-year-old boy who moves to Key West with his dad. When they move, Chris met a girl named Shannon, and they become good friends. Chris, his dad, and Shannon decide to go diving in the ocean, and they find gold from a sunken ship. Chris's dad traces the find to 1632. To find out more, He and his dad move to Spain for a year. When they come back, They are broke. At the end, they find even more gold than before.
I can connect this to my discarded fear of roller coasters. I never faced my fear. Finally, I rode one ride with loops. Yet I was still afraid of the other rides. It was like that for years. Finally, I faced all my fears and rode all of the rides, I felt so proud of myself. Like how Chris and his dad couldn't find anything until then.
The book is about Chris Cooper, a twelve-year-old boy who moves to Key West with his dad. When they move, Chris met a girl named Shannon, and they become good friends. Chris, his dad, and Shannon decide to go diving in the ocean, and they find gold from a sunken ship. Chris's dad traces the find to 1632. To find out more, He and his dad move to Spain for a year. When they come back, They are broke. At the end, they find even more gold than before.
I can connect this to my discarded fear of roller coasters. I never faced my fear. Finally, I rode one ride with loops. Yet I was still afraid of the other rides. It was like that for years. Finally, I faced all my fears and rode all of the rides, I felt so proud of myself. Like how Chris and his dad couldn't find anything until then.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2011
Feels good
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews