Hidden Treasure
Reviewed By Grasshopper2 March 13, 2025
Author Jessie Burton
Distributor: Bloomsbury Children's Books
ISBN: 9781526662897
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing. Imprint Bloomsbury Children's Books
Release Date: March 2025
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Hidden Treasure is an excellent young adult novel. The story is well told and incorporates history, being set in England during the first world war. It also has present day descriptions talking about mud-larking and the secrets of the Thames River. The story also has a mystical element, alluding to the secrets this river holds and the magic within.
The story begins with a twelve-year-old girl, Bo, who lives beside the River Thames which feels like,” a vein in her body”. She has always had a love of the river, a passion shared by her family.
She and her brother Harry have often gone mud- larking at low tide and found items such as teaspoons and candlesticks, but this time while walking along the bank she sees a glint of something.
The river speaks to her and says that she should pick it up now. When Bo collects the item, she cannot believe the beauty and value of it. It is a silver disk surrounded with pearls and rubies.
As the story unfolds Bo meets a strange boy from the other side of the river. He instantly understands her and together they begin to unfold the secret that the disk holds. The river holds another such disk and guides the two to find it. The visions that occur and the puzzles that are presented are amazing. The two disks, a River Ballad and an eclipse of the sun combine to present a dilemma for Bo, one which involves life and death.
Hidden Treasure is a fast moving clear and empathetic look at love, loss and friendship. The courage to make the right decision and think clearly is needed.