Book Scavenger is literature worth finding for middle grades and up

The line that separates children’s entertainment from being enjoyed by a wider audience is a fine one indeed. If it goes just a bit too young then only the really young kids will like it, tweens won’t and teens and adults would be bored senseless. Age appropriate content that legitimately crosses up to an older audience is very difficult. That is what makes Book Scavenger so surprising and such a treat to read. For older readers its content is simple, but the story and characters make it so engaging that you want to read it and actively turn the page eager to find out what happens.

I read Book Scavenger first and found it genuinely entertaining. It was logical that my wife would find the book more entertaining than I-and I was right. She’s been reading middle school books for years because she likes the characters and action. After the first couple of chapters she couldn’t stop talking about the book, was telling me what she liked best about it and hoped it was 23 hours from now so that she could read some more of it before she had to sleep.

12 year old Emily and her family are moving across the country to live in San Francisco. Her family is eclectic and move quite often with the goal of living in every state. She’s also a reader and a great fan of her favorite author, Garrrison Griswold. He’s created an online game where fans hide books and then leave clues as to where readers can find them.  Shortly after she arrives in San Francisco Griswold is attacked and in a coma, but just before that she finds a book that might be his and the start to a brand new game.

The author, Jennifer Chambliss Bertman does a great job with the character development. We meet Emily’s teen neighbor James who has lots in common with her, including a love and skill for puzzles. Her brother Matthew is also solidly written in a family bond that is explored, believable and one that brings hope to siblings everywhere.

Bertman also nails the locations down. I’ve only been to San Francisco twice, but her descriptions of the city make me want to visit the locations that she wrote about.  You can feel the funky curves in the architecture and all but smell the cobwebs in the old stores as she weaves her narrative.

Book Scavenger is a book about puzzles, friendship, middle school, travel, adventure and family. That’s a lot of topics, but it melds them so seamlessly you don’t realize that they all play a part in the end result. One byproduct of that result is the reader’s desire for another book.  Readers 4^th grade and up will love this book. It’s descriptive fun that makes one hope the movie is as good as this book.