Celtic Run – Sean Vogel

Publisher:  MB Publishing, LLC

Pages:  160

Source: Review copy from Pump Up Your Book Tours

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Celtic Run Synopsis by Sean Vogel:

Jake, a 14-year-old gadget whiz, didn’t plan on a summer full of treasure, thieves, and danger. He just got lucky.

While in Ireland on a class trip, Jake stumbles upon the first clue to a treasure missing from the Spanish Armada. Jake sees the riches as his chance to buy back the family sailboat and restore a piece of the life he enjoyed before his father was critically injured in an accident. Desperate to find the treasure, Jake teams up with Zach, his nemesis and class bully, and two girls in a clue-hunting chase across the Dingle Peninsula.

Dodging would-be thieves, exchanging wisecracks with Zach, and concocting ingenious devices to get them out of scrapes, Jake leads the team as they connect piece after piece to the 400-year-old mystery.

My Thoughts:

I seldom read books twice unless a long period of time has passed.  I read this book twice to make sure I had not missed anything.  I don't know if it is my desire to one day visit Ireland, my love of all things Irish, all coupled with characters that were very believable that made this such a wonderful book to read.  I was with them throughout their adventures.  I loved the way they had to go from one clue, and research different parts of the island to find what they were looking for.  I loved the way that Jake became more mature and assertive as time went on.  I really enjoyed the way he could come up with gadgets to help them out.  Once scene came to life in my mind that I could see Maggie dancing and hear the music in my head.  Maybe it is because my daughter did Irish dance for a couple of years.  I have a small collection Irish music.  Books like this make me want to research my family to see where we come from.  I know my great-grandfather and two of his brother's came from Ireland and settled along the Ohio River.  That is all I know at this point.  I will definitely recommend this book to my students.  I see this is the first in a series so I look forward to seeing what other adventures Jake will get himself into.

After reading all about Sean Vogel you can click on a link and visit his wonderful website where you will learn much more about him and Ireland.  Then click on the link to read an excerpt from chapter 1.  You won't be sorry you did.

Sean Vogel Bio:

Growing up in a small town in Michigan during the 1980s, Sean was provided with an excellent garden for cultivating his writing career. With only a few simplistic video games and three television channels, he became an accomplished daydreamer and a creative outside adventurer.

A son of a garbage truck driver, Sean often received “gently used” items from his father’s route. With a bit of imagination and a little tinkering, these items were reborn as tools for battles against backyard bandits. These childhood experiences would later serve as the foundation and inspiration for Jake McGreevy’s gadgetry expertise.

Seeking his own adventures, Sean joined the Army via an ROTC scholarship at Colorado State University. Living in Germany for several years gave him the opportunity to travel extensively in Europe. During his time in the Army, he served in the Field Artillery and Signal Corp, rising to the rank of Captain and receiving the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq.

Sean started drafting novels out of boredom during long deployments in the military; a pen is easier to carry than a guitar. But he soon fell in love with the frustrating, yet satisfying science called writing and has been hard at work ever since.

When he’s not helping his main character Jake get out of tangles, Sean is a department manager for a large aerospace company. He lives in Denver with his wife and their two dachshunds.

Visit his website here

Read Chapter 1 here