Written by Josh Lacey
Published at Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
About the book
Only boring people get bored… Interesting people can always find something to be interested in.
That’s what Tom Trelawney’s father says, anyway. Tom knew he shouldn’t have been so interested in playing with matches – it’s just that he was…. well…. bored. Now, with the garden shed in ashes, the only person willing to look after him while his parents are away is his father’s brother, mysterious Uncle Harvey.
As soon as Tom’s parents leave, Harvey announces he’s travelling abroad on “urgent business” and young nephews are not invited. When Tom discovers his uncle is going on a treasure hunt, however, he proves that Harvey isn’t the only troublesome Trelawney and blackmails his uncle into letting him tag along. But as with all of Uncle Harvey’s schemes, the details prove more complicated than he originally discloses. Tom realizes there are two types of Trelawneys: those who follow the rules and those who chuck them in the wastebasket. He must decide which kind of Trelawney he will be, and which kind will help him stay alive.
Who is Josh Lacey?
Josh Lacey worked as a journalist, a screenwriter, and a teacher before writing his first book for children, A Dog Called Grk (under the name Joshua Doder). Josh lives in London with his wife and daughter , and is seldom bored.
My Thoughts
Before putting a book in the hands of my kids, I like to read it first and see if I consider it worthy for their eyes. I am very picky when it is non-christian novels or books because I know that there is a lot of secular books out there that contains things I do not want my kids exposed yet. But when I read the description of the book, I thought this particularly novel would be interesting. After all, how would you react if you read the following?
An ancient map and a buried treasure harbor a mystery worth millions in this Treasure Island – meets – James Bond thriller.
Knowing that my oldest son loves mystery, I was curious about this title. I must say that this book is exactly what it advertise… It really does feel as though you have a mix of Treasure Island and James Bond together. Packed with twists and turns, the novel will keep you on the edge and want to learn more about the main characters adventure in Peru. The story is well written and will bring your in South America in the hopes to find an long lost treasure. Intertwined in the novel are history facts that are also found at the end of the book.
I didn’t particularly liked the fact that the beginning of the story starts with the boy playing with matches and burning down the shed. But I guess that the author needed a good reason to send him to his uncle. My other problem during the reading of this book was the lies that the uncle was saying as though it was a natural thing. The younger character was observing him and learning how to lie at the same time. However, I tip my hat to the author who at the end of the book brought both the uncle and the young lad to the realization that it was better to say the truth to the parents. So even though there were lies in the story, at the end the adult main character comes to the conclusion that it is better to saw the truth after all. An important lesson learned by both main characters throughout their adventures.
In the end, I am quite pleased with the story and the lesson that the reader learns at the end of the book. Would I recommend this book to my fellow homeschoolers? Definitively. To the point that I have just pass the book to my oldest son so he can read it as well. Last week, he kept asking if he could start even though I had not finished my reading. His interest was picked just by reading and observing the cover of the book. And he will complete the reading in 48 hours….!
Island of Thieves is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca.
Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Allen for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.
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