Ray Conlogue. Shen and the Treasure Fleet
Annick Press  $11.95  ISBN 978-1-55451-103-7  320 pg.
Reviewed by Keegan, Age 14

After their home is destroyed, their father killed, and their Emperor dead, two siblings, Shen and Chang, flee their city to a place where no one will recognize them. Joining a circus made up of mostly convicts and criminals, they then join a fleet of ships that will travel the world. But when the fleet admiral discovers that the emperor isn’t dead he decides to rescue him, destroying Shen and Chang’s chance to flee, and instead dropping them into the same war they tried to escape.

Shen and the Treasure Fleet is a great book for people that like books about pirates and navy fight. It’s based on an actual story about a real fleet of ships and even a few real people. Though the book started out during a war, it seemed a bit slow, because there wasn’t much description on the war itself. But the end of the book was great because it was filled with action and excitement. The books description was so good; it was simple to picture it in your head. Even though this book takes place in China, you can almost think of it happening in almost any other place in the world. I thought that the way that the book was based on a true story, one that mysteriously disappeared from existence for a long time, was unique.

I would recommend this book to readers 12 and up because there are a lot of words that younger readers won’t understand, and there is some violence.

I give Shen and the Treasure Fleet 5 stars.