Reading,
I. (2012). Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon
Gold (Book One of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series). Self-published.
MG*
or YA / Adventure / Mystery / Historical
I give this book 3 out of 5 Stars
Blurb
(from Goodreads): Kitty
Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a
new series of adventure mystery stories that are one part travel, one part
history and five parts adventure. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying
Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with
her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A
cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a
quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself
into all kinds of precarious situations.
After leaving her
home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in
Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty finds herself caught up in an
unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly
shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the
lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada and as the plot
continues to unfold this spirited story will have armchair explorers and
amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are
swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful
final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon, the harsh
land made famous in the stories and poems of such writers as Jack London,
Robert Service and Pierre Berton. It is a riveting tale that brings to glorious
life the landscape and history of Alaska's inside passage and Canada's Yukon,
as Kitty is caught up in an epic mystery set against the backdrop of the
scenery of the Klondike Gold Rush.
Kitty Hawk and the
Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of
all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history
this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves as
Kitty prepares for her next adventure - flying around the world.
===================================
Hall Ways Review: Author
Iain Reading has written a sweeping story that takes readers over land and sea
as main character and young pilot Kitty Hawk discovers the world of whales and
the often sordid history of the Gold Rush.
Reading's
strength is in his descriptions of the landscapes that Kitty encounters where rich
details make it easy for the reader to envision the settings.
Additionally,
Reading has created an interesting, believable character in Kitty, who on the
one hand shows maturity and responsibility well beyond her years, and on the
other hand shows she is flighty (no pun intended), boy crazy, and one hundred percent
teenage girl. Her inner monologue was spot-on and provided much needed humor
and reminders that Kitty is only eighteen, despite what she's already doing
with her life. Readers,
be prepared to learn a lot of facts about everything from history to topography
to nature in all its wonder.
And
if the facts included in the book aren't enough, the author provides a fabulous
supplement of additional information and links for readers to further explore
the topics in the book.
The
real problem I had with the book was that it seemed like a late, but not final
draft of the book. For
one, there is simply too much information presented, which makes it
overwhelming and difficult for the reader to discern between what's important
to the plot, and what's simply extra bonus but related information. Secondly, the font is
small and the print is dense with very little white space on the page, which
visually is a turn-off for many readers (especially reluctant readers). Most
troubling -- especially in a book aimed at younger readers -- is the number of
writing errors including: typos, missing and incorrect punctuation, dropped
words, agreement errors, and numerous long, unpunctuated sentences.
As
an example of the issues, the sizable paragraph from the Goodreads blurb (in
bold above) is only three sentences long, is missing commas (thus creating
run-on sentences), and uses the word "climatic" when the word
"climactic" was intended. A thorough, professional edit is needed
(book blurbs included) to eliminate the unnecessary, correct the mistakes, and
bring focus to the main plot line. Incidentally, the main plot line of the Yukon gold mystery
is actually quite engaging and the book becomes a real page turner -- once you
get there.
Despite
the need for editing, the bones of a great series are here. My
hope is that since books two through five of this series are already published
(with the
promise of eight more books after that), the author has addressed these issues.
There
definitely has been a shift in the cover art, and the books published after
Curse of the Yukon Gold have a sleeker look, which is more in line with a young adult
audience, though the intended reading audience is a little bit hard to pin down. With
the main character fresh out of high school, it seems that age range would be
the ideal reader, but the writing and Kitty herself seem more middle grade at times. The
content is tame and possibly too slow moving for older young adults. At the
same time, some of Kitty's actions are not just reckless but extremely
dangerous (as in her ease and comfort with kidnappers, lack of communicating
her plans, stunt flying, etc.) and perhaps not the best example for younger readers*.
Thank
you to Book Publicity Services
and the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest opinion
-- the only kind I give.
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