Twelve-year-old Mary Thorne, having just learned that her widowed father plans to remarry, is packed off for a summer holiday at her Aunt Corinna's house on the west coast of Scotland in this engaging mid-twentieth-century children's novel. Although she is unaware of it, her two fellow guests, Neil and Janet Rowan, are to be her new step-siblings - her father and future step-mother, believing that they would stand a better chance of becoming friends without the pressure of knowing about their future familial relationship, had kept them all in the dark - and the three gradually build a bond of mutual respect and friendship. Discovering the key to the tower room at Lios, Aunt Corinna's house on an isolated headland overlooking the sea, the children uncover the previous resident's hobby of model ship building, and his efforts to find a passage through Ard Shona, the rocky headland beyond Lios. Their effort to find the passage themselves leads to a series of adventures in which their bravery, and their newfound friendships, are put to the test.

Sea Treasure was my first foray into the work of Elinor Lyon, and although I would not describe it as a particularly brilliant or memorable book, I did find it solidly enjoyable. It felt very much in the tradition of Arthur Ransome to me, with its holiday adventure/outdoor exploits theme, and its tale of children working together to accomplish a common goal. I liked all the characters, from goodhearted Mary, who doesn't realize at first that she has been missing having siblings to play with, to Neil, so ashamed of his perceived shortcomings that he doesn't see a way (at first) of changing them. The outdoor adventures are pleasant enough, but it is the evolving relationship between the children that is most appealing. I also appreciated the setting - I've always wanted to visit the western coast and islands of Scotland! - and some of the cultural details, from the fact that Una and Robert speak Gaelic to one another, to the local place-names. Of course, since Aunt Corinna is researching Gaelic place names, I did think it might have been nice to give the meanings for those used in the story. I would guess, for instance, based on my knowledge of Irish, that Ard Shona means "The Height of Shona."

Leaving that one quibble aside, this was a pleasing little tale, one I would recommend to young readers who enjoy Arthur Ransome's work, or who are looking for entertaining seaside holiday stories. ( )

Young Mary Thorne's usual plans to spend a quiet summer with her father are suddenly changed because he is about to be remarried. Mary is sent to spend her vacation with her Aunt Corrie, who lives in a mysterious mansion, Lios, on a remote coast of Scotland. Two other children, Neil (older) and Janet (young hellion) are also sent to Lios. The three children discover a locked tower room and a mystery concerning the former owner, an old gentlemen who made model sailboats and left maps (partially missing) of the surrounding sea. Neil must overcome his fear of swimming and of heights to solve the mystery. ( )