Sinbad and Me

A wonderfully imaginative blend of "buddy book" with Edgar Allan Poe's "The Gold Bug," complete with ghosties and ghoulies and big strong English bulldogs that go bump in the night. Well, only one English bulldog, but there is plenty of Sinbad to go around. Throw in some highly inventive puzzles and code breaking, a hero who is smarter than he thinks he is, a friend with a "million candlepower brain," and assorted bad guys of various levels of toughness, and you have a thrilling, funny, intricate adventure/mystery mixing ciphers, architecture and numismatics. There's nothing else quite like Kin Platt's Sinbad and Me.

Mark J. Estren, Ph.D.,www.infodad.com

Bluntly, Sinbad and Me is one of the greatest young adult mystery/adventure stories ever written. It's the kind of book that fires a passion for reading, even in the most reluctant of readers: young boys. However, I first read the book when I was well past the age of 30 and I couldn't set it down! How did I not discover this book in my youth? Tunnels, caves, spooky old houses, codes, ciphers, a graveyard, a ghost and pirate story, evil villains, colorfully odd characters, hidden treasure, adventure on land and in water, danger, a touch of romance and, perhaps most importantly, it depicts that special bond between a dog and its master. This book has it all, and more. Without realizing it, you'll even learn a bit about historic architecture and antique coins. Fast-paced, clever, and filled to the brim with humor, it's Kin Platt's masterpiece for readers of ALL ages.

Seth T. Smolinske, www.threeinvestigatorbooks.com

-- Kin Platt