Kaleidoscope Eyes
written by Jen Bryant
Knopf, 2009
ISBN 978-0-375-84048-7

Will Lyza’s 1968 summer mystery lead to . . . pirate treasure?

When Lyza helps her dad clean out her late grandfather’s house, a mysterious surprise brightens the sad task. In Gramps’s dusty attic, Lyza discovers three maps, carefully folded and stacked, bound by a single rubber band. On top, an envelope says “For Lyza ONLY.” What could this possibly be? It takes the help of her two best friends, Malcolm and Carolann, to figure out that the maps reveal three possible spots in their own New Jersey town where Captain Kidd (the Captain Kidd, seventeenth-century pirate) may have buried a treasure. Can three thirteen-year-olds actually conduct a secret treasure hunt? And what will they find?

In a tale inspired by a true story of buried treasure, Jen Bryant weaves an emotional and suspenseful novel in poems, all set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War during a pivotal year in U.S. history.

Awards and Honors
Chicago Library's List of Best of the Best Books for Kids
International Reading Association Teachers' Choice List 2010
Junior Library Guild selection
Maine Student Book Award Nominee 2010-2011
Nevada Young Readers' Award Nominee 2011

Teacher's Guide
Download this guide for use with Kaleidoscope Eyes.