The River of Gold

A secret letter. A vanished father. A gold mine that isn't on any map.

When twelve-year-old Marisol "Mars" Ferreira is handed a sealed envelope at the airport by a stranger who vanishes into the crowd, she has no idea it will drag her a thousand miles up the Amazon River — straight into a jungle mystery her explorer father never wanted her to find.

Her dad has disappeared while searching for a lost gold mine hidden deep in the rainforest, a mine tangled up in old legends, a rival expedition, and a traitor hiding in plain sight. With her fearless best friend Theo and a sharp-eyed river guide named Iara, Mars sets off on a treasure hunt adventure packed with quicksand traps, hidden caves, ancient river maps, jungle storms, poachers, secret codes, and a race against a ruthless rival explorer who wants the gold — and will do anything to get it first.

Part survival adventure, part treasure-hunting mystery, part coming-of-age jungle quest, The River of Gold is a fast-paced, cliffhanger-driven action-adventure for kids — perfect for fans of jungle exploration stories, lost city legends, mystery adventure series, and brave-kid-hero books. Danger lurks around every bend of the river... but so does the truth about what really happened to Mars's father.