Interesting start to a new detective-like school-story series.
Plot
Benjamin Pratt loves his town of Edgeport, and when an entertainment company releases plans to tear down Ben's historical Oakes School and replace it with an amusement park of questionable legality, Ben enlists his friend Jill to find out a way for the school, which belongs to the kids and not the town, to not be demolished with all its Revolutionary War era history.
Morality
Ben and Jill do a lot of snooping around the school, but it is actually their right to do so to try to find a reason to keep their school alive. The entertainment company sends in a spy to infiltrate and sabotage Ben's plans. Ben and Jill are sworn to secrecy as the newest Keepers of the School, and have to keep their parents in the dark. The school has million-dollar views out on the edge of the sea, and the amusement park builders want to make sure the public doesn't know about them.
Spiritual Content
God is not a big part of the story, although Ben and Jill feel like they are fighting for a noble cause.
Violence
A friend of Ben's almost drowns in a boat race, and Ben saves his life. The former Keeper of the School, Mr. Keane the janitor, dies of old age.
Drug and Alcohol Content
None.
Sexual Content
Ben's parents divorced, which obviously saddens Ben.
Crude or Profane Language or Content
None.
Conclusion
An interesting beginning to school-story writer Andrew Clement's new series. I thought Ben and Jill were very easy to relate to as characters, and this slightly historical book also had a mystery/detective feel to it.
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