A rewarding story about finding treasure in the most unexpected of places
The young treasure hunters are back at it, getting into new hijinks in the second installment of Sutton Lewis’s Legends Unearthed series, The Lost Bitcoin.
Moving from the ancient mysteries of their previous adventure in the Philippines into the very modern world of cryptocurrency, the close friends find themselves in London, England, where their latest treasure hunt takes on a decidedly different form. Through this action-packed, technology-driven adventure, Lewis reminds readers of the importance of friendship and doing the right thing, no matter the cost.
“Adventure, as usual, had already found them.”
Sam, Riley, Ava, and Jonah, and their parents travel to London under the pretense of a fully funded family vacation, made possible in part by Ava’s less-than-legal technological skill set. While the grown-ups enjoy the city’s offerings, from Westminster Abbey and Stonehenge to shows in the West End, the children have another journey in mind.
They set out to find an accidentally discarded hard drive containing the keys to 15,000 Bitcoin, which may have ended up in a London landfill. Their search takes them somewhere very different from the typical settings readers might expect from a treasure hunt: straight into the trash itself. With Sam’s research skills, Riley’s logical problem-solving, Ava’s technological ingenuity, and Jonah’s wit, the friends must figure out how to find something tiny in an enormous and hazardous place.
“I don’t even like taking out the kitchen trash,” Jonah said. “Now we’re searching forty football fields of poisonous garbage?”
Lewis’s second book in the series builds on the familiar relationships and quirky dynamics that made the first book so charming and thrilling for young readers. The contrast between the children’s high-stakes adventure and the parents’ low-stakes frustrations of coordinating a large family vacation makes the book fun for both young readers and their parents. The parents provide a particularly enjoyable parallel storyline as they enthusiastically experience London while remaining largely oblivious to what their children are attempting just beyond their notice.
For example, the parents attempt to implement a “technology holiday,” encouraging the family to go device-free, much to the dismay of the children, who rely on their technology for their treasure hunt. But in addition to building on the charm of its predecessor, The Lost Bitcoin stands on its own with an original premise that combines the thrill of a traditional treasure hunt with the realities of the twenty-first century, from cryptocurrency to a brief exploration of the role of public opinion.
“I genuinely cannot decide if this is the most hopeful phone call I’ve received in years or the strangest.”
The quick pacing is also the novel’s primary area for growth. Some character relationships and emotional moments could use more room to develop, and the children’s increasingly sophisticated technology can occasionally make an obstacle feel easier than expected. At the same time, I appreciate that Lewis does not let the fast-moving adventure come at the expense of the book’s larger message. For a middle-grade audience, The Lost Bitcoin takes seriously the opportunity to explore right and wrong, particularly the responsibility that comes with finding something valuable that does not belong to you. The story makes room for these lessons without being overly preachy, allowing its young characters to wrestle with what it means to do the right thing even when doing so comes at a cost.
“All money is kind of imaginary if you think about it long enough.”
The Lost Bitcoin is a spirited continuation of the series that proves a treasure hunt can be just as exciting when the treasure is digital, the clues are technological, and the search leads somewhere as unglamorous as a landfill. Lewis balances the high-stakes adventure of the children with the everyday chaos of family vacation, while keeping friendship at the center of the story.
For young readers who enjoy adventurous mysteries with plenty of humor, The Lost Bitcoin offers a fresh twist on a familiar kind of story and serves as a reminder that sometimes the most valuable things are found in the most unexpected places.
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