Title: Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost
Series: Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency
Author: Iain Reading
Genre: Young Adult / Mystery/ Adventure
Published: September 10th 2013
Page count: 339 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: From the author in exchange of an honest opinion
Book Summary:
Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost is the exciting second installment in a new series of adventure mystery stories that are one part travel, one part history and five parts adventure. This second book in the series continues the adventures of Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot who has decided to follow in the footsteps of her hero Amelia Earhart and make an epic flight around the entire world. After flying across North America Kitty’s journey takes her down south to Florida where she plans to get a bit of rest and relaxation before continuing on with the rest of her long and grueling flight. As Kitty explores the strange and magical water world of the Florida Keys her knack for getting herself into precarious situations sweeps her headlong into the adventure of a lifetime involving mysterious lights, ancient shipwrecks, razor-toothed barracudas and even a sighting of the great Ernest Hemingway himself. This exhilarating story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept across the landscape and history of the Florida Keys all the way from Key West to the strange and remarkable world of Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas.
Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost is a perfect book to fire the imaginations of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn about and experience as much of our amazing world as they can – just like Kitty Hawk herself.
*The Chef’s Review*
Actual rating: 4/5 stars
I think that I have written the same comment in every of my reviews after reading Iain Reading’s books, however I will say it again: I love the way that these stories always finds the way to mix history, educational facts, food, culture, travel, entertainment, all in one book. In the second book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series, we travel to Florida where we visit Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas. This was amazing! It always struck me how little do I know of worldwide knowledge and I find it so interesting whenever I get the chance to learn about it. This book is filled with so many facts and trivia about the place and it evens talks about the people who live there. It’s fantastic!
What I liked:
I like the constant change of scenery inside the book. Although Kitty Hawk spends most of her time narrating in Fort Jefferson, I find it refreshing that she has the facility to move around the islands without trouble. There was a point where I felt a little trapped on the island and suddenly Kitty decides to fly off for some groceries in Key West. I find that refreshing.
The new characters. In every one of her stories, Kitty adds new characters to the plot and each of them adds spice to the story. Since the main character doesn’t stay in the same place, she always meets new friends, some of them locals, that contribute uniqueness to the story. My new favorite character in this book was Jack. He is a retired cop that Kitty meets almost as soon as she arrives the campground. He and his wife are the closest friends that Kitty meets in there and I find him to be an interesting character full of knowledge about the place and a key person that helps Kitty solve the mystery of Fort Jefferson’s waters.
I love the little maps throughout the pages of the book. It is so easy to imagine the places where Kitty visits. They serve as a perfect guide and prevent you from getting lost. Thumbs up for that!
Also, I speak as the chef of this blog, I adore that the book gives me hints of what the people of this place eat. The food that stands out the most for me was the Sloppy Joe, the conch and the Key Lime Pie.
What didn’t do it for me:
There were some parts of the story that felt a little bit slow for me, but other than that, I thought it was great.
Final Verdict:
I really like the book. I find it very entertaining and fun to read. It is the kind of book that when I finished reading it left me with the feeling that I wish that I could go and visit all those places that it mentions. They are all true! Although I would hope to have a more normal risk free vacation than Kitty.
Happy reading! — The Chef
I've literally never seen or heard of this book before seeing your review, so thank you for bringing it to my attention! This book sounds lovely, and I'm definitely going to check it out on Goodreads now 🙂 Wonderful review!
Brittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles
Thanks, Brittany! 🙂 I really think this book is wonderful. The series is amazing and even though it took me a little time to start appreciating the story, once I got past the first few chapters, I really enjoyed it!
I just added this for my daughter, she loves adventures and mysteries. Thanks!
I am glad you could enjoy this book so much! I have read a book by this author before, and it was called The Dragon of the Month Club! I quite enjoyed it, so I would be interested in reading more of their works. It's a shame about the slow parts, but otherwise it sounds good. 🙂