From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-- Adventure and excitement abound in this mystery. Ben and his friend Jake like to play and explore along the river near their homes. Excitement over their discovery of an old buried boat is compounded when they find a treasure map inside it, with an X to mark the spot. As they get close to an island in Quicksand Swamp, where they hope the treasure is buried, they realize that the island is surrounded by alligators. Taking refuge in a tree for the night, they also find that someone is watching them, waiting and hoping that they will die. Old Boy Scout training plus some gritty resourcefulness enable the boys to survive. Plenty of suspense makes this a story sure to please readers, and the reading level is easy enough to lure reluctant ones. Each chapter has a cliff-hanging ending, and if the resolution is a bit too facile, few youngsters are going to care. The book, reminiscent of Gloria Skurzynski's adventure novels, is an excellent choice for leisure reading. --Bruce Ann Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From the Publisher
When jake finds the old canoe filled with rocks and hidden in sand near the river, he and Ben are thrilled! But someone wants to bury it. Why? The trouble begins when they clean it up, discover a treasure map, and set out in their new boat in search of adventure.
What they find instead is terror: alligators swarming around them, trapping them on the tiny island in the middle of the eerie Swamp. But there is an even more fearsome enemy: a shadowy figure who is waiting to kill them if they survive the alligators and the quicksand that lies beyond...
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
