Just look at that cover art!
How could I resist Missing In Paradise.
I studied the cover, read the book, then studied it some more.
The cover tells the story.
Now, come on in and learn all about it.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
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Title: Missing in Paradise
Publication date: November 3, 2014
Publisher: Rebelight Publishing Inc.
Author: Larry Verstraete
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My Review
Before I start taling about the book, I want to talk a bit about the cover art.
I’m assuming you read the book description. Now look at the cover. It tells the story. You’ll see after you read it.
Bravo to the author for his fun, whimsical, telling cover!
Now to the story.
Nate thinks his Gramp’s death was mysterious. And that is confirmed when he’s drawn to a cardboard box. It contains clues and a map to a hidden treasure, the long missing “Shipment #35 – Gold.”
Nate quickly grabs the box, rescuing it from the garage sale and the creepy clutches of his neighbor, old man Fortier.
Sure that his Gramps was onto something, Nate enlists the help of his friend, Simon, to seek out the treasure.
They make their plans, jump on a bus, and set off on the adventure of all adventures.
But someone else knows about the treasure, and the race is on.
This book is like a blast to the past. I remember some wild adventures I went on when I was young. I never found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, never found cans of money buried in my back yard(got in trouble for those holes, LOL) and never found a treasure, but I had a grand time looking.
I felt that same excitement while reading this book. I was a part of the adventure. I also felt the fear, the doubt, and the hope.
While this is recommended for middle grade readers, some of the characters are kids and some are older adults, so I’d recommend this to anyone with a sense of adventure. It’s good, clean fun.
Here’s looking at you, kid.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Four months after Gramp’s mysterious death, Nate helps out at Gram’s garage sale. An eerie feeling, as if Gramps were reaching beyond the grave to send Nate a message, leads Nate to a box full of clues. A missing plane. A secret to keep. A map highlighting the route where Gramps died and the message, “Shipment #35-Gold.” Nate and his best friend, Simon, are convinced that Gramps was on a treasure hunt when he died. They’re just as convinced that Gram’s shifty next door neighbour, Fortier, is after the gold too. Nate and Simon sneak away on a Greyhound bus for the small town of Paradise where Nate is sure treasure awaits. Can they find the gold before Fortier gets his thieving hands on a treasure that rightfully belongs to Gramps?
Larry Verstraete is an award winning author of 13 non-fiction books for young people. This is his first work of fiction.
ABOUT LARRY VERSTRAETE:
Larry Verstraete, a retired teacher, has authored thirteen non-fiction books for young people and won multiple awards including the 2012 McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award and the 2010 Silver Birch Non-fiction Award. Missing in Paradise is his first work of fiction.
Connect with the Author: Website | Facebook | Goodreads
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