Billions to Burn - by Taylor Banks (Hardcover)

About the Book

Twelve-year-old African American Zeus embarks on a treasure hunt to find his grandfather and uncover the secrets that destroyed his grandfather's printing company during the Harlem Renaissance.

Book Synopsis

National Treasure gets a Harlem Renaissance twist in this epic adventure through New York City, filled with history, humor, and heart

Twelve-year-old Zeus Jones is just about the only person in the world who believes in his grandfather's stories about the Harlem Renaissance. To be fair, they are a bit far-fetched. After all, what are the chances that there was a renowned magazine called Burn! whose headquarters literally burned down, destroying almost every single copy? And who would believe that a secret page was actually hidden amongst the ashes, said to be the key to unlocking a lost fortune? No one, that's who.

But when Zeus accidentally stumbles upon the secret page on the same day that his grandfather disappears without a trace, he finally has proof that his grandfather's stories are more than just stories--they're real. And now he knows that the secret page is more than just a secret page--it's a treasure map, leading to a prize beyond all imagining.

Follow the map, find the treasure, save his grandfather. Seems simple enough. But as Zeus and his friends work to solve the riddles of the map, long-buried secrets about the Harlem Renaissance, Black history, and Zeus's own family are unraveled. And what's more, they aren't the only ones intent on seizing this prize. . .

Filled with interactive clues and puzzles, young readers will love solving this mile-a-minute mystery right alongside Zeus!

About the Author

Taylor Banks is a graduate of the New Writers Project at UT Austin where she received her MFA and worked under the tutelage of Elizabeth McCracken and Claire Vaye Watkins. Her short fiction has received honorable mentions from both the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future contest and Glimmer Train's Fiction Open Contest. She currently lives in Virginia with her husband and her two cats.