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By Jove, this is one terrific book!
Jacob Jollimore is thirteen years old, an adopted Vietnamese boy who is something of a science geek (self-proclaimed), at an awkward age and time in his life. As his parents, facing financial collapse, harness all their remaining resources to renovate the crumbling Edwardian Hotel Maisonneuve, depressingly located in a less-than-stellar section of Montreal, Jacob’s summer days are dusty, sweltering, and dismal.
Plagued by a relentless bully (code named: The Neanderthal), Jacob’s life feels doomed to disaster – until one day, a terrible accident sets in motion a cataclysmic series of events, both dreadful and unexpectedly for Jacob, cheering. While doing his best to make up for painful damages unwittingly caused, Jacob opens the door on a mysterious treasure hunt, buried deep in the walls of the ruined hotel, by an unknown benefactor, more than a century ago.
As the clues are presented, and the cryptic puzzles solved, Jacob and the mysterious voice from the past, – linked by their adventure across time, a love for Sherlock Holmes, and a joie-de-vivre discovered and cemented by their evolving friendship – embark on a journey that will (by Jove!) change Jacob’s life forever.
An absolute delight, from start to finish – this middle-school reader is clever, touching, authentic, informative, and so brilliantly crafted that it had this reader spellbound, in awe.
Rich with warm and wonderful characters, magical developing relationships, Vietnamese cooking lessons, – as well as insights into the horrors of abuse, discrimination, the safety and succor provided by a loving family (Jacob’s family just may be the best ever captured on paper) and the life-altering glow of empathy, discovered – this book also provides a compelling and fascinating look at historical events, including life in Montreal in the time leading up to WW1, the Vietnam War, and the fall of Saigon.
I loved this book – finding myself tearing up in places and smiling with delight in others – hard-pressed to remember a more rewarding middle-grade reading experience.
A great big thank you to the publisher, @NeverMorePress for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
