Grandpa’s Stolen Treasure

By the time the hack driver stopped in front of Mrs. Barclay’s house, anger had replaced Kate’s tears. “How can a man be so terrible to a grandmother? What do you think is happening to her right now?”

Book: Grandpa's Stolen Treasure (Adventures of the Northwoods (Mott Media Paperback)) by Lois Walfrid Johnson, Bethany House Publishers, 1992

Genre: Historical Fiction

Target Audience: Girls 11-15

Subjects: Sibling Relationships, Friendship, Trust in God, Love – Marriage

Summary: So close and now it’s gone! Kate was going to finally get to meet her grandparents but when they got off the train, someone kidnapped Grandma! Kate, Anders and Eric go to Duluth to try to solve the mystery, hoping that the language barrier between the Swedish couple and the Americans simply led to some confusion. But Grandma has been mistaken from someone else and kidnapped. She’s leaving clues all over Duluth as the kidnapper tries to get a ransom from the family he thinks she belongs to. The question is whether or not those clues will be enough. Will Kate ever get to meet her Grandma? Will Grandpa’s treasure ever be returned?

Notes: Grandpa’s Stolen Treasure is the seventh in the Adventures In The Northwoods series. The series focuses on a young girl right at the beginning of her teen years as she adjusts to life in a very different kind of home and to a new family. The story covers about a year and a half of her life. The main character, Kate has a strong sense of curiosity and stubbornness so whenever she finds something odd she determines to find out what is going on. Sometimes the mysteries find her, sometimes she seeks them out. Through the series she transitions from someone who has only heard but not accepted a relationship with God to a girl learning to put her trust in God and look to Him for wisdom and direction.

In this seventh book, Kate is not facing the overwhelming constant fear, though she still struggles with some. It’s more a process of learning to listen to God and trust His direction. She sees peace in her Grandpa despite the loss of his treasure. Her Mama encourages her to ask God for wisdom when unsure what to do. Kate isn’t sure how to do that, isn’t sure what it means to hear from God. Throughout the story she starts trying to train herself to listen for God’s answer and follow that answer.

This book also starts to introduce a theme that will continue to develop over the next few books: marriage. At age 13, Kate and Eric see godly couples around them and start to wonder what they should look for in a spouse.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.