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The Ladd Family Adventure Series #1
Secret of the Shark Pit
Several acts of disobedience against his father's orders plunge twelve-year-old Josh into terrible trouble during a search for a long-lost Hawaiian treasure guarded by sharks.
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
4 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Lee Roddy
102 books18 followersLee Roddy's journalism career began as a radio drama script writer. He has been a newspaper and radio broadcast executive with experience in advertising agencies and public relations. His award-winning newspaper was sold in 1973, and he is presently a full-time Christian writer. On the West Coast he writes and edits for prominent Christian leaders. He has taught many writing courses including sessions at Mount Herman Christian Writers Conference and Biola College. He is the author of numerous books and his published items number in the thousands both for secular and Christian publications. As a lifelong history buff he has written hundreds of newspaper columns on the subject. For several years he wrote and narrated the radio series "Your American Heritage." Mr. Roddy is a graduate of Los Angeles State College and lives in California with his wife near Disneyland. He has two grown children.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 10, 2013
Twelve-year-old Joshua (Josh) Ladd is allergic to the smog that hovers over his San Fernando Valley home near Los Angeles, CA. He lives there with his dad John, a teacher and writer, mom Mary, fourteen-year-old sister Tiffany, and ten-year-old brother Nathan. He is also lonely because his best friend, Tank Catlett, has moved to Hawaii with his family. Then his father has good news. John has a secret assignment in Hawaii and the whole family is going to visit the Catletts. If he is successful, it might even result in their moving to Hawaii.
However, some weird things begin to happen. A stranger stops Josh and claims to be looking for “an old army buddy” named John Ladd, when John was never in the army. Even before the Ladds go, their home and John’s office at school are both vandalized. After they arrive in Hawaii, their hotel room is burglarized and a treasure map is stolen. Mr. Ladd goes off to find the treasure anyway. Josh wants to come too, but his dad says no because it’s too dangerous. Then Josh learns that the mysterious stranger is following his dad, so he convinces his friends, Tank and Roger Okamoto, to disobey his father in a well-meaning effort to help find the treasure, and the three boys end up trapped in a pit filled with sharks and no way out. What will happen to them, and to John’s father? Our favorite author for boys is G. A. Henty, but two modern writers who rival him are Lee Roddy and Max Elliot Anderson, both of whom especially appeal to reluctant readers.
The thing I like about Roddy’s books is that while young people do make mistakes and bad choices, they find that there are consequences and learn from their errors. They also have loving adults who are available to advise and guide them. While the characters go to church and pray for God’s help in emergencies, the stories don’t come across as “preachy,” but are basically wholesome, action-packed page-turners. Without wanting to reveal the end of the book, I will say that Roger does promise Josh that if the Ladds move to Hawaii, he will show him a live volcano, and the next book is entitled The Legend of Fire. After that, there are thirteen more books in the Ladd Family Adventure Series. Roddy also has three other popular sets for young readers, The D. J. Dillon Adventure Series, the Between Two Flags Series, and the American Adventure Series, of which I have read and reviewed book #1, The Overland Escape.
However, some weird things begin to happen. A stranger stops Josh and claims to be looking for “an old army buddy” named John Ladd, when John was never in the army. Even before the Ladds go, their home and John’s office at school are both vandalized. After they arrive in Hawaii, their hotel room is burglarized and a treasure map is stolen. Mr. Ladd goes off to find the treasure anyway. Josh wants to come too, but his dad says no because it’s too dangerous. Then Josh learns that the mysterious stranger is following his dad, so he convinces his friends, Tank and Roger Okamoto, to disobey his father in a well-meaning effort to help find the treasure, and the three boys end up trapped in a pit filled with sharks and no way out. What will happen to them, and to John’s father? Our favorite author for boys is G. A. Henty, but two modern writers who rival him are Lee Roddy and Max Elliot Anderson, both of whom especially appeal to reluctant readers.
The thing I like about Roddy’s books is that while young people do make mistakes and bad choices, they find that there are consequences and learn from their errors. They also have loving adults who are available to advise and guide them. While the characters go to church and pray for God’s help in emergencies, the stories don’t come across as “preachy,” but are basically wholesome, action-packed page-turners. Without wanting to reveal the end of the book, I will say that Roger does promise Josh that if the Ladds move to Hawaii, he will show him a live volcano, and the next book is entitled The Legend of Fire. After that, there are thirteen more books in the Ladd Family Adventure Series. Roddy also has three other popular sets for young readers, The D. J. Dillon Adventure Series, the Between Two Flags Series, and the American Adventure Series, of which I have read and reviewed book #1, The Overland Escape.
August 12, 2017
Seeing is this is 7 year old appropriate.....
August 14, 2018
This is a nice little adventure story for younger kids.
February 25, 2013
it was a good book. on the edge of my seat during the whole thing!!! <3
December 3, 2015
Read aloud to Emma and Will. I enjoyed revisiting this, one of my favorite childhood series. I anticipate reading more of these books aloud together.
February 16, 2016
Blah writing that lacked any significance beyond the plot. The tacked-on moral of "obey your parents" is contradicted by events in the story.
July 7, 2016
Fun read-aloud for my 10 year old. I remember reading this book (literally the same book) several times when I was a kid.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews