Author: Cyndi Marko
Illustrator: Cyndi Marko (Colors by Jessica Lome and Lettering by Natalie Fondriest)
© Date: 2023
Publisher: Clarion Books
Pages: 183
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, graphic novel
Publisher Recommended Age: 8-12 years
Bonus Activities at End of Book: No
Summary from Book: Treasure fever has hit Winkelfuss!
A newly discovered map, riddled with riddles, hints that Cap’n Gnawface the Meanie stashed her loot somewhere on the island. But the legend of Gnawface’s treasure comes with a curse—”the Golden Smudge” that marks a treasure seeker to be ghost-napped!
Certain it’s just a silly ghost story, the greedy islanders go after the booty. But the Golden Smudge is no mere myth. . . and one by one (and sometimes two by two!) the treasure seekers start mysteriously disappearing! Luckily Paz is the one island resident who doesn’t care about the treasure, and she’s on the case.
Can Paz find her friends—or will she be ghost-napped first? It’s a slowdown showdown in the race for pirate treasure!
Note: This review is done from memory. I originally read this awhile ago.
Page Pig Thoughts: We found this one fun and amusing. At times, I wondered about the backgrounds of the characters, but this book can be entertaining enough without the background or full character understanding. If the first book is spotted at the library, we may read that one and re-read this one.
Use caution with younger or sensitive readers, the disappearing characters, ghost, and golden smudge suspense could be unsettling. While everyone is okay and none of these items turns out to be anything big, the process of getting to the end might be too much.
Items of Interest:
- Paz gathers enough clues to think over everything while on “the pooper.” Some illustrations show Paz sitting on the poooper.
Other Books in Series (At Time of Posting):
- Book one – Sloth Sleuth