3.5 stars. I would have loved this as a kid. Two students unravel a puzzle at their school. This might be one to recommend to my boys. ( )

The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck by Emily Fairlie is about an old school struggling to stay open and two children who help make that possible. Bud and Laurie are thrust together when they're put in charge of two "flesh eating" gerbils. As they are on one of many chases through the old school halls to capture the escape artist gerbils, they stumble upon the first clue to the Tuckernuck treasure hunt.

The treasure hunt, it turns out, was started in the early days of the school. It was supposed to be annual event but for one reason or another, that didn't come to pass. In that time, the original treasure (whatever it was) hasn't been found. Except now Bud and Laurie think they can if the clues haven't accidentally been destroyed or sold off in the last many decades!

The relationship between Bud and Laurie is a lot like the that of Dan and Amy Cahill from the earliest books in the 39 Clues series. Except, these two aren't siblings, and the stakes aren't as high. Also since the treasure is squirreled away in only one location (an old school), there's more time to explore and really get to learn about Tuckernuck's unique history. ( )

I won a copy through the Goodreads' Firstreads program!

Quite often I have picked up a 'children' or 'young adult' book, just to be sorely disappointed with what options youth have to read. This book is far from that disappointment.

The idea is simple: There is a treasure somewhere in school. Since the founder's days, students have been on the hunt. Now, two sixth-graders have found the first clue.

Lost Treasure follows Bud and Laurie through misadventures, awkward moments, and hilarity. Notes and emails are used in such a way that adds life to the story. It's also fun to follow clue-solving sleuths!

I would definitely recommend this book to my youth students.

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