Minerva's Voyage

January 1, 2010
Gr 7-9-In Plymouth, England, in 1609, William Thatcher snatches an orphan off the streets, renames him Robin Starveling, and proclaims that the boy will serve him in Virginia. Onboard ship, Robin soon discovers that Thatcher carries clues to a "Golden Treasure" in his sea chest, and that he has planned a stop on the way to Virginia that will lead him to his fortune. Robin eavesdrops on Thatcher's conspiratorial meetings with the senile Sir Thomas Boors and foul-smelling Proule and makes his own plans to find the treasure. He and the cabin boy, Peter Fence, sneak into Thatcher's chest to try to decipher the clues. Soon the ship sails directly into a hurricane that all too conveniently strands them on the Isle of Devils, exactly where Thatcher planned to be. Robin and Peter salvage the chest and spend their days unlocking the secrets of the emblems within. Through a series of events, the boys end up on a neighboring island, where they finally discover the treasure. The plot moves at a snail's pace, and readers will tire of the overdone descriptions of gross bodily functions, irritating characters, and the abuse the adults inflict on Robin."Wendy Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY"

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