Title: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading

Pages: 262

Genres: Mystery, Adventure, YA, Middle Grade

Published by: Amazon Digital Services (Nov. 30, 2012)

Summary

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! 

 

What I Thought

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  A huge thank you to the author for sending me a copy!*

When I found out this book was described as a mix between Nancy Drew, Pippi Longstocking, and Amelia Earhart, I knew I had to read it!  If you’ve been following my blog and social media for a while, you know Nancy Drew is one of my favorite fictional characters, and I’ve always loved Pippi Longstocking as well.  Plus, I’m from Ohio, “the birthplace of aviation.” 😆 So really, this book seemed perfect for me.

I want to start by saying I loved Kitty Hawk!  She was such a strong, brave, independent character.  I loved her thirst for adventure, and the fact that she was able to fly a plane so well was really cool to me.  She really did remind me of Nancy Drew, which is always a plus to me!

Something I really appreciated in this book were the maps that were included.  Honestly, I don’t know much about Alaska, and especially where certain cities and locations are, and the little maps helped SO much.  I was really able to see where Kitty Hawk was at and where she was going, and it gave me more of an idea on what it was like traveling to the different places.

Another thing I liked, and yet at the same time disliked a little, was all the information in this book.  I learned so many interesting facts about Alaska and the Yukon Gold Rush, and I really appreciated the work and effort that the author must have went through to make sure things were accurate.  That being said, I almost felt like there was a little too much information at times.  There were chapters where I felt like I was almost being given information overload, or like I was reading a textbook.

I will say, though, I loved the plot.  The mystery was fun and exciting, and very unpredictable.  There were several plot twists that I did not see coming at all!  Plus, the chapters in this book were very short, which is something I loved, because it gave me the excuse to read “just one more chapter” quite often!  I will say, it’s described as a young adult book, but it really felt more like a middle grade book to me.  I think I would have really loved this book at 13.

Overall, this was really a fun, adventurous read.  Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold was very original, and I really appreciated that.  Honestly, I could see the Kitty Hawk series as a TV show.  It gave me 90’s – early 2000’s PBS Kids vibes.  Remember shows like Wishbone and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?  I could definitely see a show like that for Kitty Hawk!  I would recommend this book to anyone looking for adventure and to learn something new, especially for those who love Alaska.

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