Treasure Fever! facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Andy Griffiths |
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| Country |  Australia |
| Language | English |
| Series | Schooling Around! |
| Genre | Children's |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan |
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Publication date
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1 April 2008 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 216 |
| ISBN | 978-0-330-42389-2 |
| Followed by | Pencil of Doom! |
Treasure Fever! is an exciting book by Andy Griffiths. It's the first book in his Schooling Around series. This book came out in April 2008, published by Pan Macmillan Australia.
Contents
The Story Begins
Henry McThrottle and his friends are waiting for their teacher, Mrs. Chalkboard. His friends include Jack, who loves to draw, and Newton, who worries about everything. There's also strong Gretel, friendly Jenny, and super-smart Fiona.
Suddenly, Mr. Greenbeard, the school principal, walks in. He loves everything about ships! He tells the class that Mrs. Chalkboard is sick. Their new substitute teacher will be Mr. Brainfright.
Meet Mr. Brainfright
Right away, it's clear Mr. Brainfright is a very unusual teacher. He doesn't seem to know much about teaching at all! His first lesson is about how to breathe. During this strange lesson, he almost falls out the window! The whole class works together to pull him back inside. Just then, Mrs. Cross arrives.
Mr. Brainfright then tells the class a riddle. It's about a man who has a goat, a wolf, and some cabbage. He needs to cross a river. The reward for solving it is a lollipop! Henry figures out the answer. He gets some help from Clive Durkin, the class bully, who throws him spitballs.
A Sticky Situation
At recess, Clive and his brother Fred claim the lollipop. They say it's theirs because Henry used Clive's spitballs. This leads to a big argument between Fred and Henry. Mrs. Cross quickly stops them. She sends Henry to the principal's office.
Henry explains everything to Mr. Greenbeard. The principal understands completely. He tells Henry a similar thing happened to him when he was young.
Mr. Greenbeard's Secret
Mr. Greenbeard once had a treasure chest. It was full of his favorite things. He had buried it on a hill he called "Skull Island." But someone had stolen it! Mr. Greenbeard recites a poem that was left in the empty chest. This poem gives Henry an idea. He decides to look for the lost treasure!
Henry asks his friends Jack, Newton, Gretel, and Jenny to help him. They are all excited to join the treasure hunt.
The Search Begins
The next day, Mr. Brainfright tries to teach history. He says everyone is making history just by living. They even act out yesterday's breathing lesson! This time, Mr. Brainfright really does fall out the window. Mrs. Cross is not happy at all.
Henry and his friends search for the treasure during lunch. But they don't find anything. Henry then realizes something important. The poem mentioned a book called "One Thousand Nights and a Night." He thinks this book might have clues!
At the library, Jenny figures out another clue. The poem also mentioned "The Ruined Man Who Became Rich Again Through a Dream." This means Mr. Greenbeard's treasure is still buried at Skull Island. Skull Island is a hill right on the school property!
Finding Clues
Henry asks Grant Gadget, an inventor, to lend them a metal detector. With the metal detector, they find a metal key! It's the key to the treasure chest.
The next day, Jenny accidentally tells Fiona about their treasure hunt. This news spreads fast! Soon, everyone at school wants to find the treasure. A treasure-hunting craze begins! Henry and his friends are pushed off Skull Island by all the other students.
Fred and Clive show up. Henry admits the treasure is real. But the next day, he gives them a fake map. He deliberately puts the wrong location on it. This trick works! Everyone else goes to the wrong place, leaving Skull Island free for Henry and his friends.
Mr. Brainfright's Last Lesson?
Mr. Brainfright gives his strangest lesson yet: how to be friends with a banana! This leads to everyone slipping on banana peels. Mr. Brainfright accidentally bumps Mrs. Cross out the window!
Mrs. Cross reports him to Mr. Greenbeard. The principal tells Mr. Brainfright he needs to behave. Mr. Brainfright then starts teaching normally. He gives the class a spelling test. He also reveals he used to be an archaeologist! Henry is thrilled. He asks Mr. Brainfright for help finding the treasure.
The Treasure is Found!
Mr. Brainfright leads an archaeological dig with the whole class. Finally, they find the treasure! Mrs. Cross declares this is the last straw. She drags Mr. Brainfright to the office to get him fired. But not before they use his jackhammer to free the treasure!
Henry is sad that Mr. Brainfright might lose his job. He decides to use the treasure to convince Mr. Greenbeard to change his mind. They get the treasure out of the ground. But Fred quickly grabs it! He opens the chest with the key.
Inside, they find a few simple items: a marble, a rock, a pencil, a yo-yo, a shark's tooth, a rabbit's foot, a black eye patch, a plastic ring, a water pistol, and a football card. Fred gets angry when he sees what's inside. He tries to attack Henry. Instead, he trips over Newton's foot and falls into the hole! This gives Henry time to grab the treasure and race to Mr. Greenbeard's office.
The Mystery Solved
Mr. Greenbeard is overjoyed that his items are found. He then sees the initials "W.S." engraved on the chest. He realizes they belong to Wendy Smith, who is now Mrs. Cross! She admits she was jealous. She wasn't allowed to play pirates with Mr. Greenbeard when they were kids. So, she stole the treasure to get back at him.
Mr. Greenbeard forgives her. He also gives Mr. Brainfright his job back!
As a reward, Henry and his friends each pick one item from the box. Henry chooses a pencil with a skull on it.
Meanwhile, even Fiona starts to like Mr. Brainfright's quirky ways. He then teaches the whole class how to fly!
