The Hidden Room

The Treasure Troop #2

by Dori Hillestad Butler, Tim Budgen (Illustrator)

Join Marly, Sai, and Isla, three code-cracking kids on the hunt for an old neighbor's hidden treasure.

Marly, Sai, and Isla are back on the hunt. After finding Mr. Summerling's hidden treehouse, they've discovered a new set of clues for them to follow, leading them straight to the heart of their mysterious neighbor's life: his house. The same house Marly has been living next to all of these years, which, they discover, is filled with hidden rooms and staircases. With just a few scraps of papers as clues, and Mr. Summerling's angry son on their tails, can the Treasure Troop find the answers they're looking for?

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Chapter Books

128 pages, Paperback

Published January 19, 2021

About the author

Dori Hillestad Butler is an American author of more than 40 children's books, as well as magazine stories, plays and educational materials. Her first book, The Great Tooth Fairy Rip-Off, was published in 1997. She is known particularly for The Truth about Truman School, a 2008 young adult title focusing on the subject of cyber bullying, and for My Mom's Having a Baby (illustrated by Carol Thompson), which in 2011 appeared on the American Library Association's list of most commonly challenged books in the United States for its portrayal of conception and childbirth. Her 2010 mystery title, Buddy Files: Case of the Last Boy, won the 2011 Edgar Award for the best juvenile mystery published in 2010. Before becoming a children's author, Butler worked for three years as a page at a library.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable continuation of the series that places emphasis on the power of friendship

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sai thinks that it is odd that some of the papers in the treasure box Mr. Summerling left them in the tree house are blank. He's brought a UV flashlight to see if there's any invisible ink on any of them, and there is! Soon the Treasure Troop is off on a new treasure hunt from Mr. Summerling, this time in his house looking for a hidden room. But Mr. Summerling's son is not happy about this and will do anything he can to stop them.

I like that kids get the chance to solve some of the puzzles before the answers are revealed in this. They aren't super hard, but they are challenging so kids can match wits with the Treasure Troop in solving clues. Don't let the cover illustration scare you off, the only ghosts in this story are only in paintings (that's a painting with a ghost in it on the cover) . I like how the Treasure Troop work together to solve things and form a good team. I also really liked how they consulted their parents and got their parents' help when Mr. Summerling's son was being mean. Yay for helpful parents!

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Mr. Summerling's son is saying mean things and threatening the kids, but they use their heads and get adult help in dealing with him.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marly, Sai, and Isla form the Treasure Troop, their own little group of treasure hunters. They have Mr. Summerling to thank for throwing them together in the first book of this series. Mr. Summerling was Marly's neighbor, and upon his death the three were called to the reading of his will. The three children quickly became friends as they solved puzzles to discover the treasure that was left for them. Book two starts off with the kids discovering that the treasure they were given wasn't merely the tree house they now meet in, but there's more, and this time it's inside Mr. Summerling's house. Will the kids be able to solve the puzzles left for them? They also have to worry about Jay, Mr. Summerling's son, who was left out of the will. Will he be a danger to the kids?

I really enjoyed this follow up to the first book. I wanted to keep reading to find out how everything would end. These kids are good problem solvers and they work together well (most of the time). Highly recommend for mystery and puzzle/code loving kids.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series. In this one the kids get another round of clues from Harry P Summerling that they didn't expect. They're going through his house and find a lot of secret rooms and get trapped and then get attacked by Jay Summerling. In the end, they get a trip to Summer Island in Seattle and Jay gets arrested.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

7/16/2021 ~ Great mystery packed into a transitional chapter book. Even as an adult, I was feeling the suspense. I also appreciated reading about Marly's experiences with her eye patch for amblyopia.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy how these mysteries aren't too for a reader.

[Checkthebook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Good for girls or boys. I can't wait for #3 which comes out in three weeks.

[Amanda Hallam-Taillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great continuation of this fab series. My daughter is loving it!!

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

We missed Book 1 but we’ll have to read it next. My granddaughters ages 7 and 10 enjoyed it as a read-aloud.

[Lkstanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fun series incorporates puzzles in the text that help the kids solve the mystery in the story. These books have a higher reading level--words like guarding, suggested, and attorney. Kids who love a mystery (and a bad guy to be thwarted) will love these!