The Treasure of the Lost Mine

Wright Cousin Adventures #1

by Gregory O. Smith

The Wright Cousin Adventures series is the perfect mix of mystery, excitement, and humor. When the five Wright cousins answer a plea for help from their grandparents, they are quickly thrown into an adventure that will test their courage and ingenuity. With evil forces threatening their beloved grandparents, the cousins must work together to uncover the mystery of the long lost family gold mine, while also protecting their family's legacy.

Full of thrilling action, unexpected plot twists, and strong family values, the Wright Cousin Adventures series is the perfect choice for readers who enjoy classic mystery stories such as The Hardy Boys, Indiana Jones, or Nancy Drew. Get into the Wright Cousin Adventures today!

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

141 pages, ebook

First published April 9, 2020

Reviews

[Kelly-Ann ~ Sassy Bookish Mama · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reviewing books but some of my favorite books for review are the ones I can share with my kiddos and get them involved in the review process. So whenever I get a children's book to review, I preview it first to make sure it aligns with our standards, and once that is done and is approved by this mama I introduce it to the kids. As soon as the kids saw the cover of this book they were intrigued and wanted to know more about it. It definitely kept them entertained during our morning read aloud time. They hated that the end of the chapters leave you into a cliffhanger, but I for one loved that since it kept them wanting more!

This is definitely a great book for boys who love adventures! It has bad guys and good guys, family time, gold mines, adventures and even a military tank! My kids were definitely enthralled with the story and enjoyed every minute of it. They can't wait to read the rest of the series.

As a mom I am looking for good books for my kids. We are pretty conservative in our beliefs so finding good books that align with that is getting harder and harder nowadays but then comes along an author I have not heard of before and my faith is restored, because there are good books for kids out there, we just have to dig a little harder.

This is a very clean book and filled with a classic adventure that will remind you of the western movies of old times. I highly recommend this not only as a read aloud but definitely for kids ages 8 and up! My kids give it a quadruple thumbs up!

I received a copy of this book from the author. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The five Wright cousins are spending the summer on Grandpa Wright’s farm in an effort to provide the work that is necessary to keep the farm afloat. While there, the teens are determined to locate Great-Great Grandpa Jack’s lost gold mine. Between strange occurrences happening nearby, dastardly villains wheedling their way onto Grandpa Wright’s land, and the work that needs to be done on the property, there is no shortage of excitement for the Wright cousins to experience. And when they explore a mysterious clue left behind by Great-Great Grandpa Jack, they discover more than they expected hidden in the nearby landscape. This first in the Wright Cousin Adventures series introduces readers to the close-knit Wright clan and the family farm they love so dearly. Inspired by a real life discovery made by the author and his own family, this novel brings early young adult readers into the Wild West as the Wright cousins discover more about the hidden gold mine with each passing chapter. Occasional illustrations help orient readers to the space in which the Wright cousins find themselves, and the pacing of the book overall makes the narrative highly accessible to young people. Reminiscent of the Boxcar Children series, this wholesome story involves close family relationships, ample dialogue and action, and the danger and humor that naturally enhance tales for young people. Fans of adventure stories filled with heart will fly through this first book and eagerly reach for the next installment.

I received a copy of this book from the author and I chose to leave this review.

[Karalyn]

Read aloud with kids 70

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: The Treasure of the Lost Mine
Author: Gregory O. Smith

Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 1/5

Of the 16 young readers:
12 would read another book by this author.
3 thought the cover was good or excellent.
16 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 9 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
14 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
12 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
“I thought this was a fun adventure. I like the children characters and I thought it was exciting all the way to the end. But I did think the cover looked a bit silly and could be much better.” Boy, aged 9
“I like the idea of the treasure hunt and I also thought the opening chapter when the plane crashed was really exciting. It was a bit slow in the middle but the ending was amazing. I think I will read more books by this author.” Boy, aged 11
“This is a well-written adventure story which the children in my class enjoyed very much. I read it to them over two weeks and they enjoyed all the thrills and spills as the children battled to find the treasure. In many ways, this book reminded me of a classic adventure book from Enid Blyton. I think most children will enjoy the simplicity of the children's way of life and the complexity of the adventure they have. Good fun, but the illustration on the cover is totally naff.” Primary school teacher, age 55
“Spooky, exciting, like a Famous Five book. I love the map at the front as it helped me to understand what was happening.” Boy, aged 9

To Sum It Up:
‘A thrilling adventure for 9 - 12 year olds. A red ribbon winner and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Gwyn Haller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cousins and more cousins mining treasure adventures

So this story is about a lost treasure, and a group of kids, all cousins, who come to help their grandparents out on their farm, too find out there is a lost mine shaft containing gold. There's a skeleton with a gun who chases bad guys, a mining cart with a mind of its own, and that's only a start of what the group of cousins have to contend with. But if they can find the lost mine shaft and the gold, their grandparents won't lose the farm.

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun family read aloud. It kept all of is entertained from age 3-38. Lots of cliche phrases make it feel sappy and like it is trying too hard. The adventure part of the story really sparked my kids engagement with the story. The book reminds me of The Boxcar Children.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Treasure of the Lost Mine was a pretty good book. I would give this book 3.7 stars. I would like to read the second book.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun family road trip listen! Fast paced and adventurous. Box car children meet City Spies. Predictable but fun new series. I’m sure the kids will want to listen to the next one’

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my 4th/5th grade class. They love the series so far and can’t wait to start the next one.

[Kristy Hetzel]

Very unrealistic but I'm sure kids would like it! Clean, good family connections, wholesome. I would let my kids loose on the series after reading this first one.