Oak Island Revenge by Cynthia D’Entremont

Summary: Fourteen year-olds Jonah and Beaz  are starting their summer by keeping their Oak Island treasure hunting plans a secret due to Jonah’s parents being over-protective and Beaz’s mother being physically abusive. But this one simple secret multiples into other secrets when a local girl turns up dead and Jonah and Beaz keep stumbling upon clues revealing who the murder is. As some of the secrets are unveiled, the most powerful ones remain silent, causing danger to Beaz. Jonah learns that while the truth isn’t always pretty, it is vitally important, and the mysterious Oak Island proves to seek its’ own revenge.

Number of Pages: 203

Age Range: 12-13

Review: Well-paced and suspenseful, Oak Island Revenge is a coming-of-age book about one young man’s journey into the world of secrets. Harmful, helpful and self-preserving, the secrets Jonah encounters will change the way he views his life, friends and family.

Most of these secrets revolve around the murder of a local teenager named Charlotte, whose body is found after she has been missing for days when it washes up on shore after a storm passes through. D’Entremont does a skillful job of weaving together the clues surrounding Charlotte’s murder, and developing Jonah’s growing maturity. Oak Island Revenge has an earnest tone to it, and while D’Entremont does not prove easy answers to her reader, I did enjoy when Oak Island itself took care of the bad guys.

It reads a bit young for teen, but this tale of mystery and plot-twists held my interest and kept me turning pages. The balance between the historical aspects of Oak Island and the stories of Jonah and Beaz was impeccable, and I found myself caught up in the story D’Entremont created instead of wishing I could just read about the historical part. That said, there is a non-fiction book called Oak Island Family written by Lee Lamb and published by Dundurn that would be a lovely accompaniment to Oak Island Revenge as it provides more history and explains “The Money Pit” in much greater detail. I was glad I had already read Lamb’s book before D’Entremont’s because it enriched the experience of reading it for me.

The stories of Oak Island are very intriguing – Canada’s own buried treasure right in Nova Scotia – and D’Entremont’s contribution to the lore surrounding Oak Island is superb.

Memorable Quotes:

“‘Sitting in this hospital brings back a flood of memories, son. There are things we do for our loved ones. Things that seem right at the time.'” – Abraham Morgan from Oak Island Revenge by Cynthia D’Entremont, page 180

“The dull ache left in his stomach surprised him – the moment of his brother’s unmasking left him feeling empty. There was no joy in this truth. Just truth.” – Jonah from Oak Island Revenge by Cynthia D’Entremont, page 181

Oak Island Revenge by Cynthia D’Entremont is published by Nimbus Publishing (2012).
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