OLLIE AND THE SCIENCE OF TREASURE HUNTING

Former sidekick Ollie, whose legendary geocaching skills helped Moxie locate some stolen paintings in Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking (2013), takes center stage in this (literally) breathless thriller set in a Wilderness Scout camp on the Boston Harbor islands.

Asthmatic Ollie is ordered by the FBI agent investigating the art theft from the previous book to join the scout group for two weeks and “[s]tay out of trouble.” Despite the best will in the world, Ollie finds it impossible to subdue his detective instincts. In between hilarious scout pranks, rivalries and games of capture the flag, he is soon caught up in a more desperate hunt for pirate treasure, in which at least one adult member of the group has a serious vested interest. In spite of his less-than-athletic physique—he describes himself as “short, a mix of Caucasian/Vietnamese, asthmatic, overweight and [looking]…like the kid in [the movie Up]”—Ollie keeps up with the best of them, running all over the islands on foot and by boat. Ollie uses his detective skills and determination to outwit the sinister Ranger Johnson and his unpleasant daughter, to find a cache of missing diamonds and to make sure that justice is duly served.

A well-choreographed romp starring an engaging protagonist who richly deserves his turn in the spotlight