Kaleidoscope Eyes - by Jen Bryant (Paperback)

About the Book

In 1968, with the Vietnam War raging, thirteen-year-old Lyza inherits a project from her deceased grandfather, who had been using his knowledge of maps and the geography of Lyza's New Jersey hometown to locate the lost treasure of Captain Kidd.

Book Synopsis

Will Lyza's 1968 summer mystery lead to . . . pirate treasure?

When Lyza helps her dad clean out her late grandfather's house, a mysterious surprise brightens the sad task. In Gramps's dusty attic, Lyza discovers three maps, carefully folded and stacked, bound by a single rubber band. On top, an envelope says "For Lyza ONLY." What could this possibly be? It takes the help of her two best friends, Malcolm and Carolann, to figure out that the maps reveal three possible spots in their own New Jersey town where Captain Kidd (the Captain Kidd, seventeenth-century pirate) may have buried a treasure. Can three thirteen-year-olds actually conduct a secret treasure hunt? And what will they find?

In a tale inspired by a true story of buried treasure, Jen Bryant weaves an emotional and suspenseful novel in poems, all set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War during a pivotal year in U.S. history.

Review Quotes

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2009:
"Readers will fall under the spell of the delicious plot."

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, May 25, 2009:
"Sincere and well-paced, with the backdrop of a tumultuous period in history, the story is not easily forgotten."

About the Author

Jen Bryant is the acclaimed author of poetry, biographies, picture books, and fiction, including The Fortune of Carmen Navarro; Ringside, 1925 Views from the Scopes Trial; Pieces of Georgia; and The Trial, a novel for young readers about the 1932 kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's son.

A graduate of Gettysburg College, Jen Bryant teaches children's literature at West Chester University and lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter. To learn more about the author and her books, please visit www.jenbryant.com.