15. [Key to the Treasure] by [[Peggy Parish]] (Charlie's bedtime read, 154 pages) - 10/10 = A+
Three siblings spending the summer with their grandparents decide to try to solve the family mystery that their grandpa has been telling them about every summer since they can remember: his great-grandfather hid treasures for his father and siblings, handed down from an old Native American woman who used to live in a cabin nearby: a scary old mask, a deerskin doll and a warrior's shield. The great-grandfather left to fight in the civil war, never returned, and the treasure remained undiscovered.
The only clue they have is a painting hanging over the mantle, which depicts a headdress, a clay pot, a key and a question mark.
This was one of my absolute favorite books when I was a kid; I read it over and over and over again. I was so excited to read it to Charlie, and found that I still love it as an adult. ( )

love this! ( )

love this! ( )

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. ( )

Key to the Treasure is about three siblings who stay with their grandparents for the summer. Each summer, their grandfather tells them the same story about a treasure. One day, the children discover the key to finding the treasure and they work together to solve clues to find the treasure. The main idea in this book is solving the mystery. I had mixed feelings about this. One thing that I really liked about the book was that when the children found clues, like the Alphabet code and the cross word puzzle, there was an illustration so I as the reader could solve the clue too. One thing that I did not like about the book was the dialogue. I felt it was outdated. The children said things like "gee" and "phooey" and the dialogue kind of reminded me of a 1950s sitcom, and it seemed like it was trying to force itself to be funny. Although I was not a fan of the dialogue, the book was published in 1966, so the outdate dialogue makes sense. ( )