- Library Binding: 257 pages
- Publisher: Turtleback Books (November 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1417654767
- ISBN-13: 978-1417654765
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.3 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 318 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-Since his death in 1881, the spirit of John Matthew Smith, once a wealthy patriarch, has been taking an annual walk around the Square of homes he built for his large family. He has whipped up whirlwinds, even downing an oak, in an effort to get his many descendants to patch up quarrels, reunite, and introduce the youngest branches of the family tree to one another. He had hidden three treasures, two of which were found by the family when desperately needed. Now it is time for the youngest relatives to find the third. Sending dreams to two Smith teens who have never met, he ensures their return to Smiths Mills. Facing a counterpane of mystery, mechanically minded Ellsworth and angry Jess must join forces to figure out the family dynamics and the meaning of the treasure clues. Anderson excels in her realization of the detailed setting, which is absolutely necessary for the success of the plot. In Ellsworth, she has created a fully rounded and appealing character who has never been told why his father cut off all ties with his relatives years earlier. With a touch of the family eccentricity of The Monkey Tree (Dutton, 1998) and a bit of the fantasy of Going through the Gate (Puffin, 2000), Anderson has conjured up a fascinating read for puzzle lovers while sandwiching in an important message about intergenerational relationships.
Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Gr. 5-7. Although this perceptive tale of two teenagers helping to reunite a family lacks the brilliant fantasy elements of Anderson's Going through the Gate (1997), it serves up full measures of atmosphere, mystery, and sensitive characterization. Following a pleading letter from a Quaker aunt he's never met, Ellsworth Smith braves his father's displeasure to visit the rest of his clan and see the 10 houses that a wealthy nineteenth-century ancestor, John Matthew Smith, built for his children. Only seven of the houses were ever occupied; in the other three, John Matthew hid "treasures" intended to help future generations in hard times. Two of the treasures have been found, and now, in the face of old tragedies and longstanding family disputes, it's time to find the third. Stirring in a dash of the supernatural and sometimes eerie parallels between present and past, Anderson sends Ellsworth and a troubled cousin in search of the treasure's location, then expertly uses setting details (including weather) to draw the quest to a suspenseful climax. In the end, the entire family joins the hunt, and in working together they discover not only a hoard of silver but also precious treasure in one another. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best treasure,
By A Customer
This review is from: Last Treasure (Hardcover)
This book is good but some parts are hard to understand because it is poetry. The poetry is the clue to the mystery of the last treasure house. If you read the clues over you will understand what they mean. It is so good, I would probably read it again. I recommend this book for most ages.This book is about two kids who are fifth cousins named Jess and Ellsworth. Ellsworth and father, Ben Robert, live and help manage a hotel. On Ellsworth's birthday, he is invited to Smiths Mills, New York where his whole family lives. At first, Ben Robert doesn't want him to go but he knows it is necessary. As little as, they know there is treasure waiting to be found. The treasure is in a house which was built by Ellsworth's great great grandfather. This house was built on Smiths Square. It takes the whole family to find it. Can Jess and Ellsworth get their whole fighting family to work together or will they fail like every one else who tried? How will they get along? Will they get the treasure? Go ahead read "The Last Treasure."
5.0 out of 5 stars
A third home run for Janet Anderson,
By A Customer
This review is from: Last Treasure (Hardcover)
This is Janet Anderson's third children's novel, and it contains the same sort of thought-provoking depth as her first two (GOING THROUGH THE GATE and THE MONKEY TREE). On the surface, this is a fast-paced, suspenseful read about the Smith family and the "treasure" that is hidden inside an old brick house. Intriguing flashbacks serve to hold our interest as we venture into this house and try to find the treasure.However, this book is more than just a treasure hunt, and buried along with the treasure is the story of one boy and his outlook on the world. Ellsworth Smith is one of the most convincing characters I have read in a long time, but he's not the only one - all of Anderson's characters are brought to life with a unique and interesting style of dialogue. In the end, this story delivers a message about family, especially through the relationship between Ellsworth, his father, and his grandfather - the message, however, is never heavy-handed. Anderson's prose is amazingly vivid and poetic, and the story is one of her best yet. The book itself is a hidden treasure waiting to be found.
4.0 out of 5 stars
X Marks the Spot!,
By "nabbott6" (Scottsdale, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Last Treasure (Hardcover)
Yes, there is treasure, but it's been in the house next door for the last hundred years.The elder Smiths decide that's been long enough so they send for the younger Smiths, Jess and Ellsworth. Ellsworth hasn't been to the Smith compound since he was a baby, and Jess's mom decided Jess needed a little holiday while she spent some time with her boyfriend. There's a dark family secret; why Jess's dad split out of there and has never returned, and of course why any family would wait 100 years before going after treasure in the house next door! But the relationship between Jess and Ellsworth and all the wacky Smith family members grows stronger, and Dad does come back to the fold, and everybody holds hands and lives happily ever after. I'm not kidding... They really do.
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