by James Patterson
and Chris Grabenstein
Publication Date: September 16, 2013
Ages 8-12
ARC ISBN: 978-0-316-25316-1.
Personal Ranking 4 out of 5
"Note to self: If I ever have a ship of my own, do not call it The Lost. Because that's exactly what (and where) we were: lost at sea.
I guess we should be glad Dad didn't name his boat The Sunk,
The Drowned, or Titanic II."
I guess we should be glad Dad didn't name his boat The Sunk,
The Drowned, or Titanic II."
The Kidd family spends their time treasure hunting! With parents that are famous treasure hunters, Tommy, Storm, Bick and Beck have only known life on board their parents boat, The Lost. But living at sea while being home schooled by mom and helping dad run a treasure hunting business isn't so bad. In fact, they wouldn't have it any other way. That is until mom and dad go missing and the foursome is left on their own. Since life at sea is all they know, they decide to continue on dad's last mission in the Cayman Islands. But at the end of the day, who can they trust and will they ever see their parents again?
This is going to be a great new middle grade series for tweens and teens! Between the short chapters, the fast pace and the great illustrations you feel like you are right there on The Lost with the Kidd kids. You cheer for them when they win, you want to parent them when they make mistakes, and you either wish they were your kids or you were one of their siblings. But maybe that's just me, I love adventure! I didn't pick up the Arc because it was a Patterson, I picked it up because of the ARC cover and the compass on it. I am all about compasses this year, and travel and discovery.
Each of the Kidds has their own unique skill; Tommy might as well be a human compass, Storm has a photographic memory and perfect recall, Beck can draw and Bick can write. Together they use their skills to set out to finish their dad's work. Thankfully, mom and dad left them enough clues to figure out as they stumble along their way. At the end of the day, because they stick together as a family, they show us all what kids can accomplish with family and a positive attitude.
Overall, I love the concept and the humor, and I can't wait for their next adventure!
