Publisher's Synopsis
Chrys, a fifteen-year-old rough-and-tumble tomboy, idolizes her uncle, but when he dies, she can't cry. Her psychologist mother-as well as Chrys herself-seriously begins to doubt her emotional health. But not until her mother's dream for a close bond among the four siblings seems shattered does Uncle Jules intervene from the grave. On the night of his funeral, Uncle Jules' ghost independently visits the children and gives each a clue to the location of a treasure that will "benefit someone in need." Despite her hatred of riddles, Chrys agrees to embark on the mystery out of love for her uncle. After the four siblings search separately to no avail, they discover that they must coordinate their clues if they are to locate the hidden cache. During a series of misadventures and dead ends, Chrys also grapples with her tearlessness, her mother's insistence that Uncle Jules is gone, and her siblings' annoying faults. Adding still more angst to Chrys's life is her first romantic feeling for a boy, Jack, who has mercilessly teased her about her name but who inadvertently adds a vital piece of information to the puzzle. At the very moment the four siblings are convinced they know the whereabouts of the treasure, their mother jeopardizes their retrieving it by arranging to have Chrys's mental stability evaluated. Chrys maneuvers a way around this obstacle, enabling the siblings to find the treasure-but it is hardly what any of them expected. The Legacy of Uncle Jules is an engaging tale for a young teen audience not seeking dark, gritty works. Still, the characters struggle against adversaries from all sides: peers, siblings, parents and their own consciences. More than just a mystery that eventuates in a family bond, the story entangles each child's journey of personal growth.
