A Review and Giveaway: Gasparilla’s Treasure

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August 13, 2012 by CassieCravings

mamacravings

My absolute favorite read this summer has been Gasparilla’s Treasure by Scott Clements.

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This book features the adventure seeking Trip Montgomery, his best friend Josh, and the new girl in school Sarah. The three find themselves in a real treasure hunt throughout the beautiful and history-filled St. Augustine, Florida. However, school bully Eli does not make it easy on them. He is dead-set on finding out their secret adventure. While Trip, Josh and Sarah seek a physical treasure they find lasting friendship, a love for history, and the pay off for persistence.

As a Reader

I have always been a bookworm. As a little girl, one of my favorite places to go was the library. My brothers and I would come home with stacks and stacks of books. We would pile onto my bed with our mountain of treasures and dive into our newest adventures. Some of my favorite books growing up were the Nancy Drew series and the Hardy Boys. I simply couldn’t get enough.

Gasparilla’s Treasure brought me back to those memories. Clements’ writing is reminiscent of the classic mysteries. But he certainly has a voice of his own. Clements brings a fresh take and bold new adventure to the next generation of mystery and adventure enthusiasts.

As a Teacher

It can be quite the challenge to find the perfect book to peak the interest of a resistant reader. Gasparillia’s Treasure is a teacher’s dream. This book is funny, relatable, and has cover-to-cover adventure. Not only will students be drawn into the story, the brilliant layering of history will inspire students to seek out their own adventures.

I already have a copy of Gasparilla’s Treasure on my bookshelf in the classroom. But I will certainly need to order more. This one won’t stay on the shelves long. My 5th graders are going to adore Gasparilla’s Treasure, and I cannot wait to introduce it to them.

As a Mama

Gasparilla’s Treasure tackles relatable issues in a relevant way. Bullies, first crushes, and disagreements with parents are those touchy topics that are difficult to tackle in an age appropriate manner. However, Clements does this beautifully.

He writes in the voice of junior high Trip, but with the gentle guidance of a parent. He doesn’t shy away from the hurt of a bullying, the butterflies of a first crush, or the inner conflict of disobedience. Clements also takes the time to play out answers to such topics in a manner that is light-hearted, fun, and mama approved.

As a mama, I know that my son will be faced with such situations. I would like to think that my little one will always be treated fairly, will only crush on the person I have chosen, and will always see the wisdom in my words. In the event that things don’t work out that way, I am thrilled that little Eli will have such a book to reference in his real-world dilemmas.

The Giveaway

This fun giveaway includes:

• $75 Gift Card to Amazon.com
• Audiobook copy of the book from Audible
• 3 Signed copies of the book by author Scott Clements
• 5 Gasparilla’s Treasure E-book

Click on the link below to enter: 

http://www.facebook.com/NonMomEBTK/app_228910107186452