A review by canada_matt
Treasure Hunters by Chris Grabenstein, James Patterson

3.0

Choosing to dabble into a Patterson YA series, more to fill a little time than to compare it to some of his past works, I thought I would check out this new series. Opening the novel in an epic storm at sea, Patterson introduces the reader to four orphaned children whose father is presumed lost at sea in the aforementioned storm and whose mother is presumably being held captive in Cyprus. They must navigate their way to safety while they vow to discover the secrets left by their parents amongst various clues aboard the ship. Tapping into their treasure hunting abilities, they begin to unravel the mystery behind their mother's disappearance in hopes of saving her. Crossing paths with numerous obstacles, human and otherwise, Bick, Beck, Tommy, and Storm all come together to face adversity with their own special talents. Patterson uses his abilities to weave a story fit for teens that has potential to expand into a decent series aimed at this target audience.

I would be lying if I said the story was enthralling or deeply captivating. Hokey at times and plain silly at others, I have tried to peel back my preconceived notions as I am nowhere near the 10-12 year old target audience. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the Maximum Ride series and hoped this would parallel that experience. Still, the story moves well and is full of interesting facts perfect to pique the interest of a young reader.

Good work Mr. Patterson. I hope this series and some of your other YA ones do well for the younger fans and that you groom them for your powerful adult series.