Kaleidoscope Eyes

by Jen Bryant

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044042190X
• ISBN13: 9780440421900
• Release Date: November 2010
• Publisher: Yearling Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Kaleidoscope Eyes

Bryant, J. (2009). Kaleidoscope Eyes. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 9780375840487 After her mother left, after several of her sister's friends came home in caskets from Vietnam, after her Gramps's heart gave out, Lyza discovers three maps left specifically to her by her Gramps with a letter calling her to adventure. Through research, Lyza and her two best friends begin to connect the clues left by Gramps and embark on a search for lost pirate treasure that rest somewhere under their New Jersey town. I think Kaleidoscope Eyes manages to capture the feel of the late 1960s well (I say this tentatively...since I wasn't alive then). It includes a lot of aspects of the time, from the huge historic events to the small details, from the different ways of perceiving the supposed "true" government portrayal of the Vietnam War to feminism and race relations in New Jersey. When I first read the description of Kaleidoscope Eyes as being a treasure hunt in poems, I expected it to be much more lighthearted than it is. Instead, Lyza's runaway mom, her distant relationship with her sister, her best friend Malcolm's concerns over being bullied by whites and one of her best friend's brother being sent to Vietnam all give the beginning of the book a much more somber feel that the poetic form lends itself to. It's only around page 70ish that I felt the sense of adventure and fun really begin to pick up. This is a good, serious and relatively fast read that will hopefully help to bring some middle grade and young adult readers back to poetry. And to pirates. Arrrr! Activities to Do with the Book: Since this book is set in the late 1960s, and include a lot of the culture of that time (including references to the Vietnam War, hippy culture, feminist theory, Martin Luther King Jr., popular television shows, music, etc.) this book could certainly be a basis to build lessons and presentations about that time period. Another angle to present the text, would be as a more realistic exploration of piracy and its implications. Students could research famous pirates (including Mary Read and Anne Bonny--Way to represent, ladies!) and try to determine their motives for becoming pirates as well as other aspects of their character. Other research opportunities would include both successful and failed treasure hunts throughout history. Following Lyza's example, students can research how aspects of their town or property have changed both physically and in terms of human use over several decades or centuries. A teacher could turn this into a geography, engeneering or earth science lesson, depending on their and students' interests. Beyond that, this book can be used to try to spark some interest in poetry with an age group that traditionally dismisses the form. Quotes of Note: "I wake up every morning to Janis Joplin. My sister, Denise, has a life-size poster of Janis-- mouth open in a scream around the microphone, arms raised, hair frizzled out wildly, an

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Lyza's grandfather left her three carefully folded maps and an envelope that will take her and her two best friends on the adventure of a lifetime as they search for buried treasure. But even if the three thirteen-year-olds manage to decipher the clues and locate the treasure, how will they keep it secret from their parents and the rest of the town? Set during the Vietnam War, this novel allows the reader to learn about historical facts and figures of the time while enjoying the mystery and adventure of a hunt for pirate treasure. I absolutely loved KALEIDOSCOPE EYES, and though its structure threw me off a bit at first, I soon found myself reading along with no trouble. I enjoyed hunting treasure with Bryant's characters as they discovered the past, struggled through the present, and looked toward a bright future. The real treasure was the way these characters overcame obstacles and kept going in the face of the turmoil and confusion around them. Reviewed by: Joan Stradling