Sixth grader Tara O'Hara is determined to find the treasure of the Taramara Indian tribe. It is hidden in the legendary Lost Cave somewhere in the Arizona desert. With the help of her enchanted medallion, Tara enters a magic land, pulling along her wisecracking younger brother, Patrick, his dog, Brutus, and her reluctant friends, Paige and Eric. There they meet Ruben, a walking, talking, nine-armed saguaro cactus, Billy Joe, a gambling, charming, gold-toothed coyote, and Pépe, a Mexican gecko who cooks the best enchiladas in all of Arizona down in his underground cantina.
The children tease and bicker but keep their sense of humor while traveling across the fairyland desert into the perilous cave. They fight off an army of wolf spiders, escape from a tunnel of death, slide into a subterranean lake, and trade insults with smelly javelina pigs until at last they find the treasure and bring it back safely.
Treasure of the Lost Cave was written for nine- to twelve-year-old readers. This well-written manuscript contains fifteen page-turning chapters. Author Shelly Varney-Bock weaves a magical adventure story around four children on a quest to find lost Indian treasure in the Arizona desert. The camaraderie and humor between the children is depicted in an amusing and entertaining way. The desert becomes more enchanting when portrayed as a whimsical fairyland full of danger and intrigue.