  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 11/01/2014 Gr 4–6—Eleven-year-old Nicholas is a music and math genius who has trouble relating to most people. Baker has placed small italicized musical dynamics (forte, pianissimo, crescendo) throughout the text, emphasizing Nick's thought patterns. When his family home is in jeopardy of being sold, Nick takes it upon himself to find legendary family heirlooms, hoping they can save his house. Despite his lack of social skills, he gains the help of other social misfits from school as well as two grandfathers sprung from a nursing home, one being his senile Grandpa Rose. Their hideout is a crumbling, haunted house where they all work at unraveling the clues to finding the treasure. Throughout comical, quirky scenarios involving a séance, a confrontation with high school toughs in smuggler tunnels, and romps in a graveyard where the final clue and solution is found, Baker maintains a steady pace. Written with tongue-in-cheek humor, the characters engage in some unsafe and unsavory practices as they go about their adventures—dueling with firecrackers, setting fire to stolen backpacks, lying, and stealing. In the hands of savvy, mature readers, this intriguing and multilayered novel will provoke interesting discussions.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 12/15/2014 *Starred Review* In a small town on the shore of Lake Michigan, a thief, a bully, a genius, and a geriatric ex-con form an unlikely group brought together by the promise of buried treasure. Nicholas, an 11-year-old math and music prodigy, isn’t used to being unable to solve a problem; however, when financial problems force his family to put their house on the market, he can’t devise a way for them to keep their home or the very special tree growing in its backyard. That changes the day Nicholas’ grandfather comes to town, fresh out of prison and rambling about lost family heirlooms. His mind failing, Grandpa Rose only remembers a few cryptic clues about the heirlooms’ location. Two boys from school join Nicholas in the search, each with his own reasons for wanting a cut of the loot. Baker has written a Goonies-esque adventure filled with ghosts, smugglers’ tunnels, and mystery—and yet, there is more to this story than fortune hunting. The vivid setting, complex characters, and original writing style result in a story with lasting impact. Reminiscent of Louis Sachar’s Holes (1998), this is a rich, captivating tale about family and redemption that redefines the meaning of treasure. - Copyright 2014 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2015 When his elderly grandfather is released from prison and comes to live with Nicholas and his mother, Nicholas is intrigued by the man’s stories of hidden heirlooms and mysterious maps. Though his mother dismisses these claims, Nicholas feels compelled to seek out the truth-and, hopefully, much needed fortune. It’s a race against time, as their house is up for sale (Nicholas’ dad is already in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula trying to find work), and, with it, the backyard tree planted to commemorate his stillborn younger brother. Nicholas’ conversations with this tree provide some of the most beautiful moments of this novel. Baker paints a poignant picture of a sad, lonely boy, isolated from his peers due to his constantly associating his surroundings with numbers and music, and isolated from his parents due to strains of life and circumstance. Though the use of italicized subscript musical terms to describe vocal quality can be distracting, Nicholas’ melodic yet melancholic narration beautifully captures pain and sadness and hope. Ultimately, the writing here is as sophisticated as Nicholas’ way of thinking; this is a book of insight and treasures for those tweens with spirits old enough to discover them. AA - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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