Ten Mile Treasure

~ A Novel by Andre Norton

ten mile treasure 1981 56102 2

 

Synopsis ~

Write-up from the back of the paperback edition ~

When Christie Kimball and her family start a new life on a run-down Arizona ranch – once a bustling stagecoach stop in the Old West – their lives take an unexpected turn.
Christie and her brother Neal have a secret plan to transform the ranch into a money-making tourist attraction for the motel their father wants to build.
But when the Kimball kids and their Navajo friends go exploring in the desert and stumble on a mysterious treasure chest hidden deep in a cave – the real adventure begins…
Soon a Ghost Town, a long-lost letter, and a concealed valley carry Christie and Neal into a lot more excitement than they ever dreamed possible!

 

Write-ups from fans ~

A family relocates from back east somewhere to buy an old stagecoach station in the desert, with the intention of turning it into a tourist destination. One day, on an exploration trip the kids find a cave with the legendary "ghost" stagecoach that had left the station during an Indian attach and was never heard from again, except in legend -- ghostly hoof-beats and wheel noises on the road out of the station. The coach is almost intact including cargo and mail bags.

In the cargo is a French fashion doll all boxed up with her "trousseau", (all the accessories of lady of fashion would have). A letter found with her is addressed from a sea captain to his little daughter in New York, so the kids track down the address of the sea captain's daughter and tell her that they found her doll. The daughter now in her 80s generously gives title to the doll to the kids to add to the display in the stagecoach station. ~ SL

 

When Mr. Kimball loses his job "back east", he moves his family to Arizona to open up a motel/tourist attraction on the site of an old Stagecoach station. There is Mrs. Kimball, Neal (13), Christie (12) and Parky (Patrick) and Perks (Patricia) being 7-year-old twins. Also, they have a Siamese/Burmese mix Cat and a German Sheppard. The older kids make friends with a couple of Navajo children of the same age as them, Libby and Toliver Wildhorse. To get out of the way for all the people remodeling the old stage stop, the kids all go on a picnic and go hunting for arrow heads. The cat gets lost and while searching for it, they discover a treasure trove in a cave. Not long after this discovery, A neighbor shows up claiming that the station and the land it is on belongs to him. Later, his obnoxious spoiled daughter appears to stir up trouble. A local ghost town, an old stagecoach a senator and a mysterious letter dated 1875 all add up to an adventure worthy of a Walt Disney production. Every time I read it, it is like watching the old Disney classics, or maybe one of the better "Afterschool Specials". Even though I know this story very well, I still enjoy reading it often. ~ PG

 

Reviews ~

Various reviews ~ For more info and other listings see Articles Over the Years

2020 by Judith Tarr

 

Bibliography of English Editions ~

  • (1981) Published by Pocket (Archway), PB, 0-671-56102-2, 978-0-671-56102-4, $1.95, 217pg ~ cover by unknown
  • (2012) Published by Premier Digital Publishing, eISBN 978-1-938582-32-5, DM, $3.99, 137pg ~ cover by Kib Prestridge
  • (2014) Published by Open Road Media, eISBN 978-1-497656-87-1, DM, $3.99, 137pg ~ cover by Kib Prestridge

View the Original contract

For information on editions currently available visit the Book Store

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Interior Illustrations;

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