Treasure Town

There’s a real need for distinctively original early-reader chapter books -- especially new titles that can engage emerging readers and be highly useful in the Common Core-guided classroom. Treasure Town does both in a one-of-a-kind way: it’s an interest-grabbing story and an informational text, with vivid illustrations that enhance its reader appeal.

This is a suspenseful, funny story about three kids -- one white, one African-American, one Latino -- who are determined to find the legendary buried treasure of the real-life pirate Jean Lafitte. Along with strong learning-to-read value, Treasure Town delivers vocabulary, history, and geography about old-time American pirates. The fictional tale is framed by a map and word list in the opening pages, and by nonfiction “reports” from two of the main characters at the end.

The video book trailer for Treasure Town, featuring second and third grade readers, can be viewed at www.longstridebooks.com, where the “Treasure Town Classroom Guide,” with extensive links to grades 2-3 Common Core standards, is available for free download. Treasure Town is distributed by the Independent Publishers Group, with discounts for bulk purchases: info@ipgbook.com.

Illustrator: Sarah-Lee Terrat.

“Shovelfuls of gold in this rollicking story of pirate gold in Florida. Great characters, funny events, and big dollops of history and geography. Well done!”
R. A. Montgomery, co-creator of the Choose Your Own Adventure series

“Treasure Town is a fabulous book for second, third, and maybe fourth graders -- engaging and humorous, with great illustrations. This is a story that can help give parents and teachers the joy of seeing children become better readers of valuable chapter books.”
Sue Biggam, co-author, Literacy Profiles: A Framework to Guide Assessment, Instructional Strategies and Intervention, K-4

“A fun -- and very funny -- yarn about buried treasure, three brave treasure hunters, the ‘weirdos’ who want to find it too, and the ‘Treasure Town’ that ends up making history. A great read for adventuresome kids!”
S. S. Taylor, author of The Expeditioners

“I LOVE this book! I could use this in so many ways as a teacher. I love how the story ends with the ‘reports’ written by the characters!”
Lynn Gatto, Professor, Warner School of Education, University of Rochester

“Treasure Town will be treasured by every reader who loves action, humor, and a rollicking good tale.”
Ellen Miles, author of the Puppy Place series

Publication of Treasure Town is made possible by a successful Kickstarter campaign -- and all 136 Kickstarter backers are thanked by name in the Acknowledgments at the end of the book. This July 18-20, Author Doug Wilhelm and illustrator Sarah-Lee Terrat will promote Treasure Town at the booth for Long Stride Books at the annual conference in St. Louis of the International Literacy Association (formerly the International Reading Assocation).