Book Scavenger

Twelve-year-old Emily is an enthusiastic participant in Book Scavenger, an online game in which people hide books and leave clues for them to be found by others. And when her family relocates to San Francisco as part of their eccentric quest to spend time living in all 50 US sates, she's excited to participate in a local book-scavenging contest to be held by the site's creator... until an attack by would-be book thieves prevents him from announcing the contest. But Emily's found the book that was to be the key to the game, and is determined to follow the clues where they lead.

This is a decent kid's book, although it's one of those that I think I would have enjoyed a lot more if I'd read it at the appropriate target age. (Well, no, OK, show more if I'd read it when I was at the appropriate target age, I'd have just been confused, because I'd have no idea what this strange "internet" thing might be. But you know what I mean.) I especially would have enjoyed it because I went through a phase where I was fascinated by puzzles and ciphers, and there's certainly a lot of that in here. Adult me, however, mainly just appreciated the literary references.

Rating: 3.5/5, but I recommend it a bit more highly than that for puzzle- and book-loving kids. show less

Had I read this book when I was 9-12 I think I would have given it 5 stars. The children’s mysteries available to me then were nowhere near as good, and none that I can remember took place in San Francisco.

This story is great for both boys and girls, and will likely also be appealing to many reluctant readers. Even though this is a children’s book I think many older people (13 and all the way up) can also enjoy it. I particularly loved the San Francisco setting and that this is a book about books. I thoroughly enjoyed the real San Francisco portions. The fictional San Francisco parts felt a bit jarring to me (though likely not true for readers who didn’t/don’t live in the city) but they were still gratifying and a hoot.

This was show more a fun, light, enjoyable book. At times I found it scary, with a tad more feeling of menace that I prefer, but given that this book is for middle grade children I knew it wouldn’t get too dark, and it didn’t. There were a couple times I had to suspend disbelief, but not so much that it took me out of the story. Some smartly done red herrings too!

Interestingly, the instructions that start the story, although short, were a bit of a drudge for me (I have a story about the exercise my wonderful fifth grade teacher gave us about the importance of carefully reading instructions and they reminded me of that.) But they made the book’s story feel all that more authentic, and I think many readers will enjoy them.

I was left feeling love for the main characters and happiness for them. I felt invested in their lives: the three kids, the parents and some of the other adults, and properly scornful of the villains.

This is a lovely friendship story and a great romp. Lots of fun, with heart. Perfect for children who are fans of mysteries, puzzles, codes, and definitely children who’ve lived in or visited San Francisco or who have some interest in the city.

The author’s notes at the end are wonderful, and I learned a lot about Poe and some other subjects related to this story. show less

A grand adventure for bookworms and puzzle-lovers alike. I'm not the type of reader to stop and try to figure out all of the cyphers and codes myself, but you could if you wanted to. The premise is great, the plot is well-paced and with enough danger to be exciting, but the characters' emotional arcs are strong, too; particularly Emily and Matthew. James is a bit flat, and Steve is just stupid. I think this will be a bit hit with all the nerdy reader kids.

I am over the universe in love with this book!!!! As a fan treasure hunts, puzzles, mysteries, and more, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this ARC copy and then devoured it in one day. The author has created a perfectly paced book that refuses to be put down until the mystery comes to full light. I loved the multiple threads woven in about Edgar Allen Poe, Jack Kerouac, The Beats, the history of San Francisco, and gaming. And, as a sucker for a book with a rich setting, the author did a fantastic job of describing the scene/locations so well that I felt I was actually there with Emily and James. I really hope there will be a follow up to this, perhaps in a different city. Move over, THE WESTING GAME. There's a new book on the shelves!

Emily Crane’s parents pull up stakes every year and move their family to a new state, working virtually and indulging their love of travel to gather material for a book, 50 Homes in 50 States. Their teenaged son seems happy enough with this routine, but twelve-year-old Emily dreams of staying someplace long enough to make friends, to create an emotional anchor in a life filled with detachment. The Cranes next stop is San Francisco, and although Emily dreads the move, this one offers at least one promise of pleasure: San Francisco is the home and literary playground of Garrison Griswold, the originator of what Emily considers “the coolest book-hunting game in existence.”

Alas, the same day Emily and her family drive into town, show more thugs attack Griswold in a BART station, beating him severely. Now the literary world awaits daily updates from the hospital: Will Griswold survive to reveal his newest book-hunting venture?

James Lee, Emily’s new neighbor, seems familiar with every one of San Francisco’s hidden stairways and twisty streets, and he loves puzzles as much as Emily. They quickly become friends, and James takes Emily—and Matthew, her older, rock-loving brother—on their first foray around town. When they venture into a BART station, Emily finds a copy of Poe's The Gold Bug jammed behind a trash can, a discovery that plunges her into danger from Griswold's attackers.

Emily quickly realizes The Gold Bug contains clues about a treasure Griswold has hidden somewhere in the city. She and James set out to crack a series of clever ciphers, only to find that each success raises the risk they will be found by Griswold's attackers. Emily's fears are heightened by a growing realization an even more complex and important puzzle confronts her: Having made a friend, how does she keep him?

Bertman paints such a delightful picture of San Francisco that, as I read, I began to think it’s time I revisited that city. Emily is nicely drawn, a girl of realistic strengths—tenacious, clever, and cheerful—and weaknesses—impatient and self-involved, perhaps the result of too much aloneness in her young life. James’s talent lies in solving ciphers, highlighted by a contest he enters with sharp-tongued classmate Maddie, but his strongest (and most endearing) quality is his insistence upon friendship’s mutuality. Emily’s big brother, Matthew, is absorbed in the rock band Flush, much to Emily’s dismay, but this obsession isn’t allowed to override (entirely) his essential kindness. Other characters are drawn much more sparely, which weakens the story. Clyde and Barry, the two thugs searching for The Gold Bug (and Emily), are inept and mildly humorous moments, but their voices are virtually interchangeable. Social Studies teacher, Mr Quisling, is almost a complete blank; Bertman seems to think using the name excuses her from character development, yet I wonder how many readers will grasp the historical reference. Ditto Mr Remora; he is peculiar, but hardly sinister, and once again Bertman has chosen a name that is almost laughably on-the-nose, a reminder to all writers that what worked for Charles Dickens doesn't necessarily translate well in modern middle-grade fiction. Hollister, bookstore owner and former friend of Garrison Griswold, stands in for the de rigueur voice of (mostly) wise, if occasionally oblique, guidance. And the abrupt about-face made by Emily’s parents at the end of the book reduces these already-thin characters to little more than paper dolls being manipulated to force a happy ending. Surprisingly, the least well-drawn character is the most essential—Garrison Griswold—but as his puzzle is the critical issue, this superficiality doesn’t affect the story.

I imagine many readers will be sad the Book Scavenger game doesn’t exist beyond Bertman’s nicely-designed book-promotion efforts. Some, I hope, will be inspired to explore further the scandal-ridden history of Masquerade, a 1979 picture book that induced many to search the book’s illustrations for clues to a treasure hidden by the author, Kit Williams.

Is Book Scavenger perfect? No. Early on, when Emily and James query a potential online ally about the scavenger game, they receive repetitive non-answers; I recognized these immediately, and I imagine most will recognize the frustrating computer response. And, most important, because the book's villains are so flimsily drawn and possess barely an ounce of the sinister, the story’s climax--replete a lone cavalryman-to-the-rescue--is disappointingly weak. I was left wondering if Bertman was in a rush to meet a deadline or wasn’t quite sure how to end this otherwise delightful story. Emily, James, Matthew, and their puzzles deserve better.

The good of Book Scavenger, however, far outweighs the so-so. Overall, the writing is solid and justifies the reader's immersion, the mystery nicely complex, the ciphers and puzzles are pure fun, and the main characters appealing and resourceful. Highly recommended. show less

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

Okay, I loved this book. I really, really loved it. I wish I had written it. I think it's brilliant. Did I mention that I love this book?

I love that it's peppered with so many fun details, facts, and nods to the publishing industry. Emily was an immediately relatable, and adorable, though precocious, protagonist. Also a huge fan of James (and Steve, though I admit I rolled my eyes just a little when he was first introduced). I loved that the author also addresses Emily's relationship with her older brother, Matthew, and her parents' crazy ploy to live in all fifty states. It was also a lot of fun to learn about and see examples of ciphers!

I loved one of the final confrontations, and the way that Emily, James, show more and Matthew get themselves out of a sticky situation using previously built-in information. So satisfying! Pretty much the only thing I didn't love about this book was again, strange for middle grade, though I've seen it in otherwise awesome middle grade manuscripts, that these adults pull a gun on the kids in the final confrontation. But, on the plus side, I also loved that Emily and Matthew both got to meet their respective heroes. Such a fun and heartwarming touch.

I really loved this book, and it was a blast to read. I can easily imagine wanting to reread it and enjoying its nuances all over again. show less

What's more fun for me than reading a middle grade book? Reading books about books of course. I find I like a bit of irony and to me this is kind of ironic. I also expect to be taken on an adventure and get a fascinating mystery to solve along with the characters. In a middle grade book I get just a punch more fun and sweetness.

I loved this book and how smart the kids were, and I was surprised how elements of the story was a little dark and macabre, just a bit. Edgar Allan Poe and his life and career as a writer was a big part in this book, and that's where the dark elements came about. I learned a lot about his life and I'm now curious to know more about him and read his stories. Just shows, it's never too late to teach an old dog new show more tricks as the saying goes. Something that I notice about middle grade books today is how more edgy, dark and honest they are. Makes me think this is because the kids today are smart enough to know they don't want to be write down to or lied to. I like where this genre seems to be heading, I love middle grade books, it's my go to genre when feeling a little burned out on other genres.

I recommend this book to the kid that loves solving puzzles, adventure, and solving a mystery with real bad guys. show less