Jewell Parker Rhodes
Quill Tree/HarperCollins, 2023
309 pages
Grades 3-6
Adventure/Mystery
Our story starts out with a bang as one of the residents of Zane's mother's Rockaway, Queens boardinghouse tragically dies. Captain Maddie was always crabby and massively behind on her rent, yet she was a great friend to Zane, who loved to hear her swashbuckling tales of a life on the sea as a pirate. As she dies, Captain Maddie leaves Zane with a cryptic warning about "two headed snakes" and her mysterious cane. Zane is very surprised to discover a treasure map hidden deep inside the cane and he decides to follow the map to find his departed friend's pirate treasure. To help him along the way are friends Kiko and Jack, along with his beloved dog Hip-hop. The map is of a very old colonial New York and is hard to understand. It includes strange clues that once figured out, lead the searchers to the proper location. The slave trade in early New York and some of the players from days of yore are part of the clues. As they uncover layers of the mystery, a stranger tries to befriend the little group. John seems nice and helpful, but are his intention pure? Meanwhile a gang of skateboarding thugs also want to get their hands on the map to find the treasure. Zane's mom really could use the money gleaned from the bootie. Can the team of friends get to the pirate treasure before the competition?
Veteran award winning author Rhodes has written a fresh story, while exposing young readers to buried secrets from America's past. The plot is based on a reboot of "Treasure Island" complete with all of the swashbuckling glory. Contemporary readers may not be familiar with the original, but it is not essential to enjoy this new tale. The weird thing about this new pirate story is that the characters are rarely on the water. They live a pirate life-style, but have traded ships for skateboards. The characters are not particularly well developed, but this is typical for an adventure story--and the adventure does not disappoint. The action moves along at a breakneck speed and there are twist and turns in the plot to keep us guessing. The story is more scavenger hunt adventure than mystery and the clues presented serve as a vehicle to educate readers about a little known chapter of African American history in New York City. Not all of the plot points make particular sense and the final discovery of the treasure happens a little too quickly, but readers will enjoy the ride with Zane and his pals. An author's note at the end offers more historical background and the author includes a glossary of illustrated skateboarding tricks that enthusiasts will enjoy. This is a book with a lot going on that readers will appreciate for it's breakneck speed and promise of riches.
No comments:
Post a Comment