• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

On a visit to a seaside town in Australia, fifteen-year-old Sam meets Annabel, who works at the local museum.

Annabel's interest in history is infectious, and Sam soon finds himself eager to hunt for the remains of a famous shipwreck that is thought to be hidden nearby. When a storm exposes a structure, Sam and Annabel are convinced it's the fabled ship. Soon all of the museum staff are at the site to check it out. But the same storm also destroys the museum's power and, when the alarms aren't working, someone steals the museum's most treasured artifact, worth millions. Sam and Annabel are convinced they can help and search for the thief. They soon begin to suspect that there may be a link between the fabled shipwreck and the recent theft.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

John Wilson was born in 1951 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He did his early growing up on the Island of Skye and in Paisley, near Glasgow. From 1969 to 1974, he attended the University of St. Andrews where he took an Honours B.Sc.. in Geology and never played golf once. He took a position with the Geological Survey of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). In his two years there, he mapped rocks, dodged land mines and watched the country sink ever deeper into civil war. Shortly before he was due to be called into the army, John retreated back to Britain on his way to the safety of Canada. He settled on Calgary where geology was booming and the only danger was freezing to death in January. In 1979, he moved to Edmonton to take up a post with the Alberta Geological Survey. In 1988 he sold a feature article to the Globe and Mail. This fueled a smouldering mid-life crisis and he took up freelance writing full-time. With some success, John mined the experiences of his travels for articles, journalism and photo essays. He even began to express himself poetically and, with a young family, began writing children's stories. He moved to Nanaimo and then Lantzville on Vancouver Island. John has been widely published by a number of Canadian presses, with his acolades including a shortlisting for the Governor General’s Award.

John Wilson's profile page

• Commended, Resource Links, The Year's Best Books

"The pace is quick and the language simple. This is a plot-driven, character-light whodunit where young protagonists use logic to solve the mystery and become the heroes of the hour...I’d expect this book to engage young readers as they follow Sam’s escapades over the course of just two days."

The Coastal Spectator

"The brevity of the story and its vocabulary do not diminish its appeal...The conclusion is quite satisfying."

Resource Links

"An exciting story that will hold the reader's interest. The South Australian setting with its rich shipwreck history is a great backdrop for this story of making friends and finding your way as a teen. Added to the adventure is the teens' realization of the risks that some people take to acquire history for themselves, or profit from its theft...Highly Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"Provides an intricate plot as well as interesting characters that add to the suspense as the mystery unfolds. Wilson incorporates factual information throughout the book to add authenticity to the shipwrecks and hunt for treasure."

VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) Magazine