This book was unexpectedly fantastic. I was looking for an audiobook & stumbled upon this one. I really enjoyed it. It was a fast-paced adventure story involving buried treasure and gangsters. It starts off in England. Tom ends up staying with an uncle he barely knows so that his parents can go on a vacation. When he gets to the uncle's house, his uncle is headed to South America. Tom ends up going with. They are on the hunt for on of Sir Francis Drake's buried treasures because his uncle found an old manuscript, but finding it is more difficult because there is an angry gangster after them. They find the treasure, but lose it to save their lives. In the end, they return to England & Tom confesses everything to his parents. He and his uncle are invited to the Peruvian embassy. The manuscript is sold to a museum & the couple that sold it to Tom & his uncle get the money for it. There is a hint that someday, they might return to Peru to see if they can retrieve the treasure. Overall, I think this is a great book for 6th grade an up. It is a little gritty for younger readers & there is some violence. Tom ends up killing a man. But it is a great book for readers who tend to get bored easily. The audio was very good. After Tom burns down the shed in his backyard, his strange Uncle Harvey is the only one who will care for him while his parents take a no-kids-allowed vacation. Uncle Harvey isn't really happy to take him because he has somewhere out of the country he needs to be. Tom wrangles himself an invite along; or rather he doesn't give his uncle a choice.Off to South America they go where Uncle Harvey meets some interesting people and immediately becomes an object of interest to the local organized crime family. Both are after a legend of treasure left on a nearby island by Sir Francis Drake. Tom's not sure what he signed on for and worries that he may never see his family again. However, he may just prove to be an asset to the whole endeavor.A great book for reluctant boy readers!!
What do You think about Island Of Thieves (2012)?
Great boys book! I didn't know what was going to happen until the end!!
—zlisha
Loved this book. Very fast paced high adventures.
—Croft
Good book overall. Ending was a little rushed!
—e263844
