Overview

Gavin is obsessed with hunting for treasure with his metal detector. He finds the perfect spot--a huge, sandy playground. Then he meets a bunch of kids who have a mysterious treasure hunt of their own. Gavin gets the feeling they want him to stay . . . forever.

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9781598899160

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"Gr 3-6-Three fantasy titles meant for struggling readers. Each book introduces a main character who is grappling with unknown circumstances. There is little or no character development, but the easy style and appealing subjects may interest the target audience. In the first volume, JP is sucked into his video game and must use his superior gaming knowledge and skills to make his way to the final stage. In Trapped, David finds a drainpipe that looks like a perfect spot for skateboarding, even though he has been warned about a tragic accident that took place there just the year before. In Haunted Playground, Gavin encounters some very strange children at a playground while using his metal detector to find lost treasures. This narrative has a few awkward phrases and transitions that can lead to confusion even for advanced readers. The spooky atmosphere in each book is established rather quickly with suspense that lasts until the very end. While there is little literary merit to these books, they are suitable additions for libraries searching for hi/lo materials.-- ""School Library Journal"" Publisher Stone Arch has a particular focus on hi-lo fiction in a range of genres and formats, and some of their strongest entries are imports, as with these two titles in their fantasy line from Australian authors James Moloney (Black Taxi, BCCB 5/05) and Shaun Tan. Moloney's Trapped tells of skateboarder David, determined to skate in a local storm drain but finding there more than he bargained for. The Haunted Playground stars Gavin, whose nocturnal metal-detecting hobby leads him to a playground populated with weirdly out-of-date kids who are unnervingly eager to ensure he stays and plays with them. The retitling of both books results in giving away more plot than is advisable, and readers can happily forego the discussion questions and writing prompts in the end matter; behind those packaging issues, however, lie tow compact, nicely spooky, easily readable ghost stories with genuine individuality. Tan's moody, intense black-and-white art confers sophistication upon the books, suggesting edgy magazine stories rather than stodgy nutritional reading. All the more useful for their appeal to readers of various levels of literary expertise, these will give reluctant readers a good shot at experiencing some genuine pleasures in decoding text.-- ""The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Book"""

Author Information

Shaun Tan was born in 1974 and grew up in Australia. As a teenager, Shaun began drawing and painting images for science fiction and horror stories in small press magazines. Since then, he has received numerous awards for his picture books. He has recently worked for Blue Sky Studios and Pixar, providing concept artwork for forthcoming films. His book The Arrival was one of the best-reviewed books of 2007. Shaun Tan was born in 1974 and grew up in Australia. As a teenager, Shaun began drawing and painting images for science fiction and horror stories in small press magazines. Since then, he has received numerous awards for his picture books. He has recently worked for Blue Sky Studios and Pixar, providing concept artwork for forthcoming films. His book The Arrival was one of the best-reviewed books of 2007.

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