Title: The Secret Cave
Author Lisa Marie Lanno
Published by I Universe, 2006.
ISBN: 978-0-595-40585-5.
Reviewed for Reader Views Kids, 9/07.
Joe and Ronnie are about to have a summer vacation unlike any other. They are 13 years old cousins and are looking for fun on the lake and hiking on the many trails. They have a couple of what they would call "pesky" sisters both older and younger. One day when they are investigating a trail, they make a strange discovery. There are giant rocks forming the shape of a skull. There is a hidden scroll that leads to more clues.
Of course, being adventuresome young boys they find themselves trying to discover what else lurks in these wooded trails. Day after day, they are getting closer to the solving of the mystery of this place. They don't want their parents to uncover what they have been doing so the older sisters also play a part in the adventure. Will they make it before vacation's end?
From page to page, you will find yourself wanting to not lay down "The Secret Cave" until it is finished. Lisa Maria Lanno is an awesome story teller. Each chapter builds on the last and you to try to try to figure out the mystery on your own. Its almost as if you are right there by Ronnie and Joe. Each chapter ends with a set of questions making you think and draw your own conclusions. "The Secret Cave" is a must have for kids who enjoy a great mystery. Its a novel which appeals to kids like because it is kids who are the main characters. I simply loved "The Secret Cave: and hope that Lisa Marie Lanno continues to write more books like one!
