Treasure Tracks

by S.A. Rodriguez

Overview

A debut middle-grade adventure about a young teen who goes on a treasure hunt for undersea riches to help his ailing abuelo.

Twelve-year-old Fernando “Fin” joins his grandfather on a secret quest to find a long-lost treasure swept to sea. But when their first mission takes a near-deadly turn, leaving his abuelo weak and unable to speak, Fin’s left to navigate the hunt alone. Well, not exactly alone—his boring, totally unadventurous dad agrees to help out. With danger lurking at every turn, Fin dives into the mission in order to save Abuelo's life. But between Dad’s constant worrying, unwanted diving babysitters, and harrowing encounters in the deep sea, the boy finds himself in a race against time to locate the treasure. If he can’t succeed? He fears he might lose Abuelo for good.

S.A. Rodriguez's Treasure Tracks is a fast-paced story filled with heart and humor about the bonds of family, the meaning of a legacy, and most of all, the discovery of true treasure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374389796
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	06/28/2022
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	201,244
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

S. A. Rodriguez is a writer, researcher, and former head of U.S. Hispanic marketing for Citibank, where she spent her career supporting diversity initiatives. She studied Communications at Loyola University in New Orleans and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami. She enjoys living near the coast of Miami with her family. Treasure Tracks is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

11/11/2022

Gr 4–7—This middle grade adventure hits the mark with prickly characters, clues to a lost treasure, scuba diving, and blacktip sharks and barracudas. Three generations, grandpa, son, and grandson, search for a pot of treasure lost at sea. Through rough family dynamics, the family bridges their differences to discover the jackpot. Rodriguez highlights other familiar plotlines of the genre, including duplicitous villains making nice with the protagonist and cantankerous parental units trying to squash 12-year-old Fin's exploits. Themes for this underwater adventure include overcoming adversity, coming of age, and the importance of family. The structure of the plot is linear in nature, beginning with the grandfather's quest, the second generation rejecting the challenge, and the third resuming the hunt. The author weaves in a strong sense of reverence for Floridian natural elements and marine life. The characters' Cuban heritage is also worked into the plot, and Spanish is seamlessly sprinkled throughout. For readers who enjoy ocean adventures, this debut novel delivers. VERDICT A high-octane middle grade adventure for fans of James Ponti's "City Spies."—Stephanie Creamer

School Library Journal

2022-03-29
Freshly certified as a young diver, 12-year-old Fernando “Fin” Román loves to spend his days at sea around the Florida Keys alongside his strong Abuelo Kiki in search of legendary lost treasure.

The treasure hunt, moreover, marks a thread through Fin’s Cuban and Puerto Rican family heritage, starting with his great-grandfather. Misfortune strikes one day while Fin and Abuelo are at sea, and Abuelo has a stroke, requiring Fin to radio for help and pilot the boat back to the marina. With Abuelo in the hospital, Fin hatches a plan to find the treasure on his behalf, reminding himself: “Plot my coordinates. Chart my destiny. Save Abuelo. Find the family legacy.” To do so, he needs to enlist the help of his father, whose safety-conscious attitude annoys and repels adventure-loving Fin. There’s another catch: Certified adult guides must accompany Fin on his dives, meddling in (and perhaps threatening) his hunt. As Dad gets fed up with the hunt, time runs out for Fin even as Abuelo’s health seems to fade. Fin and his dad must rely on and trust each other to overcome obstacles—seen and unseen—in search of the treasure. Rodriguez packs a ton of local historical know-how and genuine humor into a seaworthy debut adventure. Lighthearted yet solid prose and quirky, delightful characters round out this swell tale of plucky fun under (and above) the sea.

Here be treasure indeed. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

Florida's Sunshine State Young Readers Award Grades 6-8 Shortlist Selection
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

“Rodriguez packs a ton of local historical know-how and genuine humor into a seaworthy debut adventure. Lighthearted yet solid prose and quirky, delightful characters round out this swell tale of plucky fun under (and above) the sea. Here be treasure indeed.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Hits the mark with prickly characters, clues to a lost treasure, scuba diving, and blacktip sharks and barracudas . . . The author weaves in a strong sense of reverence for Floridian natural elements and marine life. The characters’ Cuban heritage is also worked into the plot, and Spanish is seamlessly sprinkled throughout . . . A high-octane middle grade adventure for fans of James Ponti’s City Spies.” —School Library Journal

“Real hurricane history and a hunt for sunken treasure—this book is gold!” —Alan Gratz, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Two Degrees

“S.A. Rodriguez's dazzling debut is an ocean adventure complete with sunken treasure, sharks, familial bonds, and cultural links that lead the reader down the path to discovering where the true treasure really lies.” —Pablo Cartaya, award-winning author of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamor

From the Publisher