Pete's Gold

Pete’s Gold By Luanne Armstrong, Review by Jaime, age 15

Pete is city kid from Victoria. When he gets sent off to his Grandmother’s farm for the summer, Pete is expecting a long two months of boredom without his computer, video games, or friends. But that was before he gets to know his Grandma and the neighborhood kids, Jess and Bird. They tell him stories of his long lost ancestor who suffered and unknown death, and of what he left behind. Pete finds lots of fun, alternate ways to entertain himself in the summer, and gets into a fair bit of trouble too. When he finds and extraordinary discovery, his family gives him the admiration and respect he always longed for.

Pete’s Gold is a really great adventure book for preteens and even teenagers. It has suspense and keeps you turning pages to find out what happens next. I like this book because imagining the farm and the lake was fun in my opinion. The relationship between Pete and his grandmother grows over the summer, and when an accident happens to her he comes running to the rescue. He also changes over the summer because he goes from a regular video-game-playing city kid to a risk-taking, active country boy. Pete learns about responsibility by helping on the farm.

Miss Harold's Note: Pete's Gold is short-listed for the 2009 Chocolate Lily Awards