| Title | : | The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0140380094 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780140380095 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 192 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1978 |
When Miss Eells gives young Anthony a job at the library, he thinks he’ll just be dusting shelves and filing books. Instead, he discovers a hidden clue leading to the treasure of eccentric millionaire Alpheus Winterborn. Miss Eells thinks the clues are a practical joke left by the odd, old Winterborn before he died. But then why do things suddenly start getting so strange? And terrifying?
This first book in John Bellairs’ Anthony Monday Mystery series will have young readers on the edge of their seats, desperate to race ahead the story’s final surprise.
The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn Reviews
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This is a re-read for me. I wanted to read the entire series so I'm starting at the beginning.
I have fond feelings of this book. Honestly, I remember little of the plot, but I have these memories of my imagination being blown by this story and it was a page turner for me. I was spellbound.
It's a solid story. Anthony works at the local library and he finds a treasure map left by the founder of the library, Alpheus Winterborn. Anthony and his family sure can use the money right now. Mrs. Ells is the librarian and she is friends with Anthony and Anthony's family need money. We see the quirky library and the only way to one room in the tower is from the basement and it's empty, so it's a bit creepy.
The story is set in Minnesota and I don't know if I've read a story set there before. A flood is part of the ending and it's a breathing taking ending. I had fun reading this again and I would read a few things here and there and a dim memory would be jogged.
John Bellairs is the best for middle grade mystery and I am a huge fan. This is a great series for kids into mystery. I'm excited to finish off this series. -
I didn't feel that this was as strong as some of John Bellairs' other books. The mystery wasn't very interesting and I can't say I was drawn to the characters. Anthony and Mrs. Eells or whatever she is called didn't shine through enough and the villain was too stereotypical. But it is a short, fun middle grade mystery/adventure book so if you don't enjoy some of JB's other books I'd say go ahead and try this one. I didn't have soaring high expectations for it, so it was just about as good as I thought it would be.
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Bellairs changes up his pattern again with this, his fourth book for YA readers. Instead of the supernatural gloom of THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS and its two sequels, this book is grounded more in HARDY BOYS territory. Not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, this is a fun, escapist thriller, with our protagonist seeking out the titular treasure, which may or may not be hidden in the local library. There are some fun digressions in the plot, and the hero's relationship with the local librarian is charming. Sure, there are a few coincidences that stretch credibility, but it all works in the context of the world Bellairs has created. The finale is suspenseful, and relies on the background of a natural disaster, and not supernatural hocus-pocus, and the ending is clever and wraps everything up nicely.
Recommended. -
The first of the Anthony Monday/Miss Ells character books, it is light on the horror, which I typically enjoy most about Bellairs, but still a strong children's mystery. What I enjoy about this character pair is that Miss Ells is far less cantankerous than the adults in the other series, and she is also a lot more clueless, allowing Anthony the ability to come forward to handle situations more readily than Bealliars' other child characters.
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I really do feel that Mr. Bellairs' work is stronger when it has a supernatural element. This was still an enjoyable read, a decent mystery, but not as strong as his other series. As usual, his characters were wonderful and I did like the Miss Eells character enough to possibly read the next book in the series, but I feel no rush about it.
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Books by John Bellairs were a huge treat for my brother and me as kids. Going back over them recently, I realized I couldn't remember anything about
The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn. After struggling to stay interested enough to finish the book at all as an adult, I have some idea why: it's pretty boring. The friendship between the two main characters remains all kinds of sweet, with white-haired librarian Miss Eells and impulsive 13 year-old Anthony Monday leading readers on mysterious adventures. And the setting of the small river town of Hoosac, Minnesota sometime during the middle of the 20th century is quite charming, especially to this native Minnesotan. But really, the riddles serving as the clues to the location of a hidden treasure were not hard to decipher, despite Anthony and Miss Eells being determinedly stupid about it. Most of the obstacles did not make for compelling reading either: a bully of a snobby rich person is the villain, Anthony falls down, Miss Eells falls down. A sudden illness in the Monday family did lend some urgency, but really it's the cliched climactic storm and near-flooding of Hoosac that finally lifted the tempo out of snoozeville. I don't believe that made up for the pervasive dullness of the first two thirds of the book.
The book ends with a little description of a trip Miss Eells and Anthony take to Chicago. (OH! Spoiler Alert! Our heroes survive!) Somehow, I found the descriptions and conversation on those three pages more satisfying than anything else in
The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn -
After his father has a heart attack and can’t return to work, Anthony Monday’s family begins to suffer from financial troubles. Anthony works part-time at his local library, but his salary won’t even begin to cover their bills. He worries about money constantly, and becomes obsessed with a local legend about Alpheus Winterborn, the reclusive billionaire who built the library. Old Man Winterborn was rumored to have hidden the bulk of his fortune somewhere in the town, and he left behind a series of cryptic clues. Once Anthony stumbles across one of the clues in the library, he finds himself stalked by a mysterious, estranged heir who wants to claim the entire Winterborn family fortune for himself!
I absolutely love John Bellairs’ books! They’re not your typical middle-grade novels since they’re full of gothic mystery, suspense, and elements of the supernatural. I actually read all of them when I was a kid, and I enjoyed all three series featuring Anthony Monday as well as two other main characters, Johnny Dixon and Lewis Barnavelt. When I re-discovered these books as an adult, I learned that Mr. Bellairs had passed away and left several unfinished books behind. These were later completed by another author, Mr. Brad Strickland, who had himself read Mr. Bellairs’ books as a child. What an awesome way to continue a legacy!
Fair warning: while neither “The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn” or any of Mr. Bellairs’ other books involve graphic violence or any kind of inappropriate subject matter, they are DOWNRIGHT SPOOKY and may very well keep you awake long after you turn off the lights! If you’re okay with that then rush right down to your library and grab one of these books but whatever you do, don’t start reading it on a school night! -
Anthony Monday would hear his parents argue about money at night. Mrs. Monday worried they didn't have enough even though Mr. Monday's Cigar Store and Saloon brought a steady income. Anthony wanted to help some way, but he was too young to really have a job.
On his way home from school one day, he stopped at the Hoosac Public Library to talk to Miss Eells. He had developed a friendship with her and felt that she really listened to him and understood him. He told her about his parents arguing again and she offered him a part-time job helping at the library. Perfect!
Hoosac Public Library was in an old building built in the early 1900s by eccentric Alpheus Winterborn, who made his money with his company Winterborn Silverware Company. The company made silver-plated items and items in other metals. The income allowed Mr. Winterborn the freedom to dabble in inventing things, collecting things, and archaeology. There was a rumour that Mr. Winterborn had hidden a treasure in the old library, but no one knew if it was true or not.
While Anthony was working there he made a discovery of a gold coin and some slips of paper with a strange verse on them. This started out his search for the treasure, whether it was true or not. Finding it would make things easier for his family and they wouldn't argue about money anymore!
Strange puzzling clues and dealing with a Mr. Hugo Philpotts, who is a nephew of Mr. Winterborn, Anthony has a real mystery on his hands. A mystery that takes some scary and possibly deadly turns!
I enjoy works by John Bellairs. He sets his characters and scenes and then the adventures begin. There is action and puzzles in his work. Some parts really do make you sit on the edge of your seat. I really feel this is a Goodread! -
Joshua read this to me as part of his ongoing reading homework. I'm glad he agreed to read it to me -- I must admit to talking him into it, since I remember reading this story when I was a kid and enjoying it. Fortunately, he liked it too. Who can resist a library whose motto is "only believe half of what you read"?
The
John Bellairs stories are all kind of the same, whether it's the Lewis Barnavelt, Anthony Monday, or Johnny Dixon series. However, if you like at least one of them (I like several), you will probably like them all. The writing is simple and accessible to young people with a sprinkling of challenging vocabulary and the pacing is good. I also appreciate that Bellairs wraps his stories up at the end with an explanation of what happened - Bellairs story endings are what come to mind when I think of denouement, and I think they provide better catharsis than most stories which end too abruptly. -
I adore John Bellairs as a rule, and his uncoventional character use has always been a favorite of mine. Throughout his publishing career, his top three childrens series involved Lewis and Rose Rita, Johnny Dixon, and Anthony Monday. Of them all, I'm sad to say I'd probably list the series involving Anthony Monday as my least favorite, with Johnny Dixon and Professor Childermass coming in as my favorites, and Lewis and Rose Rita coming in second.
While the Anthony Monday stories do involve the Bellairs "formula," (pre-teen hanging out with wacky offbeat adult figure in the 1950's and solving mysteries,) somehow Anthony and Miss Ells just don't do it for me. Miss Ells' consistent ineptitude starts to grate on my nerves, and when you combine that with Anthony's non-original "emo-kid" whining, it tends to get a little dull. Still, a few steps down from the amazing Johnny Dixon stories is still a good place to be, and I recommend ALL of these for Bellairs fans. -
I used to love John Bellairs as a child, and had no idea he'd written so many titles! Until I went to the library boo sale and saw they were clearing out his books. why? Not having enough moolah for the entire collection, I shelled out for two of the more promising titles, of which this is one.
Enjoyed it, must say. And though they story winds up with a "typical" happy ending, I sense that our protaganist, Anthoy Monday, will always lead a life of some hardship. Some people are just born into those sorts of families and situations. He's not perfect, of course, so this is also a good classroom / discussion book. Everyone is real enough, except perhaps the antagonist, Hugo Philpotts, who never veers from evil.
This is a good introduction to a great YA writer. And most of his books have covers drawn by Edward Gorey, which are awesome. There is a sequal to this book, which I don't have but will probably read soon. -
This book is totally awesome!!! Today's books for kids are sugary sweet without conflict, questionable elements, or anything even potentially bad or controversial. How is this realistic? The world has real problems that kids have to face. If this book had been written in 2013, it would never have been published.
Our main character, Anthony Monday, is anything but perfect. His dad runs a bar, his family is dysfunctional, and as the story progresses, we are introduced to even more questionable topics for kids. But I would still let my 7-year-old daughter read it. The author handles each topic from the perspective of a kid, and everything is G-rated.
Anthony faces each issue directly. He makes some bad choices, but his bad choices are followed by equally bad consequences. He has a great friend to help him along and makes just as many good choices. I'll be looking for more books from this author. -
Not as enjoyable as the second Anthony Monday book, which I read first. I had come across the second book at the library giveaway months ago, read it, enjoyed it, and decided to seek out the rest of the series. I suspect that book 3 will be better than this one, because I simply didn't care for Anthony in this book. He wasn't at all the same kid he was in book 2, and his mother was just awful here. Since he was more enjoyable in book 2, probably those characteristics continued into book 3 and beyond.
As for the treasure and the riddles, they just weren't very well developed. The reader can't figure out for themselves what it all means, there aren't enough clues and tidbits to satisfy most people, it's just a matter of waiting for Anthony to figure it out himself.
Worth continuing the series, but not the strongest outing by Bellairs. -
This story falls squarely on the "mystery" end of the spectrum of Bellairs' children's books - there's some suspense and tension, but the story is without the supernatural and serious horror elements that play parts in many of his other books.
I loved this book as a kid, Anthony Monday was having exactly the sort of adventure I wanted to have. He had the run of a mysterious old library with hidden rooms and stairways to explore, he discovered clues to a treasure, figured out the clues himself, and found the treasure (mostly) without help from the adults in the story. It all works out very satisfyingly in the end, very young-reader-friendly. -
Another John Bellairs book, based on a new (for me) character: Anthony Monday. The story was fun, but I did not enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed the Lewis Barnavelt or Johnny Dixon stories. I did not find Anthony or Miss Ells as intriguing as characters in other books. There was mystery in the story, but no magic or anything supernatural, which I think contributed to the feel of the previous stories by Bellairs that I have read. I will probably read the next book in the Anthony Monday series to see if it gets any better.
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I can see how this would have been a fun book for a kid to read, but as an adult who loves kids books, it just had too many holes, bad dialogue, cliches, and annoying little bits that aren't going to teach anyone anything: one of the characters falls and gets a concussion, she's delirious and continually passes out and the main character leaves her alone for at least an hour. Of course, she just comes walking out on her own at the end and she's all ok.
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3 STARS
"Did Alpheus Winterborn, the eccentric town millionaire, really hide a treasure in the Hoosac Public Library before he died? Anthony Monday is sure there must be a treasure--but the clues are so bizarre that he wonders if he'll survive the search. And what if Winterborn's evil nephew is letting Anthony find the treasure--only to snatch it away?" (From Amazon)
A great mystery paranormal children's novel -
Gotta love a book with a happily single librarian of mature years (Miss Eels). And I confess I like Anthony Monday best of Bellairs' three primary protagonists, though I can't pin it down. I don't think he's quite as well developed as Johnny Dixon or Lewis Barnavelt--there weren't as many of the Anthony Monday books, for one thing. Certainly a lonelier boy, a more neurotic one.
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I was disappointed by this book. I know it's for kids, but the mystery was painfully obvious from the very beginning. I just can't find any books of Bellairs that I like as much as the Lewis Barnavelt ones.
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Had a lot of fun with this one
Liked this story. Fun chase around a smallish midwestern town with both mystery and light action that pushes the narrative along nicely. Not overly complex but a fun read -
i loved these when I was a kid--Am having fond memories of them now.
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If you enjoy John Bellairs books you will probably like this book. If you like this book you will probably LOVE other John Bellairs books.
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Read the full review here:
http://newberyandbeyond.com/more-mg-a... -
This book is just okay. The dig at mental illness was not okay. I ended up not finishing it.
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So far my favorite of all the books. Miss Eells is my favorite character and I like these books because there just a regular kid, no magic involved.
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A fun, quick treasure hunt mystery. I enjoyed the characters in this book.
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Nothing supernatural here!
I started out reading The House with a Clock in its Walls, and other Lewis Barnavelt stories. Then I moved on to the Johnny Dixon series. Now Anthony Monday!
This series is the shortest with only four books. It takes place in Hoosic, Minnesota, in the late 1940s.
This story is about Anthony Monday’s search for a hidden treasure. Unlike the other books by this author there are no evil ghosts trying to take over the world, or magic amulets. Just a greedy banker. But it seems the next book in the series has weather magic!
Bellairs writes good female characters too. Anthony’s best friend is the town librarian, Miss Myra Eells.
Lewis Barnavelt is an orphan. Johnny Dixon’s mother died of cancer. Anthony Monday’s parents are alive but his mother is a terrible person! I have to wonder if Bellairs had some problem with his mother. If he did it didn’t harm his views on women in general because most of his female characters are great! -
I read this book in the afternoon after I ran my errands and went for a long walk. Generally I enjoy these mystery books but for some reason I just couldn't get too interested in this one. My mind kept wondering while I was reading it, which is a bad sign. The plot just couldn't keep me interested. I really don't know why. Or maybe it didn't have enough suspense?
I do think the banker in here is quite evil! He seems to stand out more than Anthony does.
Of course it could be how Anthony's parents were always arguing about money. Often too much bitterness and arguing can turn me off of a book..and I believe his mother is a narcissist too. I can't stand narcissists.
The riddles in the story were ok. -
It's been decades since I last read Bellairs. I don't remember ever reading this one before. The characters are paper than, the story is slow and not very scary or exciting, and it has the infuriating trait of no one believing the kid and him trusting the librarian more than his parents. Even so, it has the classic Bellairs feel. Nothing supernatural in this, and the ending is very abrupt.
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I really liked this book as a kid and again as an adult. I was still in chapter 1 and I remembered the ending though. I guess it made a good impression 35 years ago too.
I'm going to reread all of the Anthony Monday books.
