YA Book Release: Skavenger’s Hunt by Mike Rich…

You know those feel-good movies… the ones about unlikely friendships, classic sports moments, maybe a tear-jerking scene or two? Well, those are the kind of screenplays Mike Rich has had the great fortune to write. Best known for Finding Forrester (Sean Connery’s character was named after Mike’s high school English teacher), The Rookie, Radio, Secretariat and Cars 3, Mike wrote those stories because they’re ones he loves himself, and they’re the reason he decided to write Skavenger’s Hunt, his first book which publishes from Inkshares on November 14, 2017.

This middle-grade/young adult crossover is a stunning adventure back in time. From Mississippi riverboats to the streets of old Paris, Skavenger’s Hunt is a riveting tale rich with historical detail and fantastic appearances by real-life characters such as Mark Twain and Gustave Eiffel. It’s packed with colorful, charismatic historical figures and landmarks from more than a century ago; all part of an adventurous time-travel origin story surrounding the first, and greatest, scavenger hunt ever held.

Skavenger’s Hunt poses the questions: What if there was a magical origin story behind the scavenger hunts we all took part in as kids? What if there was one man, more than a hundred years ago, who held the first, greatest, most elaborate hunt ever? And what if that man’s name, Hunter S. Skavenger, was the reason—lost-to-history—for calling these hunts what we do today? Better yet… what if this greatest of hunts was never solved, but all the clues remained?

About the Book:

A stunning adventure back in time, from Mississippi riverboats to the streets of old Paris.

Skavenger’s Hunt is the story of 12-year-old Henry Babbitt; a good-hearted, intelligent kid still reeling from the sudden loss of his beloved father—a man who promised his son that one day they would sail somewhere, climb mountains, take part in great adventures.

Adventures that never were, unfortunately, after Henry’s father died in a car accident at West 96th and Riverside in New York. Adventures that Henry’s mother, Eloise, understandably tried to shield her only child from even thinking about anymore.

But when Henry’s eccentric grandfather, on a snowy Christmas Eve night, tells him the legend of the mysterious Skavenger and the lost clues the old man himself tried to find—it sets into motion a late-night enchanting moment that places Henry—and Henry alone—back in the year 1885. Back at the precise moment and location where the greatest of hunts was about to begin.

The adventures that never were…become the adventure Henry and his late father could never have dreamed of taking.

Henry knows the key to getting back home rests with Skavenger himself, and that the only way to meet the enigmatic puzzler is by winning the hunt that stumped thousands a century-and-a-half earlier. He teams up with a rag-tag trio of 19th century youngsters, each determined to solve the unsolvable for their own reasons. Ernie, orphaned when his parents were murdered in New York’s notorious Five Points. Mattie, a whip-smart girl able to match wits with the most brilliant of hunters. And Jack, who has the street smarts to know there’s something untold about Henry.

The elaborate hunt begins in New York’s Central Park, but doesn’t stay there for long. Those clever enough to solve the first clues journey throughout the still young United States, while others gamble on crossing the Atlantic Ocean for Europe. Iconic, historic locations await them – as does a cast of literary heroes, inventive geniuses and business legends. But also awaiting them is Skavenger’s lethal rival: the menacing Hiram Doubt and his malevolent Dark Men. Not only must Henry and Company solve every clue in the great contest—they’ll have to stay ahead of Doubt and his agents of danger to do it.

Praise for Skavenger’s Hunt:

"With Skavenger's Hunt, Mike Rich has adeptly tapped into the best of children's literature. His book takes us on a journey that both fascinates and surprises us and is filled with characters who are curious and generous and, at times, very funny. The world that Henry Babbitt discovers is every bit as mind-blowing as the world that Lucy Pevensie enters when she first walks through the wardrobe. I can't wait to read it again!" —Mark Johnson, producer of The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, Breaking Bad, and Rain Man

"A mix of magic and history that takes the reader on an utterly engrossing adventure! Skavenger's Hunt is an edge-of-your-seat gem that’ll keep you turning pages from start to finish. An impressive debut novel." —The Wibberleys, writers of National Treasure and National Treasure: Book of Secrets

"Mike Rich is, very simply, one of my favorite writers. Any time you sit down to read a script of his you know that you will laugh, think and be moved. He has the rare ability to create emotion without schmaltz." —John Lee Hancock, writer and director of The Blind Side

"Mike Rich writes stories with so much heart they almost explode. There's the work you know, like Secretariat, but also work on countless films you love that don't bear his name. Skavenger's Hunt is no exception." —Brian Koppelman, writer of Ocean's 13 and creator of Showtime's Billions

Meet the Author:

 

Mike Rich is a screenwriter best known for films like The Rookie, Radio, and Secretariat. His first movie was Finding Forrester, starring Sean Connery, for which he won the Nicholl Fellowship. Skavenger's Hunt is his first book.

Connect with Mike Rich: https://www.inkshares.com/books/skavenger-s-hunt