Kaleidoscope Eyes

Jen Bryant

May 2009 · Sold by Knopf Books for Young Readers

About this ebook

Will Lyza’s 1968 summer mystery lead to . . . pirate treasure?

When Lyza helps her dad clean out her late grandfather’s house, a mysterious surprise brightens the sad task. In Gramps’s dusty attic, Lyza discovers three maps, carefully folded and stacked, bound by a single rubber band. On top, an envelope says “For Lyza ONLY.” What could this possibly be? It takes the help of her two best friends, Malcolm and Carolann, to figure out that the maps reveal three possible spots in their own New Jersey town where Captain Kidd (the Captain Kidd, seventeenth-century pirate) may have buried a treasure. Can three thirteen-year-olds actually conduct a secret treasure hunt? And what will they find?

In a tale inspired by a true story of buried treasure, Jen Bryant weaves an emotional and suspenseful novel in poems, all set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War during a pivotal year in U.S. history.

Ratings and reviews

Lyza's grandfather left her three carefully folded maps and an envelope that will take her and her two best friends on the adventure of a lifetime as they search for buried treasure. But even if the three thirteen-year-olds manage to decipher the clues and locate the treasure, how will they keep it secret from their parents and the rest of the town? Set during the Vietnam War, this novel allows the reader to learn about historical facts and figures of the time while enjoying the mystery and adventure of a hunt for pirate treasure. I absolutely loved KALEIDOSCOPE EYES, and though its structure threw me off a bit at first, I soon found myself reading along with no trouble. I enjoyed hunting treasure with Bryant's characters as they discovered the past, struggled through the present, and looked toward a bright future. The real treasure was the way these characters overcame obstacles and kept going in the face of the turmoil and confusion around them. **TRT Gold Star Award

This book has its ups and downs, but is a spectacular book. I read it for school and our whole class loved it.

I bought the book and when I read it says that it can not display the book please fix

About the author

Jen Bryant has published poetry, biographies, picture books, and fiction for young readers, including The Trial, Pieces of Georgia, and Ringside, 1925. A graduate of Gettysburg College, she lives in Pennsylvania. To learn more about Jen, please visit www.jenbryant.com.