The El Dorado Adventure ANNOTATION
Traveling to Central America to inspect her real estate holdings, seventeen-year-old Vesper tries to stop a villain from building a canal which would destroy an Indian tribe's homeland.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Vesper Holly is surprised as her guardian, Brinnie, when she receives a mysterious summons to Central America signed by Alain de Rochefort. Vesper sets sail at once to find de Rochefort and explore the land that she has inherited. On her arrival she makes a terrible discovery—de Rochefort represents the evil Dr. Helvitius, who plans to build a canal on Vesper's land, uprooting the native Chirica Indians for pure profit! Can Vesper overcome the dangers of earthquakes, volcanoes, and the evil doctor in time to save her Indian friends?
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature
Seventeen-year-old orphan Vesper Holly is off on another exotic adventure with her ever-protective guardian, Brinnie. Vesper has inherited a volcano in a small country in Central America named El Dorado from her wealthy Philadelphia father. She and Brinnie are lured to El Dorado by the dashing Alain de Rochefort¾purpose unknown. Impetuous Vesper follows de Rochefort into the jungle and into a trap set to eliminate her, by none other than her nemesis from a previous adventure, Dr. Helvitius. Having already befriended Blazer, Slider and Smiler, river characters whose boat engine only she can fix, Vesper and Brinnie take refuge with them after perilous escapes from death. When she meets Acharro, chief of the nearly extinct Chirica Indian tribe and a Cambridge-educated man, Vesper confidently advises him about how to save his people. Creating a fake volcano eruption will scare off the greedy developers. In the game of cat and mouse with the cagey Helvitius, Vesper must outwit him, and the fast-paced plot twists to a satisfying outcome that also includes tribal recognition of women's rights. Narrator Brinnie's delightful properness and tongue-in-cheek humor balance Vesper's bullishness and fearless optimism. Full of humorous messages about courageous women, the 1800s setting of the story is nearly transparent. A delightful read for those who love adventure stories with sequels and their favorite heroine. One of four Vesper Holly titles. 2000 (orig. 1987), Puffin/Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, $5.99. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Elaine Wick
School Library Journal
Gr 5-9 The indomitable Vesper Holly returns in this sequel to The Illyrian Adventure (Dutton, 1986). This escapade begins when Vesper learns that she has inherited a large amount of land, including a volcano, in the wilds of Central America. She and her faithful guardian Brinnie journey to El Dorado to investigate, only to become involved in the struggle of a tribe of Indians to protect their homeland from unscrupulous developers who want to build a canal across the isthmus. As always, Brinnie naively accepts things at face value, while Vesper sees through to the truth. The charming Alain de Rochefort turns out to be a henchman of the evil Dr. Helvitius; the disreputable Captain O'Hara and his scurvy crew are staunch freedom fighters and become Vesper's loyal allies; and the savage chief of the Chiricas has been educated at Cambridge and has brought to his people such civilizing influences as the game of cricket. This book is even more enjoyable than the first; there is a light-hearted sense of fun entwined throughout the plot. There is also plenty of action and a number of cliff-hangers that create an episodic quality reminiscent of old Saturday matinee serials. All of the characters, even those who appear only briefly, are well fleshed-out, and there is a great deal of affection between Vesper and Brinnie. Susan Harding, Mesquite Public Lib . , Tex.
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