The Treasure Hunters

The Treasure Hunters by Lisa Thompson, illustrated by Gemma Correll, is a fantastic adventure story for children 8+.

Vincent is a boy who keeps himself to himself. He hasn't made many friends at his secondary school as he worries that his dyspraxia will make him stand out and cause unnecessary attention. His real love is his video games which he admits he is quite good at. Vincent lives in the shadow of his big brother, who is good at sports and goes out regularly with his dad on big adventures. When the opportunity arises at school to take part in The Wilderness Warrior Challenge, Vincent has no intention of signing up. Unfortunately, for Vincent, the pupils will be selected by the teachers and his name has been put forward.

So Vincent finds himself trekking through the wilderness with only three other camp mates. The aim to reach the finish line and return home, trying to ignore the taunts of the other school groups who are taking part. With their lack of experience and enthusiasm, the four find themselves in the deep end and longing to finish the race. However, one teammate has another agenda. She has no intention of aiming for the finish line but takes them off course as she has heard there is buried treasure somewhere on Fortune Mountain. Risking their safety, the four find themselves caught up in a treasure hunt.

This was such an enjoyable read. It took me back to my own childhood watching The Goonies for the first time. Booby traps, danger, baddies; this book had it all. Complete with a host of characters that transformed along the way. The book touches on family dynamics, dyspraxia, friendship, survival, self-belief and kindness. I adored it and couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.