The Treasure Of Bessledorf Hill [Hardcover]

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Author)

Book Description

Did the long-dead pirate Peg Leg bury his treasure in Middleburg, Indiana?

Officer Feeney seems to think so. And Bernie Magruder, whose father runs the Bessledorf Hotel in Middleburg, believes him. After all, the Middleburg River runs into the Wabash, the Wabash flows into the Ohio, the Ohio runs into the Mississippi, the Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico, and the Gulf, as everyone should know, opens into the Atlantic, which is where the pirates were.

Is this why a pale light bobs about in the dark of night on Bessledorf Hill? Is this why holes appear on the hill? Has the spirit of Peg Leg returned for his treasure? Or does the great-great-greatgreat-great-great-grandson of Peg Leg, who turns up at the Bessledorf Hotel with a treasure map, know more about these mysterious events than he is willing to tell?

Rumors of the old pirate bring treasure hunters from everywhere, and once more Bernie and the colorful characters who form his family have a mystery on their hands.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?Could there actually be pirate treasure buried so far from the ocean in Middleburg, Indiana? Felicity Jones certainly thinks so. Odd bobbing lights on the hillside, a stranger purporting to be the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of the pirate Peg Leg, and a plethora of coded messages provide the impetus for yet another adventure for the gang from the Bessledorf Hotel. Although sixth in the series, this book stands alone. Readers are carried along as Bernie, Georgene, Weasel, Officer Feeney, and all of the hotel's inhabitants scramble to be first to find the treasure. Even Bernie's pets fall prey to the pirate mania; the cats wear kerchiefs around their necks, the dog sports an eye patch, and Salt Water, the parrot, wears a black three-corner hat with a skull and crossbones on the front. The melodramatic style and dialogue are appropriate for this modern-day adventure. While many characters come and go, none are developed in depth; this is not necessarily a negative as this series is more attuned to adventure than emotional connections to the players. With abundant slap-stick humor, predictable characters and plot, as well as a satisfying conclusion, this title may be just the hook needed to grab reluctant readers.?Lynda Short, The Lexington School, KY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-5. This lighthearted mystery, the sixth in the Bessledorf series, brings a rumor of buried treasure, a story of pirate lore, and a crew of strange characters to the Bessledorf Hotel in Middleburg, Indiana. Bernie, whose father manages the hotel, decides to follow the clues and find the treasure before anyone else, but when the great-great-great-great-great-great grandson of Peg Leg the Pirate comes to town, the plot thickens. The mystery may not be particularly compelling, but children who like a bit of broad humor in their fiction, especially Bessledorf fans, will find it here. Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1st edition (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689813376
• ISBN-13: 978-0689813375
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,089,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I guess I've been writing for about as long as I can remember. Telling stories, anyway, if not writing them down. I had my first short story published when I was sixteen, and wrote stories to help put myself through college, planning to become a clinical psychologist. By the time I graduated with a BA degree, however, I decided that writing was really my first love, so I gave up plans for graduate school and began writing full time.

I'm not happy unless I spend some time writing every day. It's as though pressure builds up inside me, and writing even a little helps to release it. On a hard-writing day, I write about six hours. Tending to other writing business, answering mail, and just thinking about a book takes another four hours. I spend from three months to a year on a children's book, depending on how well I know the characters before I begin and how much research I need to do. A novel for adults, because it's longer, takes a year or more. When my work is going well, I wake early in the mornings, hoping it's time to get up. When the writing is hard and the words are flat, I'm not very pleasant to be around.

Getting an idea for a book is the easy part. Keeping other ideas away while I'm working on one story is what's difficult. My books are based on things that have happened to me, things I have heard or read about, all mixed up with imaginings. The best part about writing is the moment a character comes alive on paper, or when a place that existed only in my head becomes real. There are no bands playing at this moment, no audience applauding--a very solitary time, actually--but it's what I like most. I've now had more than 120 books published, and about 2000 short stories, articles and poems.

I live in Bethesda, Maryland, with my husband, Rex, a speech pathologist, who's the first person to read my manuscripts when they're finished. Our sons, Jeff and Michael, are grown now, but along with their wives and children, we often enjoy vacations together in the mountains or at the ocean. When I'm not writing, I like to hike, swim, play the piano and attend the theater.

I'm lucky to have my family, because they have contributed a great deal to my books. But I'm also lucky to have the troop of noisy, chattering characters who travel with me inside my head. As long as they are poking, prodding, demanding a place in a book, I have things to do and stories to tell.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars WOAH!, October 9, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Treasure Of Bessledorf Hill (Hardcover)

This book is excellent. I love mysteries, and so does my sister. She is older than me, and still loves these books. I think though the age is estimated well, people who are younger will like it, and people who are older will also like it. Older readers will think its a bit of any easy read, but it still has some twists and turns. Younger readers will be spellbound in suspense.

4.0 out of 5 stars Chapter book with modern day pirates and treasure!, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Treasure Of Bessledorf Hill (Hardcover)

When there's talk of buried pirate treasure in Bernie's hometown of Bessledorf and a bobbing light appears at night on Bessledorf Hill, treasure-mania sweeps the town! The sixth book in Naylors' Bessledorf series _The Treasure of Bessledorf Hill_ is enjoyable if not exceptional. The book is intended for ages 8-12, which is a fairly accurate assessment, but it will probably appeal more to the lower end of this age range, and possibly even to seven-year-olds. Boys and girls will both enjoy the book, but because of the subject matter and the boy main character, the book may appeal more to boys. Naylor grabs the reader's attention quickly in the beginning of the book, and the plot is a mystery with twists and turns. While the writing is not compelling, the book is definitely enjoyable.