Pros: Delightful reading, strong plot and distinctive characters, a learning experience
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: I strongly recommend this youth novel. Children will find each chapter more interesting than the next. The additional educational elements only make the book that much more of a winner.
marysworld's Full Review: Lisa Maria Lanno - The Secret Cave
I recently attended an author reading and creative writer's workshop with my 10 year old daughter and got a copy at that time.
I can't stress enough, the importance of reading, and when the book is as easy-flowing as this one, it makes it all the more positive. One chapter flows into the next with the questions at the end of the fourteen chapters. Another thing that both myself and my daughter liked was the length of the chapters. She is just getting into serious "chapter books" and didn't find this one difficult. She thinks of it as her transition into "adult reading".
The book itself is has a plot full of adventure and childhood "monkey business", with the characters getting themselves in all sorts of mischief, while trying to solve a three hundred year old mystery. They quite literally, fall into difficulties and quite literally have to dig their way out of them. This all starts with an accidental sighting of a giant skull shape that the two thirteen year old boys just can't help but look further into. Along the way to maybe finding a treasure, their older sisters get involved, antagonizing them all the way, while their younger siblings (also girls) try to stick their little noses in everything that the older ones are doing. They also have the challenge of keeping their parents in the dark and come up with some pretty sneaky ideas to get their job accomplished. The ending is something you would not expect. It solves the big mystery, and at the same time, leaves another one for the reader to look forward to.
There are funny parts, serious parts and some scary parts in this entirely delightful novel. The stop and think questions are an ingenious addition to help the children to use their own creative thinking process, while still enjoying their book. My daughter happens to enjoy spelling so we do make good use of the section at the end, called simply "Vocabulary", with words and their meanings.
As a parent, I am very pleased to see such a well thought out book and I do hope Ms Lanno writes the next one soon.
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