Review of "Ghost Town Treasure," by Clyde Robert Bulla

 Review of

Ghost Town Treasure, by Clyde Robert Bulla

Five out of five stars

One of my boyhood favorites

 This was one of my favorite books when I was young. After acquiring a copy at a garage sale, I must have read it ten times. Ty Jackson is a boy that rides horseback across the land of the California desert. He lives in Gold Rock and the town is now nearly a ghost town. The only remaining residents are Ty and his parents, his father owns and operates a grocery store. Earlier, the local ranchers bought their groceries at the store, but now that the roads are getting rougher due to lack of maintenance, they find it easier to take the new highway into another town.

 Therefore, Ty’s parents have informed him that they will be closing the store and moving in a short time. However, Ty learns that his pen pals Paul and Nora Connor will be visiting soon. Not wanting to disappoint them, Ty’s parents agree to stay in town longer.

 Paul and Nora’s great grandfather is buried in the town and they have his diary. After they arrive, they read the last pages and he mentions finding a cave and one of the last passages appears to be “gold in the cave.” Excited about the possibility, the three children try following the cryptic clue as to the location and at first cannot find it. They persist and when the cave is found it turns out that there is no gold, but the existence of the cave leads to enough interest that the town starts coming back to life.

 This book combines simple childhood adventure with a happy ending. Ty is a boy like most others, he has his dreams and his hobbies and at the point when it seems his dreams are gone, they are rekindled at a higher rate than he ever thought possible.