"Lee began to question whether stealing $7000 in silver and gold coins was worth the anguish."
 |
Wasatch Cache by C.W. Smith Trafford Publishing
book review by Maria A. Hughes
Many kids going through their pre-teen to teenage years often feel misunderstood, self-conscious, and possibly like an outcast. Some more so than others. Katie, Marty, Nate, Chris, and Ari are a band of military brats ostracized by their peers. Together they bond over personal sorrows and a common cause: finding a mysterious treasure hidden within the protected grounds of Wasatch. They have to use their wit and sense of adventure to unravel the riddles of a person known only as EL. Along the way they must elude a bully named Lester and a middle-aged drunkard named Harvey, both of whom are also spurred on by the promise of untold riches.
While C.W. Smith tells a story of emboldened youth with an impeccable sense of adventure, the background stories of the characters are laced with tragedy and personal struggles. Katie lost her mom to cancer and battles with it herself. Marty is obese. Nate and Chris have both lost limbs from accidents. Ari is deaf and an epileptic. These physical disabilities are glossed over, almost like a casual afterthought, blindsiding the reader halfway through the novel, when they might have lent further depth to character.
What the author lacks in character development, however, he makes up for in his extensive knowledge of the history and wildlife of the Wasatch area. Furthermore, the riddles and clues are cleverly thought out and integrated into the landscape of Utah. Wasatch Cache will remind older generations of what it was like to be carefree with an endless curiosity for the unknown. It is a fast-paced, engaging adventure and mystery for middle-school and teen audience.