Mystery on Skull Island (American Girl History Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Elizabeth McDavid Jones (Author), Dahl Taylor (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: American Girl History Mysteries

In 1724, twelve-year-old Rachel and her friend Sally discover a pirates' hiding place on a deserted island near Charles Town, South Carolina, and they suspect it may be connected to the woman who will soon become Rachel's stepmother.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 179 pages
• Publisher: American Girl (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584853425
• ISBN-13: 978-1584853428
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,543,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great new book from the History Mysteries series., September 17, 2001

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mystery on Skull Island (American Girl History Mysteries) (Paperback)

Since her mother's death when she was just five years old, Rachel Howell has lived with her grandparents in the city of New York. The year is 1724, and Rachel is now twelve. Her father has finally sent for her, and she must make the sea journey from New York to Charles Town, South Carolina. When the ship is almost at its destination, pirates attack, and Rachel loses her most precious possession, a necklace that had belonged to her mother. When she finally arrives in Charles Town, Rachel is thrilled to finally be reunited with her father, but is devastated by the news that he plans to remarry and that his fiance, Miranda LeBoyer, will be arriving soon from Philadelphia. Rachel makes two friends, Sally and Todd, whose mother runs an inn. But at Miss LeBoyer's urging, Rachel's father forbids her to see her friends because they are from a lower class. Rachel and Sally decide to meet in a secret place, a small island near the city that they name Skull Island because they believe a pirate's treasure may be hidden there. After Rachel's father loses his fortune in a bad business deal, the friends begin to believe that his misfortune may have been caused by Miss LeBoyer, who is keeping a secret about his partner in the investment. Some very surprising plot twists follow, but I won't reveal what they are, because it would spoil the ending. I highly reccomend this book to young readers who enjoy historical fiction.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Good One, November 30, 2002

By 

AntiochAndy "antiochandy" (Antioch, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Mystery on Skull Island (American Girl History Mysteries) (Paperback)

The year is 1724 when twelve-year-old Rachel comes to Charles Town to live with her father. Her mother died when Rachel was five and she has lived with her grandparents ever since. She makes a new friend in Sally, the tavern-owner's daughter, but their budding friendship is ended soon after the arrival of Miranda, Rachel's father's fiancee. To continue seeing each other, the girls decide to spent time on a small island near the town. They dub the island "Skull Island" after discovering a human skull near some quicksand on their first visit. They also discover a hidden lagoon, an overgrown trail, and mysterious carved symbols. Are pirates hiding stolen treasure on the island? The plot thickens when Rachel finds evidence of a secret relationship between Miranda and Mr. Craven, her father's business partner. Then her father's business is ruined when his ships are attacked by pirates. Is Miranda betraying Rachel's father? Can she save her father from disaster and keep her friendship with Sally?

Though she's now eleven, my daughter still often enjoys having me read to her when she goes to bed at night. We have been including books from the American Girl "History Mystery" series for two or three years, now. These books combine engaging stories with real historical settings, giving young readers useful insights into how people lived in those times along with positive characters they can relate to. In general, we give the books in this series four stars. This one is one of my daughter's favorites, so this is an especially strong four-star pick and we strongly recommend it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christiana Wolterstorff 5-2 Mystery of Skull Island Review, June 8, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Mystery on Skull Island (American Girl History Mysteries) (Paperback)

This book deserves 5 stars because it gives suspence, high vocabulary and a great ending.The book also has breath taking chapters everytime you get to the next one you can't stop reading. Beleive me you must read this book. but, i recommend you should be 10 and up to read this book because there are some scary moments and high vocabulary words. ENJOY THE BOOK!!!!!!