The Copper Map: A Skye Belle Adventure

The Copper Map, by H.A. Jones, is a well-written, fast-paced adventure story. This second book in the Skye Belle series brings twelve-year-old Skye and her ten-year-old brother Brandon right into the heart of Egypt on a treasure hunt. Together with Doctor Peter Niven, the trio follows the scantest of clues on a copper map discovered with the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The only problem is, Skye and her crew aren’t the only ones looking for the treasure… and Peter, being somewhat out of his comfort zone, unwittingly leads them into danger. Only through sharp thinking and determination can Skye hope to escape not only with the treasure, but with her life.

In the story, Peter is an agnostic, interested only in fortune and glory. This fact gives Skye opportunity to point out the historical accuracy of the Bible. It also gives the tale a gentle Christian perspective.Jones’ descriptions of this area of the world paints a clear image of the landscape for readers, which adds depth and credibility to the story. Through Skye’s eyes, readers see and hear the modern day culture and experience a few important holy land sites.

What I Like:I reviewed the first book in the series too. I gave it an excellent rating… and I like this story even better than the first. I felt the author made the adventure more believable by having Peter along to supervise the youngsters while they explored while at the same time giving the power and creative thinking to the children to solve the problems that ensued.

And, this is neither a like or dislike, but a note. I felt like the vocabulary was a step up from book one. For instance, I thought The Lost Treasure of Persia ($2.99 Kindle link) ($4.49 Paperback link) would be well suited for a first and second grade audience. However, I feel like this book would appeal best to a second through fourth grade audience because to me it had more depth in story, plot, vocabulary, and description. Click here to read the CCBR review of The Lost Treasure of Persia.

What I Dislike: Nothing. I found the idea of the Copper Map fascinating though, and immediately looked up information about it on the internet. I would have loved if Jones had included some of the reference material he used when researching for this book. He could probably publish a non-fiction companion book with such information included.


Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: None is listed. I recommend second grade on up.

Publisher Info: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015; ISBN: 978-1508468080; Paperback or Kindle, 160 pgs., $6.99

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