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Summary
Summary
Gerald Wilkins never considered himself a particularly exceptional thirteen-year-old. But that was before he inherited twenty billion pounds, a Caribbean island, a yacht, and three estates from a mysterious relative he never knew.
But that's not all--because, as we discover, Gerald's great aunt was murdered. And now it's up to Gerald to find out who did it.
Reviews (6)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Hailing from Australia, Newsome's debut (the first in the Archer Legacy series) is a fun, if generally predictable tale of a boy who suddenly finds himself rich and embroiled in a deadly adventure. Gerald Wilkins has just learned that his great-aunt Geraldine has left him her entire fortune, even though he's never met her. As his absentee parents take off on a trip around the world, Gerald discovers a note from his grandmother informing him that her death was actually a murder, and he is soon on the trail of the missing Noor Jehan diamond. Along the way, he picks up two companions, twins Ruby and Sam, and as the three children make their way through London and the countryside, they discover suspects around every corner. Newsome's world is the sort in which almost all adults are either dastardly or incompetent (Geraldine's mother is practically villainous in her money-grubbing), and the ageism wears thin. Fortunately, the brisk pacing and easy camaraderie between Gerald, Ruby, and Sam should ensure that young readers have a blast. Ages 8-12. (May) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
A great-aunt Gerald never met leaves him twenty billion pounds and a note telling him to find her murderer. Threats from greedy strangers put Gerald on a search for a diamond casket whose importance he doesn't understand. The story's climax portends more mystery in later volumes. Gerald functions well as a normal kid mystified by his circumstances. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
This over-the-top first novel and series debut introduces Gerald Wilkins, an Australian youth who's the recent heir to a fortune bequeathed to him by an English aunt he barely knew. While Gerald's giddy, irresponsible parents use his good fortune to take a Caribbean vacation, the 12-year-old stays behind in London, facing threats connected to the recent theft of a world-renowned diamond. His attempts to piece together how his aunt's death and the diamond are connected involves sleuthing about museums and stuffy clubs, and leads to a dastardly attempt on his life by a creepy man of overwhelming strength who smells of bleach. Luckily, twins Ruby and Sam intervene, saving the new billionaire, and the threesome become fast friends. The plot is rife with killings, suspects, ancient clues, and booby-trapped caverns straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. Newsome relies too much on far-fetched coincidences to drive her plot. Still, readers who enjoy quick-reading mysteries likely will not mind.--Cruze, Karen Copyright 2010 Booklist
Bookseller Publisher Review
The Billionaire's Curse comes with the word winner stamped all over it. Richard Newsome has written a terrific page-turner adventure that will have children between nine and 12 waiting impatiently for its sequel. Thirteen-year-old Gerald Wilkins is whisked from Melbourne to London on the death of his unknown great aunt, who just happens to be the richest woman in Europe. Gerald, her unwitting heir, manages to attract the ire of just about everyone, from his now excluded English relatives to the very peeved butler, especially when he begins to suspect that Aunt Geraldine has been murdered, and it's something to do with the theft of the world's most valuable diamond. We are on familiar ground here, a quest, but Newsome handles this with such pace, humour and wit that the reader can't help but be drawn in. Throw in some particularly eccentric characters and a good dose of post-colonial separation anxiety, and you have a great whodunit which is almost as engrossing for adults as it is for children. The Billionaire's Curse was the winner of Text Publishing's inaugural prize for young adults and children's writing last year. There is plenty to get excited about with this one. Toni Whitmont works at Booktopia, an online bookseller
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Aussie Gerald Archer Wilkins, 13, becomes a reluctant billionaire when he inherits his great-aunt Geraldine's fortune. In a letter, Geraldine predicts her murder and asks him to investigate it and its connection to the theft of a priceless diamond from the British Museum. Gerald dutifully visits the institution but encounters difficulties when a threatening man demands answers at knifepoint. The boy picks up the obligatory sidekicks, twins Sam and Ruby Valentine, when they rescue him. The teens move from London to the new billionaire's country estate as they identify the thieves, using a set of mystical clues. An action-packed denouement complete with rats, snakes, and booby traps uncovers the true villain in this planned trilogy. Newsome's story will appeal to fans of "39 Clues"-style adventure-mysteries. While the dramatic escape scenes create a delicious urgency, the story is fairly predictable, and most readers will identify the villain quickly, despite the large cast of characters. Almost all of the twists occur when Gerald has a supernatural vision, so the plot lacks a degree of inner strength. Character development is nonexistent. The boy learns how to use a credit card and bribe taxi drivers, but his adventures instill in him no great resolve, except possibly a strong survival instinct. That said, many middle schoolers will enjoy this title without prompting, and adventure books are always in demand.-Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Gerald, a seemingly ordinary Sydney teenager, rises to the occasion when a previously unmet great-aunt in England leaves him 20 billion pounds and a note asking him to find her murderer. He doesn't have to look too hard, because the killer is after him, too. It all has something to do with an ancient casket that he knows nothing about, a huge, recently stolen diamondand, as events unfold, lots of hidden doorways, underground chambers, cryptic clues, artifacts with mysterious powers, etc. Endowing his protagonist with two doughty British twins for sidekicks and blithely sweeping away most of the lifestyle complications that sudden, massive wealth would normally entail, Newsome pitches the trio into one fruitful but dangerous foray after another on the way to a properly bloody and suspenseful climax. The author is too fond of the "overheard conversation" ploy, and as this debut is the opener for a planned trilogy, there are plenty of questions left unanswered. Still, there's no letup in the pacing, and all the tried-and-true mystery elements add up to an Anthony Horowitzstyle romp. (Adventure. 11-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
