Smuggler's Cave by Sonya Spreen Bates
(Orca Echoes). Orca, 2010. ISBN: 9781554693085.
When cousins Jake and Lexie race and Jake loses, it is impossible for
Jake not to take up the challenge of a second event. This time,
however, the race is to be by boat to Smuggler's Cave and back. Because
Jake can't leave his younger brother, Tommy alone, the two participate
together. Things go wrong and the boat ends up in the cave with the
water level rising. Stories about the cave make the children uneasy and
add to the adventure.
As a simple adventure tale, Smuggler's Cave will probably
appeal most
to the emergent reader or the middle primary reluctant reader. With
only minimal pages in the book and fourteen of those being
illustrations, this is an easy and quick read, accessible to both male
and female readers as the protagonists are also of both sexes. These
illustrations are useful to the reader as they support the text without
being so busy that they would detract from the child's concentration
levels. The theme of competition between boys and girls in the story
would be familiar to the young readers, possibly adding to the interest
level.
Jo Schenkel