Captain Jack's Treasure is filled with tales of buried treasures with hints of piracy and smuggling sure to thrill preteen adventure lovers. Sam, Tony, and Tyler are friends who live on the coast of Florida near Treasure Coast and are enjoying the summer break from school. At the beach each day, they can watch treasure hunters with their metal detectors searching for objects buried beneath the sand. One day Sam, Tony, and Tyler meet Captain Jack, a crusty old sailor with a rundown boat, near the marina Tony's dad owns. Captain Jack is willing to hire the boys to help work on his boat if they get their parents' permission. Somehow Sam, Tony, and Tyler make an unrealistic leap in their thinking and imagine working on a treasure boat and splitting recovered booty with Captain Jack! The boys spend time working with Captain Jack, and at the end of the work day, Captain Jack entertains them with colorful stories about pirates, storms, and treasure, some of which are true.

This is book two in the Sam Cooper Adventure series and could probably be read alone, but it would be best to read book one, Lost Island Smugglers, first. There are some references in chapter one of Captain Jack's Treasure that make more sense if you have read Smugglers but might otherwise be a bit confusing. The story has wholesome family values with Sam's family spending quality time together and creating memories in unique ways. There is plenty of talk of pirates and their hidden treasures, but there is also included the reminder about searching for life's true treasure, not just temporal ones. This is an action packed book but has Christian morals and values sprinkled throughout. There were a couple of unexpected twists at the end and a hint of what might come in book three, River Rampage. I would not hesitate to recommend Captain Jack's Treasure to any young reader who loves an adventure filled story.

I received a PDF copy of this book through The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.

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