Twenty Gold Falcons
Written by Amy Gordon
Mystery fans will have much to enjoy in this rollicking tale, set in the present times, but related to a treasure that pre-dates the Depression era.Mr. Jenkins’ introduction to the Gold Falcons is a teaching moment that could lead to many more reading activities.
When her father dies, Aiden Farmer has to move from her beloved farm to the city of Gloria. From being a happy farm girl, she becomes “Farmer Girl”, mooed on, and booed on by classmates at the snooty, stuck-up private school she now attends. That is, till Mr Jenkins talks of the Gold Falcons. Leo, the watchmaker, has heard of the Falcons too, and he encourages Aiden to find the treasure and save her farm. The wheels start moving. The reader learns that there are many other people on the hunt for the treasure, each one for a different reason.
In true mystery story fashion, there are clues scattered through the story, although these are clues from long ago. Readers from fourth grade through middle school will enjoy this book. The younger readers will root for Charles, the almost-talking, chocolate-ice cream eating mouse who enjoys opera, and imagine themselves going up the elevator to Liesel’s tree house.
Secret passageways and rooms add to the mystery. As the story winds down, Patsy writes a new end to the story: “All we really have is love.”
Title: Twenty Gold Falcons- Author: Amy Gordon
- Publisher: Holiday House
- Reviewer: Anjali Amit
- Hardback:216 pages
- ISBN: 978-0-8234-2252-4
- Genre: Fiction/Mystery
- Lexile Score: 710
