Ernst adds to her growing list of books in the American Girl Mystery series with this entry, set in New Mexico in the 1820s. Josefina, a Spanish rancher's daughter, is learning how to be a curandera, or healer, from her aunt. While her aunt is away, anxious Josefina is the town's sole healer, and she worries when her herbs and prescriptions fail to improve her patients. Then she heals a gravely ill traveler, who invites her to join his search for treasure rumored to be hidden near Josefina's home. The story hangs on several contrivances, and a second mystery about a restless ghost isn't always well integrated. Still, readers will be easily drawn in by the search for gold and the chilly hints of the supernatural, and they'll see themselves in Josefina's realistic sibling squabbles and her yearning to develop her talents and help her community. An appended section adds historical and cultural context, and the flap copy includes a treasure map key that is alluded to in the text.

Gr 4-6-Two more winning entries in a popular series. In Secrets, Josefina lives on her family's New Mexico homestead in the 1820s. She is fascinated when a mysterious man with an injured leg is brought to her house and she and her family must care for him. While laundering his clothes, Josefina accidentally discovers a treasure map in a pocket. Could it lead to buried treasure somewhere in the hills around her house? In Peril, Felicity lives on her family's Virginia plantation where she dotes on her prized horse, Penny. As things begin to heat up between the Loyalists and Patriots, the girl is intrigued by a local visitor, Mr. Haskall, who admires Penny and studies local plant life. However, Felicity begins to suspect he is not who he pretends to be when she discovers detailed maps of her family's plantation in his notebooks. Each story begins slowly, but methodically weaves in clues as it builds on the mystery. Background information is carefully integrated, especially in Josefina's story, which is rich with tales of buried treasure and local traditions, foods, and crafts. Both books include a historical note with color photographs and illustrations.-Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.