It was such a JOY to chat with Mary Alice Monroe about her sequel to her No. 2 NYT bestselling book, The Islanders. The new book is called Search for Treasure — and it is a treasure! 

With her love of the great outdoors, Mary Alice has created an adventure that will inspire kids and send their imagination soaring.

Lovie, Jake, and Macon are three kids who call themselves the Islanders. They are back on Dewees Island for another summer without technology. As they spend more time in nature, they learn about nature as they hunt for buried treasure with the help of Macon’s new metal detector.

But there is more depth to this book than a search for Blackbeard’s treasure. It is a hallmark of Mary Alice’s novels, especially her Beach House series, that there are layers to every story. 

In this book the children learn about compassion and caring when Jake’s dad comes to Dewes Island. Injured in Afghanistan, he is struggling to deal with losing leg. And the trauma of war.

As the children grow to love nature more and more — especially Big Al, an alligator, they also have to deal with visitors they call “the Invaders” whose lack of respect for the natural environment could turn out to be dangerous. 

A delightful book — kids will love it. And, so will adults.