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The Seven Treasure Hunts
A beloved chapter book full of adventure, mischief, and chocolate popsicles, from Newbery Medal-winning author Betsy Byars! This chapter book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 6 to 8 who are ready to read independently. It’s a fun way to keep your child engaged and as a supplement for activity books for children. One Saturday, Jackson and his best pal, Goat, hide treasures for each other to find with maps and clues—and it’s so much fun that the boys decide to do it all over again. Only this time, the hunts will be trickier, and the prizes will be outstanding. But somehow, the best treasure of all disappears from its hiding place. Only one person could be the ogre, also known as Goat’s older sister, Rachel. Can the two friends find the treasure before the ogre gets the last laugh?
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
9 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Byars
131 books157 followersBetsy Byars was an American author of children's books. She wrote over sixty books for young people. Her first novel was published in 1962. Her novel Summer of the Swans won the 1971 Newbery Medal. She also received a National Book Award for Young People's Literature for The Night Swimmers and an Edgar Award for Wanted ... Mud Blossom!!
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 8, 2019
Children's chapter book about two boys who create treasure hunts for one another. Realistic portrayal of friendship between young boys and rivalry with an older sister.
December 4, 2010
This is a fun and short chapter book about two friends who create some treasure hunts for each other. It's funny and dramatic in parts and rings true for boys that age. Our girls really enjoyed this book.
June 30, 2021
I liked the characters Goat and Jackson and their treasure hunts.
My favorite treasure is the comic book and the 4 m&m.
My favorite treasure is the comic book and the 4 m&m.
May 9, 2015
Personal Reaction: I enjoyed this transitional book by Betsy Byars. I liked the youthful and childlike story of two best friends going on adventures together. This story follows Jackson and Goat, two best friends who hide treasures for each other to find. This is simply an entertaining book about two friends having fun together. I enjoyed the light humor this book had, and I also enjoyed the simple story line because it reminded me of friendships and treasure hunts that I had when I was in elementary school.
Use & Purpose in the Classroom: This would be a fun read aloud for a 2nd grade classroom. The teacher could set up his/her own treasure hunt in the classroom or even throughout the school and relate it to this book because the two friends hide treasures for a treasure hunt themselves. This would be an easy book to tie with another lesson for the treasure hunt hints. For example, the teacher could be doing a lesson on math, and each clue to get to the treasure could be a math problem. This book is a great way to tie this kind of treasure hunt with another subject into the classroom after reading it aloud. This also just shows students a fun friendship and sibling rivalry as Goat's older sister tries to mess with their treasure hunt. Students will benefit by being exposed to a fun way to learn, through a treasure hunt, and will hear a relatable friendship story.
Other: The language is aimed towards middle readers, and the chapters are brief. Transitional readers will benefit from this book because the teacher can use this during a read aloud and read a few chapters a day and leave students hanging as to how close Goat and Jackson will get to finding their treasure. Teachers can tie these brief chapters and middle language into their classroom with ease as they tie a treasure hunt activity with it that needs to be drawn out in a week's time. Another great element to this book is the humor. This book had me laughing, and I know a class of second graders would be left giggling as well.
Use & Purpose in the Classroom: This would be a fun read aloud for a 2nd grade classroom. The teacher could set up his/her own treasure hunt in the classroom or even throughout the school and relate it to this book because the two friends hide treasures for a treasure hunt themselves. This would be an easy book to tie with another lesson for the treasure hunt hints. For example, the teacher could be doing a lesson on math, and each clue to get to the treasure could be a math problem. This book is a great way to tie this kind of treasure hunt with another subject into the classroom after reading it aloud. This also just shows students a fun friendship and sibling rivalry as Goat's older sister tries to mess with their treasure hunt. Students will benefit by being exposed to a fun way to learn, through a treasure hunt, and will hear a relatable friendship story.
Other: The language is aimed towards middle readers, and the chapters are brief. Transitional readers will benefit from this book because the teacher can use this during a read aloud and read a few chapters a day and leave students hanging as to how close Goat and Jackson will get to finding their treasure. Teachers can tie these brief chapters and middle language into their classroom with ease as they tie a treasure hunt activity with it that needs to be drawn out in a week's time. Another great element to this book is the humor. This book had me laughing, and I know a class of second graders would be left giggling as well.
March 23, 2010
If I could give it 7 stars I would.
February 23, 2012
I really likes this simple chapter book. Great for some of the 2nd grade boys who are looking for that "just right" book!
July 17, 2014
Betsy Byars certainly has a way with portraying friendship in stories. Even in a book as short and simple as The Seven Treasure Hunts, the gentle emanance of best friendship warms the reader like the slanted rays of the midday sun, a radiant reminder of why we have friends in the first place when so often things don't go as we expect. Do the rewards of friendship typically outweigh the stresses of relational conflict and disappointment? One can't help but believe the answer is "Yes" after reading a Betsy Byars book. Her writing is strikingly realistic, never taking the easy way out by manufacturing a happy end even if it feels false, yet hope and cheer spring eternal from within like a resurgent fount, and one never walks away from the experience of reading one of her books feeling less optimistic than before. Betsy Byars is a wonder, an asset to the world of kid lit that could never be replaced, and her stories stand tall beside those of any other American writer, of her time and beyond.
Jackson and Goat have a good thing going. They've decided to entertain themselves today by writing treasure maps for each other to follow, leading to special treasures they have both planted to give to the other once the hunts have been completed. They spend a lot of time planning some clever treasure maps, with clues that require a lot of thought to break the code, and put a great deal of thought into picking out treasures from among their own belongings that they know the other will like. There's little selfishness between Jackson and Goat; even highly prized possessions are game to be given over at the conclusion of a successful treasure hunt.
The new idea of treasure hunting doesn't start out all that well, however. Jackson unwittingly telegraphs the location of the first treasure to Goat, who rushes right out and grabs it, not needing or using the map Jackson worked so hard on to lead him to the treasure. What fun is it to hold a treasure hunt if the hunter doesn't even use the map? It's like cheating, almost. In turn, Goat unintentionally tips off Jackson to the key to interpreting his first treasure map, giving him a much easier (and less fun for Goat) time locating the hidden prize. Both boys feel let down by how the inaugural treasure hunts went, but it's early in the day, and they can try again. The next hunt is temporarily interrupted by Jackson's mother requiring that he practice the piano before his lesson that afternoon, and a case of mistaken identity involving a chocolate popsicle treasure messes up the next couple of treasure hunts set up by the two friends. It's a mystery, how chocolate popsicles can multiply and diminish all of a sudden, but even though the escapades are lots of fun for the reader, Goat is left slightly disenchanted with the idea of treasure hunting with Jackson. Nothing about this game is working out how it's supposed to; maybe they should just shelve the idea.
But Jackson knows treasure hunting can be fun, and wants to share his good time with Goat. Things have to get better, don't they? And Jackson has a terrific new idea for a puzzling treasure map that will lead Goat to a fantastic store of treasures while humorously referencing the day's previous misadventures at the same time. Jackson really loads up the treasure caravan this time, not sparing anything belonging to him that he knows his best friend would want; indeed, we see how fond Jackson is of Goat by the items he's willing to part with for this hunt, giving them to his friend as happily as if he were on the receiving end. Not a word need be spoken for the message to come through clearly. But like all the other times before, the hunt again goes awry, even though Goat has little trouble deciphering Jackson's carefully thought out code. Maybe Goat is right, and the whole idea of treasure hunts between the two friends will never work. Such a valuable treasure gone missing is a serious mystery, but maybe there are clues to what happened to it in the other occurrences of the day. And no matter how long the final reward is delayed, there's still the sweetness of the moment of revelation to look forward to, when all the effort put into hunting down the treasure pays off with a pleasing array of goods that were always going to be worth the trouble gone to in finding them. Goat's excitement at finding a motherlode designed for his exact interests is more than enough to affirm that treasure hunting was a great idea.
Even when everything seems to be going haywire with the treasure hunts, none of his carefully considered ideas panning out as Jackson planned, it's so much fun reading about him and Goat traipsing through the neighborhood on quests for concealed treasure, eager to tune in to the clues and figure out where they might find the prize their pal selected for them. Best friendship is a sweet thing to be part of, and Betsy Byars understands this absolutely and is capable of writing about it with charm to spare. After a long day spent hunting treasures with your closest friend, even if most of the hunts turn out to be futile, the soft, electric energy of shared companionship is still there to savor at the moment of so-long, both of you darting back home through falling twilight in the knowledge that you'll see each other again tomorrow, and who knows what good times could await? Yes, there are many days like today still ahead of Jackson and Goat, whether chasing treasures or engaged in other activities just as fun, and the future promises to be an exciting one. There's nothing like best friendship at the height of its powers.
I love this book. It's one of those rare stories so sweetly told and so dear, it doesn't need to be quotable or linguistically deep in order to be excellent literature. Everything a reader could want on either count is right there in the unspoken emotions of the story, eloquence in action that is charming to the point of beauty. The Seven Treasure Hunts is a book I will never forget. I would give it at least two and a half stars, and likely the full three. It is most definitely a keeper.
Jackson and Goat have a good thing going. They've decided to entertain themselves today by writing treasure maps for each other to follow, leading to special treasures they have both planted to give to the other once the hunts have been completed. They spend a lot of time planning some clever treasure maps, with clues that require a lot of thought to break the code, and put a great deal of thought into picking out treasures from among their own belongings that they know the other will like. There's little selfishness between Jackson and Goat; even highly prized possessions are game to be given over at the conclusion of a successful treasure hunt.
The new idea of treasure hunting doesn't start out all that well, however. Jackson unwittingly telegraphs the location of the first treasure to Goat, who rushes right out and grabs it, not needing or using the map Jackson worked so hard on to lead him to the treasure. What fun is it to hold a treasure hunt if the hunter doesn't even use the map? It's like cheating, almost. In turn, Goat unintentionally tips off Jackson to the key to interpreting his first treasure map, giving him a much easier (and less fun for Goat) time locating the hidden prize. Both boys feel let down by how the inaugural treasure hunts went, but it's early in the day, and they can try again. The next hunt is temporarily interrupted by Jackson's mother requiring that he practice the piano before his lesson that afternoon, and a case of mistaken identity involving a chocolate popsicle treasure messes up the next couple of treasure hunts set up by the two friends. It's a mystery, how chocolate popsicles can multiply and diminish all of a sudden, but even though the escapades are lots of fun for the reader, Goat is left slightly disenchanted with the idea of treasure hunting with Jackson. Nothing about this game is working out how it's supposed to; maybe they should just shelve the idea.
But Jackson knows treasure hunting can be fun, and wants to share his good time with Goat. Things have to get better, don't they? And Jackson has a terrific new idea for a puzzling treasure map that will lead Goat to a fantastic store of treasures while humorously referencing the day's previous misadventures at the same time. Jackson really loads up the treasure caravan this time, not sparing anything belonging to him that he knows his best friend would want; indeed, we see how fond Jackson is of Goat by the items he's willing to part with for this hunt, giving them to his friend as happily as if he were on the receiving end. Not a word need be spoken for the message to come through clearly. But like all the other times before, the hunt again goes awry, even though Goat has little trouble deciphering Jackson's carefully thought out code. Maybe Goat is right, and the whole idea of treasure hunts between the two friends will never work. Such a valuable treasure gone missing is a serious mystery, but maybe there are clues to what happened to it in the other occurrences of the day. And no matter how long the final reward is delayed, there's still the sweetness of the moment of revelation to look forward to, when all the effort put into hunting down the treasure pays off with a pleasing array of goods that were always going to be worth the trouble gone to in finding them. Goat's excitement at finding a motherlode designed for his exact interests is more than enough to affirm that treasure hunting was a great idea.
Even when everything seems to be going haywire with the treasure hunts, none of his carefully considered ideas panning out as Jackson planned, it's so much fun reading about him and Goat traipsing through the neighborhood on quests for concealed treasure, eager to tune in to the clues and figure out where they might find the prize their pal selected for them. Best friendship is a sweet thing to be part of, and Betsy Byars understands this absolutely and is capable of writing about it with charm to spare. After a long day spent hunting treasures with your closest friend, even if most of the hunts turn out to be futile, the soft, electric energy of shared companionship is still there to savor at the moment of so-long, both of you darting back home through falling twilight in the knowledge that you'll see each other again tomorrow, and who knows what good times could await? Yes, there are many days like today still ahead of Jackson and Goat, whether chasing treasures or engaged in other activities just as fun, and the future promises to be an exciting one. There's nothing like best friendship at the height of its powers.
I love this book. It's one of those rare stories so sweetly told and so dear, it doesn't need to be quotable or linguistically deep in order to be excellent literature. Everything a reader could want on either count is right there in the unspoken emotions of the story, eloquence in action that is charming to the point of beauty. The Seven Treasure Hunts is a book I will never forget. I would give it at least two and a half stars, and likely the full three. It is most definitely a keeper.
May 11, 2017
B-. Children's fiction, early chapter book, grade 1, boys
November 17, 2018
Fun - the challenge for the boys of executing treasure hunts successfully from beginning to end!
April 2, 2020
This book would be super cool to read in a science lesson. The two boys make up several treasure hunts and they have to find each others treasure. Super cute book.
October 28, 2021
Oh what a nice LFL surprise! This is funny, and exciting... and from a parent's perspective, adorable. I want a friend so we can set up treasure hunts for each other.
July 25, 2025
Early reader chapter book with high interest and great potential for further creative play.
February 28, 2020
Many kids love mystery books. Mystery books are good to read to kids because they get excited and want to read more. Also I believe mystery books are good for children because many of them end with the mystery being solved and with this I believe it teaches the kids not to give up on finding what they are looking for. It is a good lesson to teach them about how to not give up. After the reading I would as my students to think of/make up their own treasure hunt and as they are in teams have them perform this activity.
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March 26, 2016Easy To Read Beginning Readers #1
This book was about two boys who spent the day making treasure hunts for each other. They made maps and gave each other clues in order to find the treasure. One time Jackson ate Goat's sisters chocolate popsicle which caused a lot of controversy in Goat's family. After that, Jackson made Goat one more treasure hunt and Goat's sister, Rachel, got involved. She ended up "burying" the treasure and Goat and Jackson did not know where it was. At the end of the day, they really enjoyed their treasure hunts but decided that it was good to try something new tomorrow.
This book was about two boys who spent the day making treasure hunts for each other. They made maps and gave each other clues in order to find the treasure. One time Jackson ate Goat's sisters chocolate popsicle which caused a lot of controversy in Goat's family. After that, Jackson made Goat one more treasure hunt and Goat's sister, Rachel, got involved. She ended up "burying" the treasure and Goat and Jackson did not know where it was. At the end of the day, they really enjoyed their treasure hunts but decided that it was good to try something new tomorrow.
October 16, 2012
The seven Treasure Hunts is a very good book. Two friends hide several treasures and make directions to the treasures. They try to outsmart each other but they fail. Then they lose one of the treasures. You have to find out whether they find the treasure or not.
February 19, 2016
Pretty cute. Two buddies who set up treasure hunts for each other… I would love for this to encourage friends to do this together instead of, say, play video games. :-)
This could be used in a classroom and then have some sort of treasure hunt in the class as the finale! Oh such fun!
This could be used in a classroom and then have some sort of treasure hunt in the class as the finale! Oh such fun!
November 2, 2016
I loved this book because Goat, the main character, goes on treasure hunts and ogre, makes the treasures. The last hunt turns out badly because Goat's sister gets the treasure and moves it somewhere else.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2016
Dexter (7yo) read out loud for school.
It's a cute story of two friends who keep trying to hide treasure for each other to find while being thwarted by too easy maps and clues, mothers, and mean older sisters.
It's a cute story of two friends who keep trying to hide treasure for each other to find while being thwarted by too easy maps and clues, mothers, and mean older sisters.
April 25, 2009
Jackson and his friend "Goat" make up treasure hunts for each other but Goat's sister, Rachel (also known as "Ogre"), outsmarts them both.
September 17, 2012
Funny, short chapter book about two best friends that create treasure hunts for each other. The story takes a dramatic turn when an older sister, the ogre, gets involved!
July 23, 2015
An enjoyable easy-to-read chapter book. Kiddos will delight in the treasure-hunting game played between two friends.
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August 26, 2015Gfmkcyc fbnf
November 20, 2015
Read with my 7 year old. Fun story.
Want to read
May 9, 2015I love treasure hunts!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews