Book Scavenger (The Book Scavenger series, 1) Paperback – April 12, 2016

<b>Does it count if I read this book aloud to my girls, ages 9 and 11 before bed each night?</b> Well, kind of each night...it only took us three+ months, because sprinkled in between were summer trips, dance class, soccer practice, weekend getaways, and that pesky thing called 'school.'<b>I'm going to go with yes, it counts.</b>So here's my review:We all loved BOOK SCAVENGER. A lot. Even my hubby and clue-sniffing hound, Betsy got in on the action trying to solve the mystery of the missing/hidden books peppered throughout San Francisco. <b>The storytelling is dynamic, the characters highly engaging, and the historical-literary element a fun surprise.</b>THE BOOK SCAVENGER revolves around middle school students Emily (the protagonist) and her friend, James as they solve ciphers and more in Edgar Allen Poe's 1843 little-kn0wn short story, THE GOLD-BUG. But there's so much more: middle school angst, big brother issues, a family's quest to live in all 50 states, bad guys, and of course, the city of San Francisco. When I got to the end of a chapter, signaling an end to our reading session, the girls would let out a chorus of, "Noooos." They liked it that much.The story reminded me a bit of well...I don't know. Nancy Drew meets A WRINKLE IN TIME, meets WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY...but those might not be the best comparisons. <b>Truly a fun family read-aloud, but great for motivated 9+ year old kids (boys and girls) to read on their own.</b> While THE BOOK SCAVENGER is technically part of a series, this is the first one, and can most definitely stand-alone.Enjoy!

My favorite book in the whole world is The Westing Game. I run it when I was a teenager and now I am 47 years old and I stumbled across this book and it was such a joy to read. Oddly enough, I can relate to the frustration of having to move a lot. It really warmed my heart and I look forward to reading more of them.

(3.5 stars ) This is the first book in the series. Emily’s family is on the move again; the family has a blog covering their travels and the goal of living in all 50 states. This time they are headed to San Francisco. Emily is excited to be going to live in the area where Garrison Griswold, the creator of the Book Scavenger game, lives. Book Scavenger is a type of scavenger hunt, where you earn points by solving puzzles to find books hidden by other game players. Emily finds a kindred spirit in her neighbor, James, although his life is the complete opposite of hers, having lived in the same place all of his life with an extended family. She introduces him to the Book Scavenger game. Rumor has it that there is a new game coming, but when they hear that Griswold has been attacked at a BART station, and may not survive, they visit the station and come across a book behind a garbage can. The book is more than it initially seems and sends them on a quest to find out if it is part of the new game. With the help of new and old friends, Emily and James begin to sort out the clues. But they are not the only ones on the trail, and peril may lie ahead.

My daughter that is 11 loves this book. She likes the mystery and action of the book.

I'm a 60-something grandma who found the audio version through an Audible daily deal. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased the print version for two granddaughters and the Kindle version for myself, and I created a summer book club for them with all kinds of discussion questions (Would you have acted the way Emily did toward James? What would you have done differently?) and "Information Scavenger" activities (Go to this web site; what are some things you can do at the Ferry Building?). Since one of them lives near San Francisco, the other one and I are now planning a trip there to all visit some of the sites in the book together. And along the way my granddaughters are learning how to use email and online meetings, and do internet research.This review is supposed to be about the book, not my book club, but I shared all that to illustrate how content rich the book itself is. While enjoying a fun mystery - which is another reason this cozy mystery-loving grandma wanted to introduce it - my granddaughters are also leaning a lot about The City, codes and ciphers, Poe and other authors, and friendship. It's a fun and painlessly educational read.

Here is what my fifth grader thinks of this awesome book:“Book Scavenger” is an exciting adventure that you will get sucked into, and there is no guarantee you will come out. Emily, the main character has to put up with her parents’ dream of living in 50 homes in 50 states, and the constant moving causes her to never have the chance to put down roots and make friends. When they move to the home of Garrison Griswold, the creator of her all time hobby, Book Scavenger she is thrilled. She meets James, and they become fast friends. Together, they unlock the secrets of Mr. Griswold’s new game. This book is perfect for any future detective, and for every book lover. If I could give this 20 stars I would.

Brilliant story! The characters are members of a book scavenger club - a unique blend of reading and geocaching! Readers hide books and provide clues online so others can find them to read, scoring points as they go. The main character, Emily, is a member of a family that moves every year in a quest to live in all 50 states. Book Scavenger allows Emily to have a familiar activity despite her family's frequent moves as well as helping her make friends. When the Book Scavenger creator is mugged in the subway and Emily finds his book created for the next adventure, the action begins. Lots of excitement as the characters solve a clue after clue. Hard to put down!

Although it isn't, but the feeling that you get in reading this book is like it's straight out of a movie! I mean I loved this book the moment I got it. Overall, according to me the age rating for this book is 9-14 years

My 10 year old loves it

This is a dream for book lovers... a treasure hunt through books. I loved it and would recommend for readers aged 9+

Me ha gustado mucho tanto la temática del libro como la propuesta de mensajes secretos, el recorrido que hace por la ciudad y las referencias literarias. Creo que gustará mucho a los niños, pero deben tener muy buen nivel de inglés para entenderlo. No es fácil para niños no bilingües.

I bought it because it was cheap, and I hoped my kids would read it one day. I started reading the first pages out of curiosity and could not drop the book. I had to finish it. The story is involving and left me thinking about it afterward. I did find one logical problem with the explanation of events near the end of the book, but that did not bother me at all as it did not affect my enjoyment. I am definitely buying the other books in the series.