Review: Treasure Hunters - James Patterson

Treasure Hunters
James Patterson
Series: Treasure Hunters #1
Genre: Adventure, Children, Humor
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: Exciting
On Goodreads

Okay finally. A+ James, A+ for bringing me back to a good book. I actually recieved this at BEA 2013 and never managed to read it. My cousin picked the book up and couldn't put it down and so . . . after reading such books as Claire de Lune . . . . (detailed description of my hatred at goodreads, here).

First off, this book is just plain funny. And it's a children's book. Did I mention that I like those? No dirty jokes would be spared within these pages, no clever witty puns. Just straight up humor. And Patterson does it best when he makes fun of his own craft and characters.

'I'm twelve. I don't have a mustache or eyepatch. Don't believe everything you see.' (Introduction)

He even pokes fun at simple things that are hardly funny but you can't help but smile because you've always thought about it. Like, narrators that die, who are still able to tell their story.

'Whoa not so fast . . . If I were dead, how could I be telling you this story?' (On the first page, my lads)

I think the best parts were Beck's drawings. I can't post them for you but she makes fun of her brother all the time and writes 'yikes' at storms and ugh she's just so cute I wish she was my little sister.

Also seriously:

'One, it wasn't Spanish. Two, it wasn't treasure.' (137)

Just. Yes.

And that leads me to my next love of this book. You just love the characters. Maybe I'm just sort of high from a bad succession of terrible books but holy crap I loved everyone in this novel. No one pissed me off from being too exaggerated or too two dimensional. Everyone did what they were supposed to (or went out fighting). The sleazy treasure hunters were sleazy as hell, the CIA were cold and ruthless. The kids were clever, resourceful, witty, and enjoyable as they fought for their parents and their treasure. And I just learned the release date for the second novel. Win.

There's pirates, hidden treasure, lots of bad guys, a missing mom and a possibly dead Dad. The four kids are bickering half the time, trying to cleverly deduce their way out of traps the other half of the time.

There's also a bit of a potteresque (I don't mean to say that the kids are orphans even though by the beginning of the book they're left pretty much orphans) feeling with that heartwarming and adventure around the corner atmosphere.

I really don't know what else to say. I can't find much that is bad about the book. Obviously there are halting moments in the plot and a bit of character development that never happens for one character in particular (you'll see what I mean), I'm judging it as a children's book and as a children's book, it made my cousin go bonkers and want to be a pirate and if that doesn't deserve five stars then I don't know what does.

- Marlon

What would you put in a treasure chest?

Let us know in the comments!