Upper middle grade historical mystery · Adult crossover
Pines Lake The Treasure of North Island — A Centennial Adventure
A remembered coming-of-age adventure in Wayne, New Jersey, where local clues, community secrets, and a Revolutionary-era packet transform a search for treasure into a lesson about memory, repair, and stewardship.
- Readers ages 11–16
- Grades 6–10
- 322 pages
- First edition
About the book
Pines Lake — The Treasure of North Island: A Centennial Adventure is a remembered coming-of-age adventure set around Pines Lake. A group of boys discovers a rusted gun and follows clues through drains, renamed roads, old waterlines, historic houses, the Glen mine, Pancake Hollow, and North Island. Their search leads them to a Revolutionary-era packet tied to British gold, local families, Arthur Bell, and a broken chain of custody. Even a baseball scorecard takes on a new meaning. The novel’s true treasure is not ownership of gold; it is learning how to return what remains, repair what was damaged, and carry memory forward responsibly.
The true treasure is learning how to return what remains, repair what was damaged, and carry memory forward responsibly.
The purpose of the Pines Lake project
The Pines Lake project uses historical fiction to preserve the texture of a community remembered across generations: its shoreline, roads, drains, houses, stories, and unanswered questions.
Its purpose is to invite young readers and adults to investigate evidence, distinguish memory from record, discuss family and community responsibility, and consider how inherited places and stories should be cared for. The project treats discovery not as a claim of ownership, but as an opportunity to return what remains, repair what was damaged, and carry memory forward responsibly.
Book details
- Full title
- Pines Lake — The Treasure of North Island: A Centennial Adventure
- Author
- Aubrey Forrest Fletcher
- Imprint
- Pictographic Design LLC
- Edition
- First edition
- Language
- English
- Paperback ISBN-13
- 979-8-9972875-0-4
- Library of Congress Control Number
- 2026919560
- Copyright year
- 2026
- Page count
- 322
- Illustrations
- Two black-and-white illustrations
- Map
- One black-and-white map
Audience and subjects
Audience
- Primary audience: upper middle grade
- Reading ages: 11–16
- Grade range: 6–10
- Adult crossover: yes
BISAC subject labels
- Historical fiction
- Action and adventure
- Nature or environment
Retail category labels
- Historical fiction
- Family or community
Themes and reader interests
- New Jersey local history mystery
- Middle grade lake adventure
- Children’s historical mystery
- Community secrets adventure
- Environmental stewardship fiction
- Wayne, New Jersey fiction
- Family mystery for young readers
Where to buy
Verified purchase links will appear here as retail listings become available.
Prices are intentionally not duplicated on this page. Each retailer will provide its current price, availability, shipping, and delivery information.
About Aubrey Forrest Fletcher
Aubrey Forrest Fletcher is a writer and designer with a long-standing interest in Pines Lake, local history, and the ways communities carry memory forward. Through Pictographic Design LLC, he develops visual and narrative projects that connect place, family history, historical inquiry, and stewardship.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pines Lake: The Treasure of North Island about?
It is a coming-of-age historical mystery in which a group of boys follows clues around Pines Lake and discovers that the meaning of treasure lies in responsible return, repair, and stewardship—not possession.
Who is the book for?
The primary audience is upper middle grade: readers ages 11 through 16 and grades 6 through 10. The novel is also written for adult crossover readers interested in local history, family memory, mystery, and community responsibility.
Is the novel history or historical fiction?
It is historical fiction. The novel draws on remembered community places, local history, and historical questions, but readers should not treat every character, event, or detail as documentary fact.
Where is the story set?
The story is centered on Pines Lake and surrounding locations in Wayne, New Jersey, including community roads, shoreline spaces, old infrastructure, historic houses, Pancake Hollow, and North Island.
Does the first-edition paperback include illustrations or a map?
Yes. The first-edition paperback is a 322-page text edition and has two illustrations and a map.
Where can I buy the book?
Verified retailer links will be added to this official page as they become available. Each retailer will remain the source of current price, format availability, shipping, and delivery information.
What is the purpose of the Pines Lake project?
The project uses fiction to preserve the texture of remembered community life and to encourage historical inquiry, intergenerational discussion, and environmental stewardship. It asks what people owe to the places, records, and stories they inherit.
Accessibility
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If you encounter an accessibility barrier, please use the contact information on the Pictographic Design home page and identify the page, device, browser, and assistive technology involved.