Will Lyza’s 1968 summer mystery lead to . . . pirate treasure?
When Lyza helps her dad clean out her late grandfather’s h... read full description
When Lyza helps her dad clean out her late grandfather’s h... read full description
reviews
Jan 26, 2012
Shirley
rated it: 
Lyza is left with a gift from her grandfather unbeknownst to her father or older sister which leads she and her friends on a summertime quest.
In the setting, Jen Bryant captures what life was like for kids growing up in the 1960s. Janis Joplin screeched out a raspy and chaotic sound while the Beatles served melodies blended with harmony. Men who are now considered historical figures and who contributed to our nation's heritage were assassinated. The VietNam war waged on. The horrific More...
In the setting, Jen Bryant captures what life was like for kids growing up in the 1960s. Janis Joplin screeched out a raspy and chaotic sound while the Beatles served melodies blended with harmony. Men who are now considered historical figures and who contributed to our nation's heritage were assassinated. The VietNam war waged on. The horrific More...
Dec 07, 2011
Erin
rated it: 
Kaleidoscope Eyes
by Jen Bryant
I always love stories where an important character leaves something behind for a loved one when they die. The protagonist, with teary eyes and shaking hands, gently rips open the envelope to read the precious last words of their beloved. It's a thousand times better when the letter leads to possible treasure like it does for Lyza! When her Grandpa, a great adventurer, dies, Lyza discovers a letter for her eyes only that leads her on a hunt for treasure. More...
by Jen Bryant
I always love stories where an important character leaves something behind for a loved one when they die. The protagonist, with teary eyes and shaking hands, gently rips open the envelope to read the precious last words of their beloved. It's a thousand times better when the letter leads to possible treasure like it does for Lyza! When her Grandpa, a great adventurer, dies, Lyza discovers a letter for her eyes only that leads her on a hunt for treasure. More...
Aug 02, 2010
Erin
rated it: 
While this one seemed like it might easily fall under an odd label that could turn readers off to it, I actually thought this was pretty fun. It's not really poetry or historical fiction or about the Vietnam War or racism or pirates or a treasure hunt but combines elements of all of these with a story about a girl, her friends, and her family. I have trouble of thinking of something from 1968 as historical fiction, although it happened before I was born, as well as most early adolescents who w
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Jun 06, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com
Lyza's grandfather left her three carefully folded maps and an envelope that will take her and her two best friends on the adventure of a lifetime as they search for buried treasure.
But even if the three thirteen-year-olds manage to decipher the clues and locate the treasure, how will they keep it secret from their parents and the rest of the town?
Set during the Vietnam War, this novel allows the reader to learn a More...
Lyza's grandfather left her three carefully folded maps and an envelope that will take her and her two best friends on the adventure of a lifetime as they search for buried treasure.
But even if the three thirteen-year-olds manage to decipher the clues and locate the treasure, how will they keep it secret from their parents and the rest of the town?
Set during the Vietnam War, this novel allows the reader to learn a More...
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Nov 25, 2009
Kelly
rated it:
Lyza and her friends, Malcolm and Carolann, all teens in suburban New Jersey, search for buried treasure in their hometown. After her grandfather dies, Lyza receives a package from him with maps and minimal instructions... an adventure in which he was too old to partake near the time of his death.
While the ending isn't totally believable, and parts of the plot seem contrived, this was a great read. Written in verse, I didn't know how long I'd be able to keep reading, but it went More...
While the ending isn't totally believable, and parts of the plot seem contrived, this was a great read. Written in verse, I didn't know how long I'd be able to keep reading, but it went More...
Jun 02, 2011
Amber
rated it:
I am on a quest for the perfect summer book (not as in, fluffy non-concentration beach read, but a book that evokes 'summer' and everything tied up with that) and this is a contender...a quest and adventure and being left on your own to discover something. My favourite thing about this book is the late-sixties setting - the adventure against the backdrop of what is to come. Bryant creates a sense both of optimism and terrific tension - kids about to enter teenagerhood at a time when the meaning
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Nov 19, 2010
Andy
rated it: 
I'm easily annoyed with books that use metaphor for their title and story structure. Lyza, the 13-year-old protagonist, is coming of age in 1968 when the United States is at war in Vietnam and her best friend Malcolm faces prejudice at home for being black. Lyza plays with a real kaleidoscope as she begins to look at the world in new ways and tries to make sense of all that is happening around her. The author piles many historical elements, including war, the draft, racism, segregation, and m
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Jul 22, 2009
Kathleen
rated it:
One of the things that I love about Jen Bryant's writing is that it completely envelopes you and you feel as if you have become an actual part of the story. Kaleidoscope Eyes is no exception.
Set in 1968, Lyza's world is changing. She is trying to comes to grip with the fact that her mother, who took off a couple of years ago, may never come back. The brother of Lyza's best friend has just been drafted and is sent over to Viet Nam to fight. And Lyza's grandfather has just passed More...
Set in 1968, Lyza's world is changing. She is trying to comes to grip with the fact that her mother, who took off a couple of years ago, may never come back. The brother of Lyza's best friend has just been drafted and is sent over to Viet Nam to fight. And Lyza's grandfather has just passed More...
Oct 07, 2009
Erin
rated it:
3.5. In this lovely verse novel set in the late 1960s, Lyza is 13-years-old. Her mom left their family a few years ago with no word, her 19-year-old sister is a mean hippie, and her dad is busy working as a math professor day and night to pay the bills, so Lyza relies on her friends--Malcolm and Carolann--for support. When her grandpa dies and leaves her a mysterious envelope with maps and Lyza discovers the potential of a hidden treasure in their town, she enlists Malcolm and Carolann to help h
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Nov 15, 2011
Mary
rated it:
In 1968, Lyza's grandfather dies, leaving her some maps and a key. Lyza enlists the help of her two best friends, Carolann and Malcolm to help her find some of Billy the Kidd's pirate treasure in their small south Jersey town. Meanwhile, the friends are thinking of Malcolm's older brother who is in Vietnam, Lyza's own mother left the family several years ago, and Lyza's father is too busy teaching math at Glassboro State College to spend much time at home. The New Jersey references were of parti
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Apr 07, 2010
Patricia
rated it:
This is a novel in verse about three 13-yr.olds and a summer of adventure in 1968, with the Vietnam War as background, and a quest for treasure, from maps left in a dusty attic by Lyza's now-dead grandfather. I read it because it had been placed in the children's area and I wondered if it ought to be in the teen area. Recommended reading levels range from ages 10 to 14, grades 5 to 9, and the lexile level is 950 (approx. 9th grade). I think that the more abstract issues of war, racism, etc. wou
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Sep 23, 2009
Charlou
rated it:
Liza, 13, receives a mysterious note from her deceased grandfather that leads her on a quest for lost treasure. Set in 1968, she has a friend with a brother in Vietnam and references to Janis Joplin. This book is written in verse. I usually like books in verse because they can give a feeling or set a tone in a way prose doesn't. However, this book didn't have that going for it. It didn't seem to capitalize on the format and that was a disappointment. I also found myself thinking, 'Pirate treasur
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Aug 19, 2009
Shayne
rated it:
Lyza and her grandfather share a love of maps and adventure. After he dies, she finds an envelope labeled "FOR LYZA ONLY." In it, a note challenging her to finish a project he started and 3 maps. On the back of the envelope, a notation about a file at the Brigantine Historical Society, and a brass key. What does it all mean? There are only 6 days of 8th grade left, so Lyza and her two best friends have all summer to solve the puzzle and set off on the adventure of a lifetime. A q
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Jul 18, 2009
Trina
rated it:
I picked up Kaleidoscope Eyes because of the title and then opened it and said, "Poetry! Oh no!" I'm not a fan of novels in verse. But then, the other night, I started reading and couldn't put it down. Lyza is a 13-year-old in New Jersey in 1968. Her mother moved out and her father and sister spend most of their time working. After her Gramps dies, she finds an envelope addressed to her in his attic. Inside the envelope are the clues that will help her (and her two best friends) find a
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Dec 30, 2009
Abby
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It's the summer of 1968 and Lyza has realized that her mother, who left two years ago, is never coming home. Her personal tragedies pale in comparison, though, to the families who have lost sons and brothers to the Vietnam War. In the midst of all this, Lyza's grandfather dies and leaves behind a mystery for her to solve. It's an honest-to-goodness treasure hunt and Lyza, along with her best friends Malcolm and Carolann, will spend the summer of 1968 searching. But even if they find the treasure
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Jul 29, 2011
Debbie
rated it:
A really good story set in the summer of 1968. Lyza the main character has a very dysfunctional family, but two of the best friends any girl could ask for. The story starts with Lyza's grandpa dying and leaving her a treasure map to hidden pirate treasure. The rest of the book revolves around the kids trying to find the treasure, dealing with the news from the Vietnam War and interacting with their families. This was a beautifully written story that is good for all ages.
Nov 30, 2010
Jean
rated it:
This is a quick read that I think the kids at my school will like. It is written in verse though I think it really leans more to prose. At any rate the fact that there is a lot of white space on the page will be attractive to kids desperate to get points! I enjoyed the idea of historical fiction within historical fiction (60's teens searching for Billy the Kidd's treasure.) And it had a very satisfying (though improbable) conclusion.
Sep 26, 2009
Roxanne
rated it:
Lyza is a 13 year old living in the 1960's in America. She's dealing with losses, her mother ran off, young men from the neighborhood have died in Vietnam, and then her Grandfather dies. In his papers she find an envelope he left for her with maps and a key inside. The maps could lead to the buried treasure of the pirate Captain Kidd. Will the quest for buried treasure be enough to heal the things that are broken in her life?
Sep 25, 2009
Hoover Public Library
rated it:
The poetic language, the historical references, and the believable characters made this an enjoyable read. It's a peek at the sixties through the eyes of a young girl who is struggling with personal issues as well as the social/political issues of the times. Hopefully it will cause young readers to think and reflect on important issues from the past and the present. I think they will be educated as well as entertained.
Jul 06, 2009
Can you make a sweet book with the Vietnam War raging in the background? Jen Bryant did. Despite having an AWOL mom and a friend whose brother just got drafted into the war, Lyza, age 12, is concerned with the treasure of Captain Kidd and her chance at uncovering it. The friendship among Lyza and her two friends are done just right. Having been 4 years younger than Lyza during the time of the book, I was impressed.
Jun 23, 2009
Traci
rated it:
The poetic language, the historical references, and the believable characters made this an enjoyable read. It's a peek at the sixties through the eyes of a young girl who is struggling with personal issues as well as the social/political issues of the times. Hopefully it will cause young readers to think and reflect on important issues from the past and the present. I think they will be educated as well as entertained.
Jul 09, 2011
Nicole
rated it:
This book was a fabulous quick read written in free verse. A mystery unfolds when Lyza's Gramps dies and she is left with maps that she and her two best friends discover might lead to long lost pirate treasure. They spend the summer of 1968 trying to find the treasure with the backdrop of Vietnam, racism and a mother that left to fill in the rest of this heartfelt and moving story.
Apr 22, 2010
Pandora
rated it:
Book is told in free verse. Which should make it an easy sell. A good historical look at the 1960's especially Vietnam. Though billed as a mystery it is really a historical look at the 1960's. There is no real mystery in the book and we are not putting it on the mystery shelf.
I also enjoyed how the characters were drawn and that all had reasons for the way their behaved. A nice story.
I also enjoyed how the characters were drawn and that all had reasons for the way their behaved. A nice story.
Apr 28, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
I thought this was just exciting and adorable. I loved all the characters and I really enjoyed the historical aspect (two books about Vietnam in two days, strange for me) as well as the adventure. I liked that some issues were discussed but not made bigger than the characters thought they should be (the interracial friendships). Just a wonderful little book.
Feb 06, 2010
Karen
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I really enjoy books written in free verse, and this one about Lyza and her best friends was no exception. An interesting mixture of genres -- part historical fiction (it's set during the Vietnam War) and part adventure story (is there really a buried treasure in Lyza's town, like her grandfather's map says?). Engaging characters, poignant and exciting story -- all presented in lyrical verse. Chapters and page text are both short so it reads quickly. Jen Bryant (Pieces of Georgia) is a gifted
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Dec 19, 2011
Ahpl
rated it:
After Lyza's grandpa dies, she finds some maps and a note to her in the attic. It appears that her grandpa may have pieced together the whereabouts of a buried treasure. She and her two friends secretly go in search of it. Set during the Vietnam War.
This book brings to life the fantasy many of us have of someday stumbling upon a hidden treasure.
This book brings to life the fantasy many of us have of someday stumbling upon a hidden treasure.
Aug 09, 2011
Eraka
rated it:
Interesting story. Since the book is written in free-verse format, it would be great to incorporate into a middle school poetry or creative writing class. References to: the Beatles, Vietnam, Janis Joplin, etc., as it's set in 1968... Other components include dealing with family issues and a mystery, which involves Captain Kidd's lost treasure.
Jan 08, 2010
Chris
rated it:
I don't usually like books written in this style, free verse, but I enjoyed this one. The author conveyed a lot with just a few paragraphs. I liked the threesome of unlikely friends, and Harry, their older mentor, who I was sure was going to double cross them at first. The book took place in the year I was born, 1968, so I also enjoyed all the historical details.
Nov 06, 2011
Sherrie
rated it:
This book is all about buried treasure. As in Pirate Treasure. Lyza's grandfather passes away, leaving an envelope only for her. The information in the envelope leads her and her friends on the hunt for a buried treasure. This is the treasure of Captain Kid who is buried near her home. A great book. Does Lyza find the treasure? And what is the treasure they find? You'll have to read the book to find out.
Jun 01, 2011
Jill
rated it:
This book combined 3 of my favorite things...easy teen novels, a Vietnam war era story, and pirates. Although it was written in a poetry like style, it was easy to read, felt relevant, and very entertaining. Different from most other books I have read. Glad I took a chance with it when I found it on a shelf at the library.
