Product Description

Samantha and Nellie set sail for Europe in 1906. Also aboard the ship is a world-famous archaeologist and the legendary sapphire he is carrying to a London museum. When his priceless jewel disappears, Samantha realizes that every one of the first-class passengers is a suspect--and one of them must be the thief!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10895 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-21
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 181 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781593690991
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-This mystery set in the early 1900s has vivid descriptions of clothing and finery, stilted dialogue, and a heavy-handed but well-meaning lesson. Samantha and her adopted sister, Nellie, join their grandparents on an ocean-liner voyage to Europe. When fellow passenger and archaeologist Fitzwilliam Wharton discovers that the legendary Blue Star sapphire he was carrying to a museum in London has gone missing during dinner, everyone traveling first class becomes a suspect-including the girls' French tutor. While Samantha and Nellie frantically try to prove her innocence, a subplot finds Nellie struggling with the prejudices of the day toward the Irish. In the end, the girls solve the mystery and everyone learns a valuable lesson about jumping to conclusions. Interesting endnotes about ocean travel at the beginning of the 20th century and a description of three famous gems round out the enticing package. While the American Girl fervor has certainly died down, this title is sure to find an audience in most libraries.-Adrienne Furness, Webster Public Library, NY
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Customer Reviews

good enough for school
I read this book and so did the head of the school library. The library accepted this book as a test book for reading awards and the girls age 8 to 12 enjoyed it..

It will take you on an adventure!
If you like mysteries you'll love this book! samantha & nellie
are 2 girls how lived in the 1900's. my favorite part was
when samantha & nellie found who stole the sapphire ...but that I
will not tell you. I have another american girl mystery and I look forward to reading
it!

Shipboard Mystery
As an adult who never tires of historical stories and is a collector of children's books, I enjoy these books more than the adult novels bouncing around the bestseller list with their trashy mixtures of sex and violence. Samantha is not my favorite American Girl character, but I find this story an improvement on the previous Curse of Ravenscroft. The mystery was fairly compelling and there were no dollhouse beds or silly things of that nature to ruin the ending. I thought it out of character, however, when Samantha distrusts someone who is very important in her life, when in previous books she has defended the person.