Smugglarens skatt review

Oliver, his new local friend Fanny and eventually Oliver’s grandma, too, work together to try to find out what actually happened to a shipload of smuggled goods one hundred years ago, and also where Oliver’s grandma’s uncle disappeared to. Was the uncle a wild law-breaker or someone who saved a child’s life? Did he hide something of real economic value or does his treasure only matter to his relatives or is there no treasure at all? Are people and things what they seem or can they have multiple different meanings, depending on how you look at them?

Oliver and Fanny are not the only ones attempting to solve the mystery; an odd pair of foreign tourists seem to be on the trail too, and Oliver and Fanny suspect the worst. Meanwhile, the sparsely populated island might lose its ferry service to the mainland, which would mean that Oliver’s fiercely independent grandma couldn’t live on the island anymore, and Oliver doesn’t want that to happen to her. He wonders if finding the treasure could bring in enough money to save the ferry and the island.

Åhman’s novel is a speedy and exciting read. It has already been nominated for the Runeberg Junior prize (aimed at readers 6-9 years old, although this book would be ideal for readers up to about 12). The Smuggler’s Treasure is told in 24 chapters and is themed around Christmas to a certain extent, but that doesn’t mean you need to wait until next Christmas to read it. It’s a light-hearted book about families and friendship, which are themes for all year round.