About the book: An epic adventure—that’s all Bryce wants this summer. So when he stumbles upon a treasure map connected to an old family secret, Bryce is determined to follow the clues to unearth both, even it means hiking in the wilderness in the middle of nowhere. Bryce must work with his bickering brother, Jack, or they may never see the light of day again!
My review: I enjoyed reading this book! It's a middle grade book and there is a lot going on. I loved the way the book shifts back and forth between Bryce and his brother Jack as they are on their summer camping trip with their grandpa.
I was kind of amazed at the amount of adventures these two boys have and the number of times they are in danger. They nearly die several times. I have to wonder if all boys are like this, because if they are I know I'll have to be on my toes as my little guy gets bigger!
I liked both Bryce and Jack. Both are good boys with a secret. I liked that Jack's main secret is that he feels that his parents are disappointed in him for some reason. The reason stays a secret until the very end and I was very surprised what the secret turned out to be. Bryce has a different kind of secret, he's stolen a treasure map from his grandfather and wants to find the treasure without letting anyone know. I love his honesty though, he very nearly tells his grandfather several times throughout the story.
I also love that this book feels like it could be real, just with the way the two brothers interact and show off for each other. It felt quite a bit how I remember feeling growing up with my 3 brothers...someone always trying to outdo someone else, or show off a little bit...or just whatever.
This is a cute, fun middle grade book that boys (and girls too) will enjoy reading to find just a little bit of adventure in their day!
I was sent an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Guest Post by Author Shari Schwarz: When you sit down to write a book, usually the idea doesn’t just pop into your mind, fully formed, for the first time. The inspiration behind Treasure at Lure Lake came from several different sources. Immediately, I knew I wanted to write a book that my preteen/teenage sons would hopefully love. I wanted to write a fun adventure that would be friendly to reluctant readers like they were. So, I set out to write something that would capture their imagination and sense of adventure and maybe a bit of each of their hearts along the way.
I was also inspired by survival adventure books I’d enjoyed reading such as Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and Peak by Roland Smith. As a school librarian, I had also seen students flock toward certain adventure books. I wanted to write something along those lines that would be exciting and fun to read.
However, I’m not sure I would have been attracted to writing an adventure book in the first place if I hadn’t been raised on family vacations in the Rocky Mountains. My family, led by my fearless father, enjoyed creating our own adventures in the mountains. We could often be found traversing rocky cliffs along mountain rivers, exploring abandoned mines and old mine shafts, bush-whacking our way to the next great picnic spot and wading through raging rivers—well, they seemed raging to us as children, at least! I wanted to share this sense of adventure when I set out to write Treasure at Lure Lake.
About the author: Shari Schwarz lives in Ft. Collins, Colorado near the Rocky Mountains with her husband and their four boys. TREASURE AT LURE LAKE (April 12, 2016) is her debut middle grade novel which reflects her love for a good survival adventure story. When she’s not reading or writing, Shari can be found freelance editing, weight-lifting, gardening or watching her boys play football, basketball, speed stacking, or wrestling. She frequently daydreams of exploring Oregon Coast beaches or plotting out her next children’s book.Labels: Cedar Fort, middle grade book, Shari Schwarz
About the book: An epic adventure—that’s all Bryce wants this summer. So when he stumbles upon a treasure map connected to an old family secret, Bryce is determined to follow the clues to unearth both, even it means hiking in the wilderness in the middle of nowhere. Bryce must work with his bickering brother, Jack, or they may never see the light of day again!