Customer Reviews

A to Z Mysteries Super Edition 2: Mayflower Treasure Hunt (A to Z Mystery)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My 6-year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed this book. She pays attention to the details to come up with theories about the mystery. I believe this helps her overall reading comprenhension.

I'm a fan of the A to Z Mysteries for many reasons. My own first grader finds the books engaging and fun. And the books serve as nice breezeways into dicussions about all kinds of things - detective work, safety, etc. The Mayflower Treasure Hunt involves a bit of history, too, and for children who are beginning to learn about the origins of America, or the Mayflower, etc. they will feel a real connection with this modern day story that involves relics from the past. There is a clever use of museums and character actors in this story that help explain interesting facts about life at the time of the Mayflower and what it must have been like in the cramped spaces on that tiny vessel. The story is not so much a history lesson, but history as a backdrop makes for a really good little work.

Mayflower is a fun read - it's a bit longer than the standard A to Z Mysteries, but my first grader gobbled it up, eager to see how it all turns out. I don't reveal plot points in reviews, but suffice it to say that the treasure hunt concerns lost or stolen jewelry that belonged to one of the Mayflower passengers and the young detective's search for what actually happened so many years ago.

A to Z Mysteries are fairly easy reads that invite kids to figure it out before the end, but rewards them regardless of when they "get it." They are much easier to decipher than the typical Encyclopedia Brown Detective Series (which I love, but are dated, at times, and over the heads of the younger readers). The young detectives in this series have well defined personalities and there's a good bit of humor involved. Roy writes kids well, and the dialogue, while simple, feels real.

A word of caution for parents of young readers - have a conversation with your children about what they've read. It's fun and informative, but also might give you the chance to discuss an "issue" or two - especially about safety. In some of the A to Z stories (The Bald Bandit, for example) the young detectives sometimes display a bit of naive behavior.....but these are largely happy stories that turn out well. Nevertheless, having that open conversation about letting an adult know where you are and/or where you are going to be, how and who to call for help if you need to, and recognizing danger when it presents itself is a very worthwhile endeavor. I do not mean to suggest that these books walk the line of inappropriateness - on the contrary - they actually harken to a time not so very long ago when we weren't scared to death to let a child out of our sight for more than a few seconds. These books are refreshing, engaging, and fun. And if a little life lesson or two comes from them as well, then that's just another plus for the series.

My daughter was so happy to see that her favorite characters were back again. She devoured the A to Z Mysteries and was so excited when Ron Roy started adding to the series. We followed up reading this book by going on a trip to visit the Mayflower II. My daughter was thrilled to see all of the places mentioned in the story-the details in the book went along so well with what we saw. She chose this book to do a book report on for school. Keep 'em coming Ron Roy!

The details are what our three love! It's great to read aloud and hear discussion about who might have done it and why. They trade theories and "supporting arguments" back and forth. A lively (dual) read for both 4 and 8 year-olds.

I'm 8 I liked this book because there was lots of action in it and it was exciting too.There wasn't one thing I didn't like about this book. I think it was the best A-Z mystery book I ever read!I've read about 11 of the A-Z mysterys I personally like them. I would recomend this book to people who like mysterys and adventures around the world.

The Mayflower Treasure Hunt was a great look back in history at how our ancestors came over to the new world. The author takes an old story and adds in a mystery that has never been solved to create a wonderful adventure for our young readers. The story states that a valuable necklace was stolen by one of the workers on the Mayflower. Unfortunately, the necklace and the worker were both missing when everyone got off of the ship. The children, quickly gather clues and form a theory on where the necklace might have been hidden. Now the only problem is finding the necklace and getting back to the hotel before Dink's mom starts to wonder where they are.

I really enjoyed reading the A to Z Mystery books. Ron Roy helps children to learn a little history, use their imaginations, think about the mystery at hand as well as reading the story. These books are great for early readers.

By Kerri J. Busteed
Author of Will's First Hunt Will's First Hunt

Middle school and junior high girls love these mysteries! Another great A to Z book.

This book was not enjoyed. Lots of complicating details that just added up to boredom.