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A review by mrskatiefitz
Treasure Hunters by Chris Grabenstein, James Patterson
3.0
Treasure Hunters is yet another brand-new series from James Patterson. Its main characters are twins, Bickford (Bick) and Rebecca (Beck) Kidd, who have spent their entire lives traveling by ship with their treasure hunting parents. Their mother has already been missing for some time when their father is washed overboard in a storm, leaving the twins, their geeky sister Stormy and ladies’ man brother Tommy, to fend for themselves. They must band together to dodge unknown enemies, protect expensive artifacts, hide the fact that they are alone with no guardians, decide whether to trust their mysterious uncle, and most importantly, discover whether their parents are dead or alive.
James Patterson, for better or for worse, is an expert at giving his readers what they want. Thanks to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, middle grade readers are really into illustrated novels. This book plays into that popularity by having the twins narrate the story together - one in pictures, and the other in words. The illustrations don’t just break up the text and keep things flowing more quickly; they also provide information not shared in the text, and they give the reader a strong sense of artist Beck’s personality and role in the family. The illustrations also provide visual aides to help the reader keep track of the cast of characters, and to help the reader get a better sense of what the Kidd siblings look like. I don’t always like to be told this, but in this book, it works.
With this new series, Patterson also fulfills a major need for more realistic adventure stories set in the present day. So many kids want to read adventure stories, but it’s hard to find titles that grab their interest. This book, though long, should definitely fit the bill for most middle grade readers. It doesn’t hurt, either, that the story involves hunting for treasure or that the cover features a pirate ship, as kids never seem to outgrow their fascination with pirates.
This book is more serious and much longer than any of the titles in the Middle School series, and I found myself struggling with this one a bit more. There is still humor in this book, but it strikes a different tone, and there were times where I considered putting the book aside and not finishing it just because it drags on so long. Ultimately, though, Patterson's trademark twists and turns and chapters with cliffhanger endings kept me turning the pages right up until the end. I half-expected this to be a self-contained story because it’s so long, but I have a feeling most readers will be glad to discover this is only the beginning and that a second adventure will follow.
James Patterson, for better or for worse, is an expert at giving his readers what they want. Thanks to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, middle grade readers are really into illustrated novels. This book plays into that popularity by having the twins narrate the story together - one in pictures, and the other in words. The illustrations don’t just break up the text and keep things flowing more quickly; they also provide information not shared in the text, and they give the reader a strong sense of artist Beck’s personality and role in the family. The illustrations also provide visual aides to help the reader keep track of the cast of characters, and to help the reader get a better sense of what the Kidd siblings look like. I don’t always like to be told this, but in this book, it works.
With this new series, Patterson also fulfills a major need for more realistic adventure stories set in the present day. So many kids want to read adventure stories, but it’s hard to find titles that grab their interest. This book, though long, should definitely fit the bill for most middle grade readers. It doesn’t hurt, either, that the story involves hunting for treasure or that the cover features a pirate ship, as kids never seem to outgrow their fascination with pirates.
This book is more serious and much longer than any of the titles in the Middle School series, and I found myself struggling with this one a bit more. There is still humor in this book, but it strikes a different tone, and there were times where I considered putting the book aside and not finishing it just because it drags on so long. Ultimately, though, Patterson's trademark twists and turns and chapters with cliffhanger endings kept me turning the pages right up until the end. I half-expected this to be a self-contained story because it’s so long, but I have a feeling most readers will be glad to discover this is only the beginning and that a second adventure will follow.