Island of Thieves by Josh Lacey - Revision history

Sue at 09:34, 14 October 2020

2020-10-14T09:34:25Z

Sue at 13:53, 21 April 2018

2018-04-21T13:53:00Z

Sue at 13:32, 7 December 2014

2014-12-07T13:32:45Z

Sue: Created page with '{{infobox |title=Island of Thieves |sort=Island of Thieves |author=Josh Lacey |reviewer=John Lloyd |genre=Confident Readers |summary=A modern-day treasure hunt full of unlikely c…'

2011-06-20T17:37:16Z

Created page with '{{infobox |title=Island of Thieves |sort=Island of Thieves |author=Josh Lacey |reviewer=John Lloyd |genre=Confident Readers |summary=A modern-day treasure hunt full of unlikely c…'

New review

{{infobox
|title=Island of Thieves
|sort=Island of Thieves
|author=Josh Lacey
|reviewer=John Lloyd
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary=A modern-day treasure hunt full of unlikely circumstances, but still an adventure worth a look for the 9+ audience this author brings with him.
|rating=3.5
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|paperback=1849392455
|hardback=
|audiobook=
|ebook=
|pages=288
|publisher=Andersen Press Ltd
|date=July 2011
|isbn=978-1849392457
|website=http://www.joshlacey.com/
|video=
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849392455</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1849392455</amazonus>
}}

While Tom's parents have their first childless holiday in decades, our hero is supposed to be staying at his uncle Harvey's flat. Unfortunately his uncle is a roustabout adventurer, and with a clue to a treasure's location is himself going to Peru to seek the rest of the map. When Tom invites himself along he has no idea Harvey is already wanted by Peru's biggest criminal, nor what this impetuous decision will lead too...

This under-14 read starts with a host of contrivances and doesn't let up. However much Lacey grounds his Boys'-Own adventure in historical basis it boils down to things adults would never believe, making this purely a read for children who could put themselves in the (cliff-climbing) shoes of young Tom.

As an adult fan of tweenage reads I found too much that was unrealistic or unremarkable. The interaction with the Mr Big, the location of the rest of the treasure map, the cliff - all create noteworthy elements for the young reader, but for me I saw the globe-trotting adventures Josh Lacey (under a pseudonym) features in books like [[Grk Down Under by Joshua Doder|his Grk series]] were here stretched too far.

I can however regress far enough to see the narrative drive is more than compelling enough, the baddies dispatched with no stretch of realism, and that Tom is a narrator worthy of our time and attention. But however effective the telling did get, the cinema-in-my-head version of this story remained a weak made-for-TV exercise. The happy-ever-after ending seems to hedge its bets on a possible sequel, and unfortunately I couldn't care less.

I must still thank the publishers for my review copy.

This author's own [[The One That Got Away (Misfitz Mysteries) by Josh Lacey|Misfitz series opener]] is much more entertaining.

{{amazontext|amazon=1849392455}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=8014730}}

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 |aznus=1849392455
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 While Tom's parents have their first childless holiday in decades, our hero is supposed to be staying at his uncle Harvey's flat.  Unfortunately his uncle is a roustabout adventurer, and with a clue to a treasure's location is himself going to Peru to seek the rest of the map.  When Tom invites himself along he has no idea Harvey is already wanted by Peru's biggest criminal, nor what this impetuous decision will lead too...
@@ Line 29: / Line 28: @@
 I must still thank the publishers for my review copy.
-This author's own [[The One That Got Away (Misfitz Mysteries) by Josh Lacey|Misfitz series opener]] is much more entertaining.
+This author's own [[The One That Got Away (Misfitz Mysteries) by Josh Lacey|Misfitz series opener]] is much more entertaining.  We do love [[The Treasure in the Tower by Rob Keeley]].
 {{amazontext|amazon=1849392455}}

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-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=Island of Thieves
 |author=Josh Lacey
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 |isbn=978-1849392457
 |website=http://www.joshlacey.com/
-|video=
+|cover=1849392455
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1849392455</amazonuk>
+|aznuk=1849392455
-|amazonus=<amazonus>1849392455</amazonus>
+|aznus=1849392455
 }}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{infobox
 |title=Island of Thieves
 |author=Josh Lacey
 |reviewer=John Lloyd
@@ Line 9: / Line 8: @@
 |buy=Maybe
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=288
 |publisher=Andersen Press Ltd
@@ Line 36: / Line 31: @@
 This author's own [[The One That Got Away (Misfitz Mysteries) by Josh Lacey|Misfitz series opener]] is much more entertaining.
-{{amazontext|amazon=1849392455}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=8014730}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=1849392455}}
 {{commenthead}}