Paperback ©2021 | -- |
Dogs. Juvenile fiction.
Superheroes. Juvenile fiction.
Treasure troves. Juvenile fiction.
Dogs. Fiction.
Superheroes. Fiction.
Treasure troves. Fiction.
Twelve-year-old archaeologist Aisha Ghatak and her talking dog, Indiana Bones, are determined to find the treasure trove of a French knight that has been successfully hidden for many years.Aisha, a little girl from Oxford, England, loves her father's stories, especially those that revolve around his work as a renowned archaeologist. Born and raised in India, Dr. Ghatak is the leading expert on the knight known as the Lonely Avenger, who notoriously amassed a treasure in ancient times. Aisha has long thought of Indiana Bones as her sidekick and co-investigator, so when she becomes determined to find the treasure, she knows that she and Indiana Bones need to work together in order to discover the truth-even if that means that the pair have to head to Egypt alone. Heape's prose strikes the right mix of funny and clever, and Aisha's boldness will find fans in many readers. The pair also meet helpful grown-ups whose expertise refreshingly rejects traditional gender roles. Although Aisha's Indian heritage is occasionally referred to (she learned to pick locks from her grandfather during a summer trip to the family home), the primary focus is solving the mystery at the heart of the novel. Cheerful spot art adds to the fun as Aisha and her adorably scruffy canine friend pursue their goal.A heartfelt adventure story with a heroine readers will enjoy rooting for. (Adventure. 9-12)
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)Twelve-year-old archaeologist Aisha Ghatak and her talking dog, Indiana Bones, are determined to find the treasure trove of a French knight that has been successfully hidden for many years.Aisha, a little girl from Oxford, England, loves her father's stories, especially those that revolve around his work as a renowned archaeologist. Born and raised in India, Dr. Ghatak is the leading expert on the knight known as the Lonely Avenger, who notoriously amassed a treasure in ancient times. Aisha has long thought of Indiana Bones as her sidekick and co-investigator, so when she becomes determined to find the treasure, she knows that she and Indiana Bones need to work together in order to discover the truth-even if that means that the pair have to head to Egypt alone. Heape's prose strikes the right mix of funny and clever, and Aisha's boldness will find fans in many readers. The pair also meet helpful grown-ups whose expertise refreshingly rejects traditional gender roles. Although Aisha's Indian heritage is occasionally referred to (she learned to pick locks from her grandfather during a summer trip to the family home), the primary focus is solving the mystery at the heart of the novel. Cheerful spot art adds to the fun as Aisha and her adorably scruffy canine friend pursue their goal.A heartfelt adventure story with a heroine readers will enjoy rooting for. (Adventure. 9-12)
School Library Journal (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)Gr 3-7 In this series debut, Aisha Ghatak is a 12-year-old Indian girl, world traveler, and archaeologist on an adventure to discover the best treasure of all time. Her companion is a magical talking dog named Indiana Bones. He came from a magical portal between Aisha's world and the world of the gods from Skara Brae, a site her famous archaeologist father explored. Indiana Bones brought Aisha's family three magical sapphires that connect them to the spirit world, allowing sight into the past as well as the future. Aisha and Indiana Bones set off to discover the trillions of pounds' worth of gold and jewels allegedly collected by a single thief, a French Knight called the Lonely Avenger. Their adventures bring them all the way to the pyramids of Egypt. This story is told by a narrator and guide wrly named Sir Harold of Heape. Readers will be intrigued by Aisha's study of the Scroll of the Lonely Avenger and amused by Indiana Bones' pronouncements. There are elements of wordplay in the text that some may find distracting, like descriptions of Aisha's father's "gladadventures," visiting the "funtryside," and feeling "bumcomfortable." The book mentions erupting volcanoes, cities of gold, and princes and paupers that may all be forthcoming. VERDICT This supernatural adventure series features a strong, whipsmart heroine and her talking canine; recommended for fans of archaeology and treasure-based romps. Lisa Gieskes, Richland County P.L., Columbia, SC
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
School Library Journal (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)
"We all need the skies!" replied the old lady, mishearing as she often did. "The skies are very beautiful and important, my dear. Where would we be without them?"
Aisha entered the room and looked her friend in the eye before repeating carefully, "Edith, I NEED A DISGUISE. Can you help me please?"
Edith beamed. "Well, of course, my dear, you only need to ask. Come with me."
Along one side of Edith's bedroom was a huge bank of built-in cupboards and wardrobes. The elderly woman pulled open the central folding doors, which concertinaed to reveal a huge number of drawers, each marked with handwritten labels written very neatly in fountain pen, including:
and many more, right the way up to Xylophonist, Yacht Captain and Zoologist.
"So what are you up to, young lady?" Edith asked.
"Adventure!" Aisha replied. "Indiana and I are going to Egypt to look for some treasure, but first we have to go to the travel agent's in town. I shall be driving Dad's motorbike. So it's better that I don't look twelve."
"How lovely," replied Edith, as if Aisha had just announced that she was going to the park on her scooter to meet her friends for an ice cream.
Of course, Dr Ghatak and his daughter were quite used to foreign travel and adventure. The elderly lady knew that Indiana Bones had a great many tricks up his furry sleeves, and was very good at looking after the young archaeologist.
Edith pulled out the drawer labelled Hell's Angel. "This will do excellently," she announced, adjusting her tights and putting on her spectacles, before settling down to work, surrounded by brushes, mirrors, makeup, hair clips and several small bottles of glue. Aisha was quiet and kept as still as a flamingo, with Indiana settling down for a nap at her feet while Edith worked.
"So, Egypt?" Edith enquired.
"Yes," Aisha replied. "Have you been?"
"Not yet," replied Edith. "Although I once did the makeup for a Cleopatra musical.""Cleopatra was cool," said Indiana snoozily. "She spoke a dozen languages and defeated the whole Roman navy."
"She sounds brave and clever," replied Aisha, looking at her disguise taking shape in Edith's large mirror.
The elderly lady lifted down a wig. "Make sure you're careful while you are away," she said, looking Aisha right in the eye via the mirror. "Where there is treasure there are usually rogues, rapscallions, vagabonds and ne'er do wells."
Aisha's face flushed as she remembered Ringo, and she tried to hide her reaction from lovely Edith. The last thing she wanted to do was make her friend worried.
When Edith had finished, Aisha stood in front of the full-length mirror to take a look.Edith had even given Aisha a prosthetic nose and latex sections for her face, disguising her brown skin, which meant that she really did look quite different. She looked like someone who was nearly forty, rather than nearly thirteen. When Aisha swapped the dress for a pair of jeans, boots, sunglasses and an old T-shirt, the transformation was complete."Almost done," said Aisha, admiring herself. "Do you have a biking jacket?""A Viking jacket?" Edith asked. "I'm afraid not. Vikings didn't wear jackets, my dear. This should do, though." She passed Aisha a black leather biking jacket with several zipped pockets. Aisha put it on, giggling at the thought of what a Viking jacket might look like.
Excerpted from Indiana Bones by Harry Heape
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Indiana Bones is a shaggy dog with a difference. He's got superpowers and can sniff out criminals and - with his young friend and owner Aisha - solve mysteries that would flummox the world's more expert detectives! In their first case, they are on the trail of treasure hidden centuries ago by a legendary knight known as The Lonely Avenger, an adventure which takes them all the way to Egypt and the pyramids. A hugely inventive new series from one of the funniest author/illustrator teams in the business.