Thank you for the opportunities to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

The premise, revolving around time travel, history, and a bunch of kids on an extravagant globe-trotting scavenger hunt, is a whole lot of fun. The execution was, alas, rather ho-hum. Though the protagonist is pretty well-crafted, the rest of the cast is under-developed, their flaws and virtues told more than shown. I also thought that the language went a little over the line, given that this is targeted at middle-grade readers. It might be accurate to how kids talk (both now and back on the streets of 19th century New York City), but y'know, we don't really need to encourage that.

Overall, Skavenger's Hunt could have been a really great story, based on the nuts and bolts. But this reader must instead condemn it to the "Just-OK" territory.

Skavenger's Hunt is a middle school/YA novel, but I really enjoyed it! It was just an entertaining story that takes you along using clues, and really holds your interest. I would recommend it.

Historical fiction is not my usual go to genre but the NetGalley description peaked my interest. This was not your straight forward historical fiction. Skavenger's Hunt has something for everyone. I really enjoyed it, so much so that I requested my library system order copies. I've been recommending it to those kids that enjoy historical fiction, time travel and friendship.

Who doesn't like a great adventure story?

This book took me on a ride with plenty of twists and surprises to keep me engaged in the story from beginning to end.

When Henry Babbit loses his father, he can't help but think about what might have been. On Christmas Eve, Henry's Grandfather unearths old clues left behind by the man responsible for the world's greatest Scavenger Hunt.

Magically transported to 1885, Henry team up with other kids to unravel the clues and get to the end of Skavenger's Hunt.

This book is a great historical mystery that keeps the reader engaged.

Skavenger's Hunt is an enjoyable adventure set back in the 1800s when Hunter S. Skavenger gives everyone the first clue to the largest scavenger hunt ever. There is one boy in the crowd that was magically transported there from the future, and while he wants to participate in the hunt, he also wants a chance to speak with Skavenger in hopes that he will be able to find a way back to his family.

There were times in the book where I wasn't sure if the kids that Henry Babbitt, the kid from the future, joins up with were going to be safe. There are nefarious villains wanting the prize for themselves, and the kids don't know what they might do to get what they want.

The ending for me was a shock. It wasn't too out there for me, but just out there enough that it wasn't something I had thought of while I was reading.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Mike Rich
Publisher: Inkshares
Publication Date: November 14th 2017

"After young Henry Babbitt tragically loses his father, he can’t help but remember the promises of the great adventures they would now never take. Then, on a snowy Christmas Eve, his grandfather reveals that he’s tracked down a series of mysterious century-old clues left by Hunter S. Skavenger, the eccentric magnate who launched the first and greatest scavenger hunt.

Hours later, on Christmas Day, Henry finds himself magically transported back to 1885, where he teams up with a ragtag band of youngsters in a quest to solve Skavenger’s elaborate puzzle. From New York to the Mississippi riverboats to the streets of old Paris, Henry and his new friends face off not only against brilliant competing teams, but also Skavenger’s own dark and elusive nemesis: Hiram Doubt."

Who doesn't like a bit of a puzzle?

Riveting novel for middle schoolers. This book is what I hoped Mr. Lemoncello's Library or The Book Scavenger!

Basic plot: Henry finds himself back in 1885 on a great scavenger hunt. From New York to St. Louis to Paris, France… he and his rag-tag group of friends are trying to solve the clues to find Mr. Skavenger’s treasure.

WHAT’S COOL…
1) I really like the time travel scene. Mike Rich does a really nice job describing how the room changes from the present day to 1885. Very nicely done!

2) The book cover is well-suited to the story. I like the little drawings of various hints and clues, all within Henry’s silhouette.

3) The initial interaction between Jack and Henry is priceless. Especially once Henry realizes who Jack is.

4) This is a Westing Game meets The 39 Clues type of book. If you love to solve riddles and figure out clues, you’ll probably like this book.

5) The stakes are clearly outlined. I definitely felt the “ticking-clock”. And while the other kids (Jack, Ernie, and Mattie) just want to find the treasure, Henry’s stakes are a little higher. He wants to get back to his own time!

6) I loved the cameo appearance of a certain author in the middle of the book. Especially the fact that he doesn’t know why they are in his stateroom and how that plays out. This for me was probably the highlight of the book.

7) I loved how Henry sometimes got the clue wrong due his not knowing his history. Particularly with the clue in Paris.

WHAT’S NOT COOL…
1) I wish there was more character development between Jack and Henry. It was okay, but I’m not sure I buy Jack’s position at the end of the hunt. I think it needed some real heart-to-heart connection between the two boys. We get that a little more with Henry and Mattie (but in my opinion, we don’t need this to happen with Mattie).

2) Which brings me to Mattie. Not sure she was even completely necessary to the book, other than to have a female character. Ernie could have been a Mattie. I liked her character well-enough, but I just didn’t really care too much what happened to her or when she was in danger. And then… at the end I was completely confused by her character.

3) Now this is a nit-picky one, but I was overwhelmed with all the CAPITAL LETTERS. I realize that this is to indicated SHOUTING or EXCITEMENT (and I didn’t mind the odd one), but it was TOO MUCH!

FINAL THOUGHTS
My rating is 3 Stars (out of 5) – This was my first ARC* review and it was fun! This book isn’t without faults, but if you love clue hunts, this book is for you 🙂

I couldn’t put this book down! It exceeded my expectations. I was swept up in the suspense, history, adventure, and mystery of the scavenger hunt chase. The puzzles and clues were fascinating and time period related, and I loved the unexpected twists. I found the plot and characters so intriguing. However, I was left with some questions at the end. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone, even if they are not mystery readers!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of "Skavenger's Hunt" in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: Present-day Christmas Eve and Henry Babbitt is celebrating with his family in their New York home. Henry's grandfather begins telling him about a series of century-old clues that he's stumbled upon. Clues that belong to the infamous Hunter S. Skavenger--only the greatest scavenger creator of all time. And, so, while perusing documents on his grandfather's old desk, Henry is suddenly transported back to New York 1865 which marks the first day of Skavenger's most famous and greatest scavenger hunt. Henry is on a mission to solve Skavenger's hunt because he's dead-sure that it's the only way that he'll be transported back home.

Opinion: Overall, I was impressed with one. It took me a few chapters to really get into it but it was worth it. I'd have to say that I'd consider this more of a fantasy/historical fiction read rather than a mystery as I was led to believe initially.

I appreciated the historical facts and getting to meet historical figures like Vanderbilt, Mark Twain, Gustave Eiffel, and the Statue of Liberty but historical fiction has always been my thing so I'm biased.

I liked the pace of the plot and didn't feel like anything more than the beginning and end dragged (when everything was being wrapped up) but I feel like that's often the case with middle grade books. I also thought the clues were solved relatively quickly and it was, mostly, Henry doing all the solving of the puzzles which made it pointless to have his friends.

It's clear that it's setup for a sequel so there's a good chance I'll follow through with this one but I am happy that the series gets grittier as it continues on.

One of the best middle grade adventure stories I have read. The story is the perfect mix of adventure, mystery and friendship that make a remarkable and memorable story. Henry is a wonderful character. After being transported into a treasure hunt of sorts over 100 years ago, he must work with his new friends to solve the hunt in order to get bsck home. Highly recommend!

This was such a cool time travel, scavenger hunt book.

Henry has lost his father and now his mother is so overprotective that he never gets to have any adventures. But on Christmas Eve his grandfather tells him of an old scavenger hunt that was never solved. In just a few hours Henry stumbles upon an old ledger and is transported back in time to that scavenger hunt and the only way back to his own time is to solve the clues and meet the famous Skavenger.

Along the way he meets a few friends and some famous people as well. He also learns more about adventure and living life to the fullest.

I really enjoyed the puzzles and the friendship. There were a few surprises and twists as well that I didn't see coming.

This is a fun mixture of time travel, history and a good dose of quick paced adventure, making it an entertaining read.

Since his father's death, Henry's life has been anything but adventurous. His mother keeps him safe as can be, and he doesn't argue with her. The yearly visit to his grandparents on Christmas Eve starts with his mother's warning not to spend to much time listening to his grandfather's ridiculous tales, but this is one warning Henry refuses to heed. This time, his grandfather has a special story waiting, one that involves old articles about a mysterious scavenger hunt started by Hunter S. Skavenger in 1882. Hoping to learn more, Henry sneaks back into his grandfather's study in the middle of the night to find a single ledger sheet which transports him back to the last scavenger hunt in 1885.

The story starts out with a pull at the heart strings. Henry is sitting at the museum waiting for his mother as the last child there and already sitting for a long time. His life hangs around him like a weighted cloud, and it's hard not to feel sorry for him. His mother isn't exactly warm, but it's clear she cares for him and is battling her own troubles. When the adventure starts, the reader can only cheer for Henry and be thrilled that he gets a chance to do something adventurous.

Henry has to find his independence, and the dash across time and the world with an evil group on his tail does exactly that. With new friends, he learns to be daring and take risks. There's something happening on every page, and the riddles add a bit of thinking fun. The dabs of history make it interesting for information buffs as Henry runs across numerous historic figures and learns some facts along the way. Although this is a great mixture to liven up history for young readers, there were so many different figures and places (none which went deeper than a brief meeting) that it began to feel like a historic line-up.

The ending comes full circle and wraps everything up while leaving a cute twist and potential for upcoming adventures—which are certain to bring more fun.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and here it is!

Skavenger's Hunt is a quick-paced, fun adventure story for tweens and early teens. Would recommend for kids interested in history. The story takes place in modern day New York City and several places in 1885. It's a time travel novel of sorts. I enjoyed the care that the writer took in making the locations seem real. He has a real eye for detail. I wish that the characters of Henry (the main character) and his friends Jack, Ernie, and Mattie had been more realistic. They come off as one-dimensional. If I were a 12-year old kid reading this book, I'd want to feel that the characters were more relatable, that they had more personality.

Am going to recommend my 12-year old nephew read this one. Four out of five stars.

I received this book as an ARC.

Twelve-year-old Henry Babbitt is living a somewhat difficult life due to the death of his father. He has a loving family, but an overprotective mother and a bit of awkwardness keeps him from true happiness. On Christmas Eve night he stumbles upon a time-traveling adventure that both challenges him and changes him. The character development was not superb, but they were likeable. The story line was exciting and allows the reader to meet some historical figures. I would have liked to see more of Henry and how he was affected by his adventures. There was a great opportunity for us to see the positive effects Henry’s adventure had on his present life that was missed with this story. Overall, I enjoyed this book and its adventure aspect. I feel middle-grade students will relate to Henry and his insecurities, his heartache, and his quest. The historical aspects of the book along with the mysterious clues will satiate the reader who loves a good adventure book. However, I feel the reader could have been better served if they were able to see Henry’s changes in effect.

The premise of this book was interesting but the delivery fell way short. This book dragged... I don’t see readers sticking with it or enjoying it.

Interesting premise, poor execution. I love the idea of a scavenger's hunt but the writing was dull and failed to ignite any interesting in the overall story.

I struggled to get into this book and had to finish it after a couple of chapters. However, people who love adventures and fantasy books will love this book!

ARC copy...I did like it was hunt filled with adventure and meeting famous historical figures but also the narrative theme and of the hunt it is is not about the treasure at the end but rather the experience + adventures the protagonist endure during the hunt itself.