What Treasures Await Over Sea, Under Stone?

Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew, along with their parents, are on holiday at the home of a family friend, or “Great-Uncle Merriman (or Merry), as they call him. Merry is renting an old house by the sea, and the Drew parents have let the children know not to touch anything they shouldn’t. The attic proves to hold lots of interesting knickknacks for the children. When they accidentally stumble upon a manuscript, they are intrigued by a map inside it. The map looks just like the coastline where they’re staying. And the mystery begins! After looking at the drawing and trying to figure it out the children realize it relates back to King Arthur and his knights. They decide this is information not to share with the adults. When her brothers are out boating for the day Jane does some more exploring and locates an old guide book with a similar map inside. This leads her to look for the town vicar, the man who wrote the book. Venturing out on her own Jane is not able to locate the vicar. Instead, the man as his house answers no questions but seems very intrigued by what Jane has found. When the house Merry is renting is burglarized the children decide they must tell their uncle what is going on. And what he tells them is very shocking. Now they are on a quest to find a hidden treasure. The clues will lead them to rock formations and they’ll have adventures in caves. But will they find what they’re looking for? Is there really a treasure? Was King Arthur real or is it all just stories? Who can the children trust? You’ll have to read this fast paced book to find out!

I always love a good mystery and fantasy is another favorite of mine, so when a friend told me about Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper I decided to give it a try. What an exciting read! An old house? A spooky attic? Old books and maps? Ancient mystery? Yes, please! I was biting my nails as the children had the bad guys hot on their heels at so many moments during the book. As they tried to figure out who to trust I felt worried for them. It was fun trying to piece together the clues to see if I could figure out where the Drew children needed to go. The most nerve-racking for me was when they were at the cave and the water was going up! Yikes! Caves are amazing, but the thought of getting trapped in one of them or possibly getting hurt by waves crashing me into rocks, makes me scared. I recommend this book to kids or adults in fourth grade and up who love suspense, a thrilling adventure, and anything that ties into King Arthur. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

Has anyone else read oversee Over Sea, Under Stone?  Or have you read another book by Susan Cooper? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!

~L

P.S. I missed Marvelous Middle Grade Monday this week, as we were spotlighting Elaine Kay and her book, Bad Fairy. Be sure to check out all the MMGM reviews at Always in the Middle!