Alexander Hamilton: Little Lion

The Treasure Chest #2

by Ann Hood, Karl Kwasney (Illustrator), Scott Altmann

Now that the twins have begun to settle into their new lives at Elm Medona, they delve deeper into The Treasure Chest and uncover more about the Pickworth family, including the disappearance of their great-uncle Thorne and the theft of priceless family artifacts.

In this adventure, The Treasure Chest transports Felix and Maisie to tropical St. Croix in 1772. There they meet a young man named Alexander Hamilton who is about to embark on a journey to New York. Felix and Maisie aren't sure why The Treasure Chest has brought them to meet Alexander, but they are determined to not let him out of their sights . . .even if that means stowing away on the very ship he is sailing off on!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Time Travel, Historical, Adventure, Fantasy

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2011

About the author

Ann Hood is the editor of Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting and the bestselling author of The Book That Matters Most, The Knitting Circle, The Red Thread, Comfort, and An Italian Wife, among other works. She is the recipient of two Pushcart Prizes, a Best American Spiritual Writing Award, a Best American Food Writing Award, a Best American Travel Writing Award, and the Paul Bowles Prize for Short Fiction. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in "The Treasure Chest" series is better than the first book. Homesick for their old life and old apartment in New York City, 12 year-old twins Maisie and Felix decide to visit the Treasure Room again to see if they can go back in time to the place where they lived happily with both parents. After all, their first trip back in time ended successfully.

For a little background: Maisie, Felix, and their mother live on the third floor of the old family mansion built in Newport, R.I. by their great-great grandfather Phinneas Pickworth in 1909. The rest of the place is a museum managed by a preservation society and off-limits to the family. However, the Treasure Room is full of mementos brought home by their ancestor on his travels and at least one of them was magic that transported them back in time.

An unlikely silver coin catches Maisie's eye and before the twins know it, they are on the island of St. Croix in 1772 where they are destined to meet 17 year-old Alexander Hamilton and travel to colonial America where the Revolutionary War is brewing.

This is a great way for mid-graders to learn history in a fun way. At the end of the book there is always 3 or 4 pages telling about the life of the famous person they met in the story.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by the publisher

Even though Maisie and Felix get to live in a fabulous Newport, Rhode Island mansion, what the really want is to return home to New York, specifically to a time when their parents were still together and their father wasn't living in Qatar. Since their first foray into the Treasure Chest took them to see a very young Clara Barton, the two somehow think that they can use the time travel to return to their previous life. After some failed attempts, the visit their great Aunt Maisie, who gives them some clues, as well as a Faberge egg that was made for her. Her brother Thorne had one as well, but something is missing from her egg, and she thinks perhaps Thorne stole it... before he moved to London in 1941. This gives Maisie the idea that she needs to have the shard from the Ming vase with her when she tries to time travel. The siblings look for items that have a New York provenance, but when a coin is knocked off the table and the two accidentally touch it, they find themselves whisked away to St. Croix. After trying to buy food with a coin from 1794, they find that they are in 1772, and meet a seventeen-year-old Alexander Hamilton. They figure he is the person they need to help, and follow him around. While Maisie has a crush on the future statesman, he views the two as "water rats" since they keep following him around. We do find out a lot about what Hamilton did at a young age, including his extensive writing, and find out that he has a job with a slave trader, Cruger, that angers Maisie but which he claims to really need even though he doesn't agree with it. When local businessmen, including Cruger, offer to pay for Hamilton to study in New York along with his friend Ned, he has to get on the last ship sailing there for a while. Maisie and Felix, feeling their job isn't done, beg to go along. The journey is a long one, and when the group lands in Boston, the place is crawling with Red Coats. Eventually, Maisie talks to Hamilton about what is going on in her life, and she sees from his example that she needs to move past the divorce and relocation. Once she has this epiphany, she and Felix are able to return to the present day, although they will remain in Rhode Island.
Strengths: While I enjoyed the first book in this series, it felt a bit lacking in information about Clara Barton's early years. This did a nice job at painting a portrait of Hamilton's time before he came to the colonies. There are lots of good details, and some of the historical events are given a new look with modern eyes, like Cruger's involvement in the slave trade. Maisie and Felix's presence is better explained as being "hurricane children", so their odd clothes and foreign ways are understandable. There are ten books in all in The Treasure Chest series, including a title where they visit Pearl Buck, if you are looking to go to other places and times, and find out how the children get on in Newport!
Weaknesses: I'm still a little confused about why the siblings are time traveling. They spent a lot of time on the process, but they aren't fixing any history. It seems like they are traveling to fix things in their own lives, which would be innovative. Also, since this originally came out in 2012, the time frames don't quite work; if Thorne is alive, he's over 100 years old.
What I really think: I'm a huge fan of time travel series, and Gutman's Baseball Card Adventures is the best because it also involves sports. Gibbs' also has The Last Musketeer Trilogy. I was glad that this went to St. Croix in 1772, since there aren't as many books about Alexander Hamilton as you would have thought; Hamilton! has been out for a decade, and is still fairly popular. Keep this in mind if you want more information about Hamilton's early like and have enjoyed Fritz's Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider (2011) or Elliott's Hamilton and Peggy.

[Hayden Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good and I can’t believe that through all my 11 years I never noticed Alexander’s face on the 10 dollar bill.

[Mary Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the second book we've read in this stories. It has a nice mix of history and adventure, but does seem to get repetitive.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it weird that every time Alexander Hamilton showed up I pictured Lin Manuel Miranda?

Love me some AH, but I just couldn't get into the writing style and it felt that it took too long for things to get going.

[Paula Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Lion is the 2nd in the Treasure Chest Series by Ann Hood. Twins Felix and Maisie once again take an adventure in the Treasure Chest they had found in their new home in Elm Medona. In this adventure, the twins are transported back in time to St. Croix in the year 1772. It is here that the meet Alexander Hamilton. They don't know why the Treasure Chest sent them to Alexander Hamilton or how they are suppose to help him.

I love these books. The heroes are children. In each book the reader, the reader is introduced to an important figure in American History. ATOS level places at grade 4. Favorite in my school library.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I was going to continue with this series because it's written for such young children, which isn't a genre that has much to offer me. But ultimately my loyalty to Ann Hood and the fact that I think the concept for her series is pretty brilliant caused me to read #2. And I'm glad I did! The time traveling twins this time visit Alexander Hamilton during the American revolution. I wish I could have learned about big moments in history in such an engaging and creative way! Bring on book three...

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with my review of the first book on Clara Barton, I give this book full marks. One delves deeper into the personal history of Great Aunt Maisie and the Treasure Chest's magic. Meeting the young Alexander Hamilton in Saint Croix was a treat and certainly highlights the origins of a lesser known but very important "founding father." Looking forward to the next books in the series!

[Great Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this second adventure of the "Treasure Chest" series, Maisie and Felix are transported to tropical St. Croix in 1772. Deposited in the ocean, the twins have adventures with a young Alexander Hamilton battling heavy storms, a fire aboard the ship "Thunderbolt" and a stagecoach ride to New York from Boston Harbor. Reviewer 21.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really love this, but it's a good book for Hamilkids--hits all the high points of Hamilton's personality. The focus on his life in St. Croix and before he came to the colonies was interesting. Hercules Mulligan shows up, but not Laurens, and this story is pre-war, so no Lafayette. The thing that annoys me is the random capitalization of colors.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite book in the series, but still fun and worth the read for a child, I think. I'm going to be homeschooling soon and I think this is a book I can use for that. It is educational but still keeps your attention and the story line moving. I would recommend this book. 4 out of 5 stars.

[David Rough · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep hoping that this series will take off and provide some special significance or an aha moment of mystery but so far, I have been a bit disappointed. I may try one more novel in this series to see if the direction of the overall plot begins to clarify itself.

[Linda (frecklefacelovesbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great middle grade book. Think Magic Tree House for 4th and 5th graders.

[Kiran]

So good

[Britney · Rating 5 out of 5]

read it