The Seven Keys of Balabad
Haven, an Associated Press bureau chief whose postings have included Afghanistan and Pakistan, uses some of the mystery surrounding the Golden Hoard of Bactria, a treasure discovered in Afghanistan in 1978, in crafting this ornate, atmospheric suspense romp. Haven’s writing style here is reminiscent of the lush, exotic adventure tales of H. Rider Haggard, especially of King Solomon’s Mines. The hero, 12-year-old Oliver Finch, has been unwillingly transported from his beloved Manhattan along with his father, a foreign correspondent assigned to Balabad. Finch is ideally positioned, then, to learn about both the latest local doings—in this case, the theft of a 500-year-old sacred carpet. When one of Oliver’s friends is kidnapped, he resolves to find his friend and solve the mystery of the stolen carpet, all of which leads to a satisfying series of dangers, pitfalls, double crosses, and escapes. This adventure follows Haven’s first novel, Two Hot Dogs with Everything (2006). Grades 5-8. --Connie Fletcher