Sorry to keep posting reviews only

OK, I feel like I’m only posting reviews here, but it just tickles me so much to see people responding to Gasparilla’s Treasure in a positive way. Here are two more reviews on Amazon.com:

#1

Bravo! Encore!This is an amazingly well written, keeps you glued to your seat, book. Clements’ exquisite use of language and details make you feel as if you are on a virtual field trip to St. Augustine, Florida. Don’t be fooled by it being placed in the Children’s book category, as this is a good read for all ages. You will feel like a kid again. Although, Clements’ dynamic use of non-stop adventure makes this an incredible read for children grades 3 and up. However, Gasparilla’s Treasure’s literary supremacy as it gives a history lesson in the midst of adventure (did I mention it was a fun read?!) dignifies it be used in classrooms across Florida as part of their Reading and Social Studies curriculum. Lastly, will someone please make this into a movie, it’s the “Goonies” of this generation.

#2

I highly recommend this fun adventure story for young adults. I totally enjoyed reading it myself, even though I’m long past “young adult” age. The prologue immediately draws you literally into the deep end, and after introductions to all the characters, the author sweeps you headlong into a race to find Gasparilla’s treasure. I’ve always been a fan of treasure-hunting stories, and this one doesn’t disappoint—the clues to the location of the treasure were really clever—and the ending of the book was thoroughly satisfying. Sequel please?

My favorite thing about the book was spending time with the young heroes: 13-year-old Trip Montgomery and his friends Josh and Sarah. They’re charming, bright kids without any “super powers” and I liked them all immediately. It was heartwarming how much Trip loved his great-grandfather and really cared about spending time with him in the retirement home. Josh was just plain delightful fun, and I found myself laughing out loud at his antics. I really liked how integral Sarah was to the story, not only as a good friend, but key to solving the puzzles and finding the treasure. Go Girl power! (And the side story about the bully is certainly timely with bullying so much in the news these days.)

My other favorite part of the book was how the author wove the location (St. Augustine, Florida) into the story. I live in the area and it was so much fun reading about a treasure hunt in all the historical places I’m familiar with (loved the part at the lighthouse!). Some interesting tidbits of the history of these places were thrown in along the way, adding a great educational aspect to the book.

I plan on donating my copy of this book to my local community library, where they are highly focused on children’s reading programs. I hope the children there will enjoy reading this exciting story about places near where they live as much as I did.