Abraham's Treasure
by Joanne Skerrett
Price:
ISBN:
Published:
Format:
£6.99
9780953222483
2011
Paperback: also an eBook
Nominated
Abraham’s Treasure was nominated for the Burt Award for Young Adult Caribbean Literature in 2014.
Purchase Online
Local Purchase
Visit here for a list of book sellers around Dominica and Trinidad.
About
Dominican-born Joanne Skerrett has written a terrific adventure story for young people set in Dominica. Teenage twins James and Jerome discover that treasure, buried during the days of slavery, is their rightful inheritance. As the boys decode the clues that will lead to the treasure, they have some strange encounters: there’s a helpful parrot, a ghostly figure from the past and a legless man who can walk; they escape from a falling tower and discover a boiling lake. And, of course, there’s also an evil stranger who confronts them.
Abraham’s Treasure mixes a classical hunt-the-treasure plot with a hint of magical realism. The twins are typical teenagers who have some very untypical experiences as they desperately strive to reach the treasure – whatever that may be – before their adversary.
Great for boys but girls, too, will identify with the twins and also with Petra, an annoying neighbour who is just as smart as they are. And the wild landscape of Dominica makes it a perfect location for a spot of treasure-hunting.
Author(s)
Joanne Skerrett was born and brought up in Dominica. She moved with her family to the United States during the 1980s. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a BA in English and later attended Northeastern University where she earned an MBA. She also holds a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been a journalist on newspapers including the Boston Globe and Chicago Tribune. Joanne lives in Washington DC where she works as a lawyer. Abraham’s Treasure is her fifth novel and her first book for young people.
Reviews
A moving coming of age story packed with tropical adventure
— Ros Asquith
As in any good adventure story, there is in Abraham’s Treasure intrigue, there are twists and turns, there is dramatic irony. There are lessons also – of the nature of determination, of man’s inhumanity to man, of greed, of justice, of being able to let go of one’s dreams once daunting reality sets in. Though, we are told, in the words of Mr Brown, when in the final pages he is asked how the boys should get the treasure if it is indeed theirs: ‘I don’t know. We will have to see what they do next’ – no doubt, leaving the gate wide open for a serial publication, as fans of Abraham’s Treasure would be pleased to hear. The action and lessons of Abraham’s Treasure should inspire the imagination of boys in particular – and that is surely a very good thing for all of our Caribbean youth, their parents and teachers.
— Nahdjla Carasco-Bailey in Caribbean Book Blog
You may also enjoy
