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The Treasure of Mad Doc Magee: A Rip-Roaring Middle Grade Adventure About Legendary Gold and Riddles for Children
The small, run-down town of Eden is the only place Jenny Burns has ever called home. The roots of the trees are in her bones, the air of the mountains is in her breath, the lakes and rivers are in her blood. And that’s why, when her father loses his job and tells Jenny that they may have to move on from Eden, she knows she can’t let that happen.
The fever of New Zealand’s gold rush still runs in the veins of Eden, and everyone knows the legend of Doc Magee: how he found the largest gold nugget anyone had ever seen and hid it somewhere in the hills before he disappeared.
Jenny and her best friend, Pandora, know that if they can find the gold, it’ll solve all their problems. But the way is fraught with mysteries, riddles, and danger—and those are just the threats they know about. Before her quest is over, Jenny will have to face challenges from within as well as from without.
The fever of New Zealand’s gold rush still runs in the veins of Eden, and everyone knows the legend of Doc Magee: how he found the largest gold nugget anyone had ever seen and hid it somewhere in the hills before he disappeared.
Jenny and her best friend, Pandora, know that if they can find the gold, it’ll solve all their problems. But the way is fraught with mysteries, riddles, and danger—and those are just the threats they know about. Before her quest is over, Jenny will have to face challenges from within as well as from without.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published August 21, 2018
About the author
Elinor Teele
5 books9 followers1/2 Brit and 1/2 Yankee, Elinor currently resides in New England. In 1992, she immigrated with her family to the South Island of New Zealand and lived there for eight years. She still considers it a beloved homeland.
In 2000, Elinor took a (very) slow plane to England for doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge. She explored the Old English Riddles—lyrical poems in the language of Beowulf. She graduated with a PhD in 2005.
Her work includes books, plays, and films, as well as poems, short stories, and travel writing.
In 2000, Elinor took a (very) slow plane to England for doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge. She explored the Old English Riddles—lyrical poems in the language of Beowulf. She graduated with a PhD in 2005.
Her work includes books, plays, and films, as well as poems, short stories, and travel writing.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 28, 2018
I received a copy of this book for my review
Anyone a fan of puzzles, the Goonies, and scavenger hunts will love this book. Best friends Pandora and Jenny pair up to find a legendary gold nugget. We meet their fellow town citizens as they struggle to find clues- but who can they trust?
The writing style is charming- written with a historic and country-feel to it
The characters are all unique, and have problems caused by this uniqueness- whether it be navigating social situations or discrimination.
The scavenger hunt was well done! I never would have figured it out on all on my own haha
The story was cute, profound, and hopeful even when the characters felt like they couldn’t go on anymore.
The gold rush fever brings all walks of life together for one last big hurrah
Anyone a fan of puzzles, the Goonies, and scavenger hunts will love this book. Best friends Pandora and Jenny pair up to find a legendary gold nugget. We meet their fellow town citizens as they struggle to find clues- but who can they trust?
The writing style is charming- written with a historic and country-feel to it
The characters are all unique, and have problems caused by this uniqueness- whether it be navigating social situations or discrimination.
The scavenger hunt was well done! I never would have figured it out on all on my own haha
The story was cute, profound, and hopeful even when the characters felt like they couldn’t go on anymore.
The gold rush fever brings all walks of life together for one last big hurrah
December 22, 2020
Jenny Burns is in a spot of trouble. Her father, Hapless Burns, has lost his job and they may need to move. But this little town in New Zealand is Jenny's home, and she'll do whatever she needs to to stay. So Jenny recruits her best friend Pandora and they decide to go after the legendary gold nugget of Mad Doc Magee. Since Doc disappeared and they can't ask him, they start in Doc's old medical office and with Pandora's brains and Jenny's pluck, they actually manage to find a clue. So off they go, chasing the clues to see if they can find Doc Magee's treasure. But it's hard to keep secrets in a small town and soon they have competition on their treasure hunt. Can two girls outsmart some washed out gold hunters and others just as down on their luck? And is the treasure even real, or was Mad Doc Magee just spinning one of his famous jokes with the clues he left behind?
This book is just gushing with atmosphere. From the way the characters talk to the description of the scenery, you really feel transported to a frontier town in a mountain valley in a washed up gold town in New Zealand. Jenny is a little force of nature to be reckoned with, it frequently says she is angry, and she has to come to terms with that before the end of the book. Pandora appears to be her mildly autistic anchor. (Pandora isn't stated to be autistic since the time period wouldn't have such labels, but she doesn't read social clues, doesn't get jokes, doesn't get poetry, tells Jenny to talk plainly and will say things brutally plainly, and seems to have a genius streak for math and puzzles.)
There's quite a multicultural cast. Jenny's mom came from the islands nearby and she talks about how others look at her for her darker skin. The Kan boys Jenny and Pandora are friends with are Chinese by heritage and aren't treated well by town folk, though they also grew up in the town. I put this as borderline middle grade/young adult because the kids act more like teens. They are pretty much raising themselves. (The Kan boys' parents are both dead. Pandora's mom is dying and dad was never in the picture. Jenny's mom died when she was a baby and her dad is named Hapless for a reason.) Their main motherly figure in town is Gentle Annie who all the men in town seem to be in love with and she's made good money off of the gold rush. I highly suspect she is a prostitute, but it doesn't say that outright. The girls also find a picture of Pandora's mom scantily clad, suggesting she was as well during the gold rush. Jenny knows her dad drinks and gambles. Just because of some of that rougher, kind of wild pioneer town stuff, and the fact that the kids are mostly on their own it feels more YA than middle grade at times. I think a lot of it would go over the heads of most middle graders and they wouldn't be scandalized by it, but I may shelve it in YA just to be sure that those reading this can handle the content. The scavenger hunt part is quite fun and the clues are quite clever. Hand this to readers who like a good mystery/scavenger hunt or are looking for something set in New Zealand.
Notes on content: Some British swears and borderline words depending on your culture. No sex scenes or anything. See what I mentioned above about Gentle Annie and Pandora's mom. One of the girls gets switched at school in an unjust situation. There are some perilous situations on a hike, and from people who also want the gold but no one gets seriously hurt.
This book is just gushing with atmosphere. From the way the characters talk to the description of the scenery, you really feel transported to a frontier town in a mountain valley in a washed up gold town in New Zealand. Jenny is a little force of nature to be reckoned with, it frequently says she is angry, and she has to come to terms with that before the end of the book. Pandora appears to be her mildly autistic anchor. (Pandora isn't stated to be autistic since the time period wouldn't have such labels, but she doesn't read social clues, doesn't get jokes, doesn't get poetry, tells Jenny to talk plainly and will say things brutally plainly, and seems to have a genius streak for math and puzzles.)
There's quite a multicultural cast. Jenny's mom came from the islands nearby and she talks about how others look at her for her darker skin. The Kan boys Jenny and Pandora are friends with are Chinese by heritage and aren't treated well by town folk, though they also grew up in the town. I put this as borderline middle grade/young adult because the kids act more like teens. They are pretty much raising themselves. (The Kan boys' parents are both dead. Pandora's mom is dying and dad was never in the picture. Jenny's mom died when she was a baby and her dad is named Hapless for a reason.) Their main motherly figure in town is Gentle Annie who all the men in town seem to be in love with and she's made good money off of the gold rush. I highly suspect she is a prostitute, but it doesn't say that outright. The girls also find a picture of Pandora's mom scantily clad, suggesting she was as well during the gold rush. Jenny knows her dad drinks and gambles. Just because of some of that rougher, kind of wild pioneer town stuff, and the fact that the kids are mostly on their own it feels more YA than middle grade at times. I think a lot of it would go over the heads of most middle graders and they wouldn't be scandalized by it, but I may shelve it in YA just to be sure that those reading this can handle the content. The scavenger hunt part is quite fun and the clues are quite clever. Hand this to readers who like a good mystery/scavenger hunt or are looking for something set in New Zealand.
Notes on content: Some British swears and borderline words depending on your culture. No sex scenes or anything. See what I mentioned above about Gentle Annie and Pandora's mom. One of the girls gets switched at school in an unjust situation. There are some perilous situations on a hike, and from people who also want the gold but no one gets seriously hurt.
February 13, 2018
A Prickly Heroine and an Idiosyncratic Scavenger Hunt
Our heroine, Jenny, needs money to buy a farm and keep her family in her beloved little town of Eden. Her best friend, Pandora, needs money to get her Mom medical care, and to buy a zebra. In post-gold rush Eden, New Zealand, everyone knows the story of how Doc Magee found a big old gold nugget, hid it, and then disappeared, (possible or probably as a consequence of foul play). Jenny and Pandora resolve to find that nugget.
The two search through Doc's old office and find a clue and a map that looks like the first step in a scavenger hunt set up by Doc Magee or one of his pals or maybe somebody else with his own motives. Anyway, Jenny and Pandora resolve to follow the clues and puzzles and hunt down that big old nugget.
Lots of good things happen along the way. First off, for mystery loving types, the clues and puzzles are tricky and fair and lead the characters on an adventurous chase. The hunt feels like the type of tricky challenge a real person could really make up, so this isn't one of those fake middle grade mysteries where everything is solved by hunches and dreams and coincidences and such.
Better, our two heroines are grade A pips. Jenny is a practical, gimlet eyed, tough cookie with a single minded determination to stay put in the mountain valley she loves. She's a loner and easily exasperated, but she's pure "true grit" material. Pandora is an odd duck sidekick who's quiet and shy, but tough and no-nonsense. Her candor and deadpan throwaway lines are a bracing balance to Jenny's sometimes bigger than life plans. The two make a great team. Added to that is a set of Chinese brothers who become more or less partners with the girls. One is a joker and the other is a serious thinker, and they add welcome new dimensions to the gang. On top of that we get a slew of locals who provide humor, color, menace, and mystery. We also get a possibly insane schoolmaster who provides over-the-top energy whenever he's on the page.
Between the colorful backdrop, the historically accurate gold rush understory, the good guy kids, the action, the various lurking villains, and the headlong pace of the hunt once we get all of the pieces in place, this is an unconventional, unique, and winning adventure. It's clever enough and well written enough that it stands way above just a middle grade puzzle/actioner. This has some real feeling and character and won me over early on. A very nice find.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Our heroine, Jenny, needs money to buy a farm and keep her family in her beloved little town of Eden. Her best friend, Pandora, needs money to get her Mom medical care, and to buy a zebra. In post-gold rush Eden, New Zealand, everyone knows the story of how Doc Magee found a big old gold nugget, hid it, and then disappeared, (possible or probably as a consequence of foul play). Jenny and Pandora resolve to find that nugget.
The two search through Doc's old office and find a clue and a map that looks like the first step in a scavenger hunt set up by Doc Magee or one of his pals or maybe somebody else with his own motives. Anyway, Jenny and Pandora resolve to follow the clues and puzzles and hunt down that big old nugget.
Lots of good things happen along the way. First off, for mystery loving types, the clues and puzzles are tricky and fair and lead the characters on an adventurous chase. The hunt feels like the type of tricky challenge a real person could really make up, so this isn't one of those fake middle grade mysteries where everything is solved by hunches and dreams and coincidences and such.
Better, our two heroines are grade A pips. Jenny is a practical, gimlet eyed, tough cookie with a single minded determination to stay put in the mountain valley she loves. She's a loner and easily exasperated, but she's pure "true grit" material. Pandora is an odd duck sidekick who's quiet and shy, but tough and no-nonsense. Her candor and deadpan throwaway lines are a bracing balance to Jenny's sometimes bigger than life plans. The two make a great team. Added to that is a set of Chinese brothers who become more or less partners with the girls. One is a joker and the other is a serious thinker, and they add welcome new dimensions to the gang. On top of that we get a slew of locals who provide humor, color, menace, and mystery. We also get a possibly insane schoolmaster who provides over-the-top energy whenever he's on the page.
Between the colorful backdrop, the historically accurate gold rush understory, the good guy kids, the action, the various lurking villains, and the headlong pace of the hunt once we get all of the pieces in place, this is an unconventional, unique, and winning adventure. It's clever enough and well written enough that it stands way above just a middle grade puzzle/actioner. This has some real feeling and character and won me over early on. A very nice find.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
June 19, 2018
Ready for an adventure in New Zealand that has nothing to do with Hobbits?
Jenny Burns loves her town of Eden, which has seen better days during the Otago gold rush. She’s one with the land, the trees, the mountains. And then her father, Hapless, loses another job and says that they’ll have to move.
They can’t leave! Everything she knows and loves is here! (Okay, so she won’t miss the schoolmaster any, but still…) Jenny can’t let this happen, but what can she do?
Well, fortunately, there’s still that whole gold rush thing. And Jenny knows the legend of Mad Doc Magee, who found the biggest gold nugget around and hid it somewhere before he up and vanished. Touched with a bit of gold fever herself, Jenny recruits her best friend Pandora to help her find the nugget. That much gold would not only let Jenny and her dad buy a new house, it would also let Pandora get decent medical treatment for her mother’s illness.
Everyone knows that good friends will help you solve a riddle, but best friends will help you break into a guy’s house and frisk a skeleton. Once they’ve figured out the first clue, they’re off into the hills.
There’s plenty of problem-solving, with a well-thought-out series of puzzles that middle-grade kids could conceivably solve. Adding to this are a set of vibrant characters. Jenny’s filled with determination and grit, and while she will do whatever it takes to stay put, she’s prone to exasperation and emotional outbursts. (And has some issues about her dead mother that she has yet to face.) Pandora’s the opposite- logical, quiet, and at times seems like she could be on the autism spectrum, she tends to be unintentionally hilarious with her deadpan delivery. Also along for the ride are two Chinese brothers, Lok and Kam, whose business is going to go under if the drought continues.
I particularly love the New Zealand backdrop. I can honestly say I’ve never read a middle-grade book set in Central Otago. Overall, this book was a ride from start to finish, and one I recommend for kids who love adventure!
Jenny Burns loves her town of Eden, which has seen better days during the Otago gold rush. She’s one with the land, the trees, the mountains. And then her father, Hapless, loses another job and says that they’ll have to move.
They can’t leave! Everything she knows and loves is here! (Okay, so she won’t miss the schoolmaster any, but still…) Jenny can’t let this happen, but what can she do?
Well, fortunately, there’s still that whole gold rush thing. And Jenny knows the legend of Mad Doc Magee, who found the biggest gold nugget around and hid it somewhere before he up and vanished. Touched with a bit of gold fever herself, Jenny recruits her best friend Pandora to help her find the nugget. That much gold would not only let Jenny and her dad buy a new house, it would also let Pandora get decent medical treatment for her mother’s illness.
Everyone knows that good friends will help you solve a riddle, but best friends will help you break into a guy’s house and frisk a skeleton. Once they’ve figured out the first clue, they’re off into the hills.
There’s plenty of problem-solving, with a well-thought-out series of puzzles that middle-grade kids could conceivably solve. Adding to this are a set of vibrant characters. Jenny’s filled with determination and grit, and while she will do whatever it takes to stay put, she’s prone to exasperation and emotional outbursts. (And has some issues about her dead mother that she has yet to face.) Pandora’s the opposite- logical, quiet, and at times seems like she could be on the autism spectrum, she tends to be unintentionally hilarious with her deadpan delivery. Also along for the ride are two Chinese brothers, Lok and Kam, whose business is going to go under if the drought continues.
I particularly love the New Zealand backdrop. I can honestly say I’ve never read a middle-grade book set in Central Otago. Overall, this book was a ride from start to finish, and one I recommend for kids who love adventure!
August 23, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Mad Doc Magee is the kind of middle grade adventure that you can sink your teeth into. Set in New Zealand after the gold rush, it's filled with fast paced adventure, complex characters, and a compelling plot.
The two heroines, Jenny and Pandora are 12 year old best friends with grit, brains and practicality. Each character is unique, quirky and fun to get to know. Most adults in this story are either incompetent or stupid, creating diversions and twists and turns in the girls quest to find a gold nugget. I especially love how the young girls and a couple of Chinese boys are the heroes and the more sensible than all the adults. The mystery in the book is plausibly solved by middle graders and only adds to the fun of the story.
Although filled with humor, this story covers the topics of diversity, discrimination, friendship, loss, grief, neglect and autism. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes adventure.
Mad Doc Magee is the kind of middle grade adventure that you can sink your teeth into. Set in New Zealand after the gold rush, it's filled with fast paced adventure, complex characters, and a compelling plot.
The two heroines, Jenny and Pandora are 12 year old best friends with grit, brains and practicality. Each character is unique, quirky and fun to get to know. Most adults in this story are either incompetent or stupid, creating diversions and twists and turns in the girls quest to find a gold nugget. I especially love how the young girls and a couple of Chinese boys are the heroes and the more sensible than all the adults. The mystery in the book is plausibly solved by middle graders and only adds to the fun of the story.
Although filled with humor, this story covers the topics of diversity, discrimination, friendship, loss, grief, neglect and autism. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes adventure.
October 20, 2018
This children's book is one that can be relished by adults, too. Elinor Teele has a gift for original phraseology that continually tickles, and her story of two friends, misfits in their post-Gold Rush New Zealand town, trying to find a gold nugget is a tale of bravery, foolishness and brilliant puzzle-solving. The girls are up against a cast of characters that are painted broadly and deliciously. Jenny Burns has pluck and her friend Pandora is socially awkward and brilliant. The two make a great team, even as their friendship is tested. The author must have had a wonderful time writing this because that pleasure carries over to the reader. I can't wait for my grandchild to be old enough to share this book with her.
August 6, 2020
This book has an interesting setting-New Zealand just after the Gold Rush. Main character is a feisty girl who is on the hunt for a legendary gold nugget she needs to buy a farm for herself and her dad. Lots of great characters and puzzles to solve as she and her buddy try to stay ahead of some competitors. Good read. Fifth graders who don’t mind longish books will enjoy.
April 25, 2019
Set in New Zealand, but redolent of pioneer America, a young girl with an unstable father and dead mother deals with a set of problems and opportunities. Very empowering and exciting, and upper elementary and middle schoolers will like it.
August 29, 2020
While it didn't feel strongly of New Zealand--it seemed like it could have easily been the California Gold Rush--my 9 year old son really enjoyed me reading aloud. There were fun puzzles, lots of action, and interesting and diverse characters that experienced growth.
August 29, 2018
Good read for young readers.
March 29, 2019
I found this book to be a delight. It was a rip-roaring good time. It made me laugh. It's kind of a quirky little thing but in the best way possible.
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March 5, 2019Jenny and Pandora are looking for the famous nugget of Doc Magee who has disappeared. They believe it will solve all their problems. Can they follow all of clues to reveal the treasure and still remain safe? Who will help them in the end?
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews