A Treasure's Trove: A Fairy Tale about Real Treasure for Parents and Children of All Ages

by Michael Stadther

Treasure Trove is a fairy tale about real treasure for parents and children of all ages. The book is fully illustrated. This Fairy Tale takes place in a Great Forest and tells a sweet (and sometimes sad) story about friendship and greed, Good Fairies and Evil Fairies and how love is greater than fear. Also, concealed in the pages of this story, are the clues to twelve very real and very valuable treasures that are hidden around the continental United States for you to find and keep ...treasures similar to the jeweled Forest Creatures in the Fairy Tale. The treasures are not hidden in remote locations but rather in places accessible to everyone. You might even find one by accident, as you walk across a field or down a street. But none are on private property, and none are buried. Nothing needs to be lifted or moved for you to find them. But they are hidden well. The simple clues do not need any special knowledge to find or decipher. Anyone who can read can discover the exact location of each treasure --just the way one of the characters does in the story. This book is more than a treasure hunt. Enjoy reading it and take time to read it to a child. It will remind you and the child that we have to take care of each other, and take care of the earth. Oh yes --and not to be afraid of the dark. So, as you read and look carefully at the illustrations, if you believe in Fairies, you may find the clues that will lead you to the treasure.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens

102 pages, Paperback

First published November 29, 2004

About the author

Michael Stadther is an author best known for his book A Treasure's Trove: A Fairy Tale about Real Treasure for Parents and Children of All Ages. Treasure Trove, Inc. was incorporated to distribute the book. A sequel to A Treasure's Trove, called Secrets of the Alchemist Dar was released in September, 2006. After the success of A Treasure's Trove, other ventures including robotic editing were started to help self-published authors. Treasure Trove, Inc. was put into bankruptcy in 2007 in a dispute with its distributor, Simon and Schuster. Stadther lived in Pound Ridge, New York with his wife of 25 years, Helen Demetrios at the time the two books were published.

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the puzzles and the long-past hype, this modern fairy-tale was uniquely original and engaging. A love story, fable, and cautionary tale all-in-one, the illustrations complimented the story and pulled the reader into the mystery. Even though the actual “treasures” have long-since been claimed, this story and the puzzles within are fantastic anytime. Oh, and Pook is the best chubby winged-puppy you’ve ever seen!!

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairies, talking trees, and insect protectors of the forest! What more could anyone ask for?

[Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was in middle school when this book came out, and I remember my father pouring over this book for weeks on end, trying to find the treasure. I remember being really interested by it, trying to read the story, and being bored out of my mind. So, thirteen years later, I found this book while cleaning out the basement and decided to give it another go. While the concept was great, and the pictures were captivating, the story is pretty terrible. It's slow and dull and, even though it's supposed to be geared (in part) to children, the subject matter of a young married couple, the vocabulary, and the basic plot are ill-suited to its intended audience. While at one point in time it was all anyone could talk about, it's now a definite pass for me.

[Helen Pugsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I don't know that the story was for me but the illustrations were breath taking!!! Someone put a lot of love and care into this book. The promise of treasure was cool. It's a little sad no one checked it out at our library before it was over. Still would like to go to the parks.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark, fantastical, almost morbid turn of a childhood fairy-tale with an incredible tie in to the magic of real life. I have been obsessed with how Stadther took the time to commit to being such a magical project into the real world. I really wish more things like this would have happened.

[Barbara A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book, after listening to a segment on Entertainment Tonight. It was a very intriguing book. When I read it, it seemed all the treasures had been found.

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a really cool and generous idea, so I'm sad to have to give it 1 star. This guy always wanted to be an author and loved treasure hunts. So he became a computer programmer, started a company, and got rich when he sold it. Then he wrote this book with complex clues hidden inside and commissioned fancy jewel versions of the bugs in the story. The clues led to little tokens that won you a prize, one of the jewels, valued from like $7500 to 100,000 dollars. They were hidden spaced out all over the continental US. If I were smarter, I could have been a thousandaire because one of the last ones found was in a state park in Moab.

The book was kind of a rip-off for $20 for a paperback picture book. I think the guy more than made up the million dollars he spent on jewels. I love geocaching and puzzles, so I figured it was worth it cause at least I'd get fun story book for the kids. The sad thing is that the story is absolutely horrible. The art is kind of funky, but the story and characters are just not enjoyable. Well, kind of funny once in the embarrassed by the cheesiness and non-sense way. So don't shell out any money for this book. I think he was going to or did another story with prizes--if you're going to buy an overpriced, poorly written story, at least buy a current one with a chance of winning.

[Chantel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairy tale about 12 forest creatures whose mates have disappeared after being crystallized by a mysterious dark dust that is killing the forest. The author actually designed (or located) precious jewelry to stand in for the crystallized characters of the story and hid the jewelry around the country for a real-life treasure hunt for his readers. Adults and children will feel abuzz with excitement at the idea that the clues in the story could lead them to real-life treasure. The story centers on the forest creatures when they combine forces with Zac, the handsome woodcarver, Ana, his beautiful half-elf wife, and Pook, their timid, winged doth (half dog, half moth) to try to save themselves and restore the dying forest.

This is more than an unabridged reading of the book, it is the entire book as a performance with many actors contributing voices, lots of sound effects, and music.

Even in my 30s, I was taken with this story. I hit the Net when I was done reading to see if the treasures had all been found and to see if the author did more real-life geocaching treasure hunts for his readers. The original web page referred to in the book has been taken down, but you can still discover the fate of the treasure by performing another "treasure hunt" through the Web. Enjoy!!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's story is just average. It is interesting though because it was written as a real live treasure hunt. All of the treasure has been claimed now, but trying to decipher the clues has still been fun for my students. The solutions are really hard. I doubt that any child could even come close to solving the puzzles without the help of a professional treasure hunter.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a story, this book was just so so, even for kids. As a treasure hunt it was great! I just wish I could have figured out the clues in time. Looking back on it, some of them are so obvious I want to kick myself. Others I still don't know how to solve, and other still were not even listed as available prizes (though they were out there waiting to be found).

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the idea behind this book. Each picture gave a clue to where animal shaped gems were hidden in the United States. So, if you figured the puzzle out and went there...the gem would be yours. Very cool. Except...I couldn't figure any of them out at all. I mean, not even close!

[Ron Shore · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a treasure hunt really meant for kids. It's got wonderful pictures and an interesting rhyme theme to it. The treasure hunt was very interesting but from my perspective the book could have a little more for the treasure hunter to do.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a neat idea, but being lazy I never really did try to find the treasures.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent concept (if you're a rich author ;0) It was fun searching for real treasures I had a feeling we’d never find and we never did! ;)

[Tara Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book. Keeps you guessing. It can be interacting when I read it there was a website. The hunt is now over, I believe all the treasures have been found. Unfortunately I did not find any haha

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would sit for hours dreaming of finding these treasures. Great little book!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find the hidden clues within the brightly colored fairy tale to find a treasure...for both young and old.

[FAe · Rating 4 out of 5]

makes me want to go on a treasure hunt...NOW!