The Secret of the Floating Phantom

While staying with her grandmother in Monterey, California, eleven-year-old Kathy has some strange experences as she is led by a foglike phantom to treasure hidden from pirates over 150 years ago

Grade 3-6-In this sequel to The Shimmering Ghost of Riversend (Lerner, 1991), Kathy Wicklow's extrasensory gift helps her solve a mystery involving pirates and buried treasure. It is the summer before sixth grade, and the girl is visiting her grandmother in Monterey, California. There she befriends Lisa, whose grandmother's restaurant is located on property that is in danger of being taken over by the county unless its long-lost Spanish deed can be found. Against the backdrop of preparations for a community celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Lehr weaves information about the early history of California and the Costanoans, or Coast Indians, as well as about pirates, fossils, and herbal remedies. While the background material is presented well, the weak characterizations and plot development make this a disappointingly mediocre offering in a popular genre.
Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3-6. Eleven-year-old Kathy can see things that other kids cannot. While visiting her grandmother in Monterey, California, Kathy is surprised by a foggy phantom who offers clues as to the whereabouts of an important land deed and ancient buried pirate treasure. Kathy is also able to sense the sinister nature of Mason, an enigmatic visitor to the town who befriends--and uses--one of Kathy's younger friends. Kathy's involvement in the village historical pageant leads her to an old Spanish mission, the ancestral cemetery, and the local library for pirate lore. Several more visits from the phantom convince her skeptical friend Lisa that the phantom really exists. The suspense builds steadily as both Kathy and Mason race to the location of the buried treasure. Kathy's evolving relationship with her grandmother provides an interesting subplot. Susan DeRonne