Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Rip-roaring historical adventure of brothers in a gold rush.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
JASPER AND THE RIDDLE OF RILEY'S MINE finds its 11-year-old narrator and his 16-year-old brother fleeing an abusive home situation and heading for Alaska in 1897. Like everyone else on the quest, they've got gold fever, dreaming of incredible riches or at least enough money to buy food on a regular basis. And like just about everyone else, they hope to discover the legendary Riley's Mine, which supposedly made Riley so rich he abandoned it for the first person to decipher his odd clues. Things get off to a bad start when one lens of Jasper's glasses gets broken, leaving him with only one good eye, and soon get more perilous as bad weather and worse characters come on the scene. But quick thinking, brotherly bonds, an enterprising spirit, and Mama's washboard all serve the boys well.
Is It Any Good?
Caroline Starr Rose's fast-paced historical adventure finds two brothers seeking their fortune in the Klondike, with tall tales, deadly weather, gun-toting villains, and the kindness of strangers. There's lots of period detail and colorful characters, and a strong moral compass that keeps the boys from going astray. Eleven-year-old Jasper's narrative voice is heavy on what now would be considered poor grammar (especially "ain't"), but there's nothing wrong with his powers of description, as here, where he and Melvin encounter the first nuns Jasper's ever seen:
"Mel taps my head, a reminder I'm to take my cap off, too. He acts like this is the most regular thing he's ever seen, three ladies dressed up like bats, tugging at a boat frozen in the Yukon River."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the Alaskan Gold Rush is portrayed in Japer and the Riddle of Riley's Mine. What other gold rushes have you hear about? How did finding gold someplace change people's lives -- both the ones who lived there and the ones who made it their destination?
Jasper and Melvin often have a hard time figuring out whether people are telling them the truth, especially when they're talking about gold. What clues do you use to tell if people are telling you the truth -- and, if you think they're not, are they trying to deceive you, or do they believe the malarkey themselves?
Have you ever been to Alaska and the Yukon? How do you think things have changed there since the events in this story?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Historical Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Publication date : February 7, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 18
- Number of pages : 288
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate