What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

This is the last book I need help finding (I think, lol). My best guess is that I read it somewhere between 2004 - 2009, but I don't think it was new at the time so it easily could have been published before that. It was published in the United States, and I think the About the Author at the back said the author lived in Ohio. It was a Middle Grade mystery/treasure hunting book.
It was about a group of kids (3 to 5 kids, I think, probably somewhere around 10 to 13 years of age and I believe a mix up of genders). They were friends, but they may also have been a combo of cousins and siblings (or maybe their parents were old friends). They were visiting an island in Lake Erie (although some of them may have lived there), and the main plot of the book was that they were looking for a specific treasure - I can't remember if the treasure was a part of a legend they heard of on the island or if it was something their parents had either hidden or searched for as kids. Anyway, I don't remember much else, except that at some point in the story they were searching in a cavern on a rocky beach, but I don't think they found the treasure at that point in the story. There may also have been a group of adults who were searching for the treasure too that were perceived as the antagonists of the story, and there may have been a clue hidden in a lighthouse, but I'm very iffy on those details.
The book was really exciting to me as a kid because I grew up visiting the beaches of Lake Erie and I was happy to read a mystery story (my favorite genre at the time) set in a location I knew. But unfortunately, I've been unable to locate the title or author of the book since then.
Any help would be amazing! Thanks in advance, as always.

The Mystery on the Great Lakes: Michigan • Superior • Huron • Ontario • Erie (30)

Could it be this one?

No, the book I read only took place on an island in Lake Erie. The kids didn't travel to any of the other great lakes. But thank you for the suggestion ^__^

Secret of the Porcelain Cats?

Not that one either, I'm afraid. There wasn't a disabled veteran or any camping trip that I recall, and I'm pretty confident there were at least three kids in the group (though I think it may have been more). Thank you for the suggestion too :)

I'm pretty sure the island had a small town or village on it, where the kids were staying, if my memory is serving me.

The Runes of Isle Royale?

Part of a series about the Great Lakes, but still not a great match.

Still not the one, but thank you for your continued help ^__^

No prob!

Island Secret is too old?

The Young Dalfreys by Jane D. Abbott?

"Relates the adventures of a family of boys and girls who spend the summer in an old lighthouse on an island in Lake Erie. They have many experiences during the summer months, and find friends who add to the fun of swimming and sailing and searching for adventure."

To be honest, I'm not sure when it was published (other than knowing the range of when I read it as the latest date, or thereabouts). Unfortunately neither Island Secret nor The Young Dalfreys is it though. Thank you both.
I had no idea so many books had a Lake Erie island as the setting, lol.

sounds like it could be one of the books from the A to Z mystery series

Rivka - My older siblings read the A to Z Mysteries when we were kids, and it wasn't one of those. I also just looked through them to double check that I wasn't remembering incorrectly and I didn't see it. Thank you for the suggestion :)

The Rover Boys on the Great Lakes Or, the secret of the island cave by Arthur M. Winfield?

A shot-in-the-dark from me:

Treasure at Turtle Lake

Memp - Thank you, but unfortunately that's not it :( I'm pretty sure there was at least one girl protagonist in the group on my book. Thank you for helping me search though!

Capn - I've definitely seen some shot-in-the-darks hit the mark in this group before, but unfortunately not this time :( I appreciate the attempt though.

Pony wrote: "Capn - I've definitely seen some shot-in-the-darks hit the mark in this group before, but unfortunately not this time :( I appreciate the attempt though."

It bugs me, because I feel like I once tried to sort a Lake Erie MG island book into the Ontario Listopia list, but realised it was on the US side, and was ineligible.

It could very well be that I'm remembering one set on Mackinac Isl. (Lake Huron) = Michigan. There are a few.

Will keep on my radar for you, regardless. ;)

Thank you, I appreciate it.

I did remember a couple of things after talking with my sister about it today (she remembers me telling her about the book back when we were kids and I was reading it).
I realized that I don't think the words "Lake Erie" were in the title at all, because I remember being surprised the setting was by Lake Erie after I had already picked the book out from my library (and I wouldn't have been surprised if it was a part of the title). That does not, however, rule out that it may have had the word "Lake" OR the word "Erie" (as a kid, I wouldn't have noticed the spelling difference and might have thought it meant "eerie" as an adjective), but the title definitely wouldn't have had both words together.
I also remembered that the kids crossed over to the island on a ferry, because I didn't know what that was at the time and I think I had to ask my mom.
Not a lot of extra details, but who knows at this point what might help the search?

I didn't see any obvious contenders, but there's a Lighthouses in MG/YA list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Definitely "cavern" and not "cave", or can you say?

I also did a "watery caves" list worth scrolling through:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... (I don't have time to scroll through it now, though. Just in case you're in the mood!) - EDIT: had a look, didn't see a likely suspect. :(

Further edit: Here's a list of (real) islands in Lake Erie - do any of them stand out to you? :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of... (just noted that Green Island has an abandoned skeleton of a lighthouse, empty since the 1930s)

Thank you for the links!
I had a look through the lists and don't see my book there (although I did come across a lot of other books I'd forgotten about on the watery caves list 😂). The problem with the lighthouse is I'm not 100% positive I'm remembering that detail correctly, which leads me to think that even if there was a lighthouse in the story that it probably wasn't a major plot point.
I also didn't get any major memory triggers from looking through the Lake Erie island list. I don't remember if the book mentioned the name of the island or not - if it did, I must not have noted it.
And honestly, I don't really know the difference between a cave or a cavern 😅 (I actually hesitated on which to say when I wrote up my first post). Is the difference tunnels versus a single "room," so to speak? I think the place in the book was one opening near the water that didn't lead anywhere (although I'm not sure). And after looking at your watery caves list, I also realized it may have even been a grotto. I'm really not sure. I wish I could remember better 😣

Pony wrote: "Thank you for the links!
I had a look through the lists and don't see my book there (although I did come across a lot of other books I'd forgotten about on the watery caves list 😂). The problem wit..."

I certainly don't know the distinction between cave/cavern/grotto, and I'll bet it varies anyway depending on who you ask, so, pfft. ;) Nah, just looking for specific keywords I can pump into a text search on OpenLibrary. :)

Do you remember anything about how the cover looked? (Sorry if I missed this, if you already mentioned it). Or where you got it? You said it wasn't new when you read it... library?

I can't really remember the cover unfortunately. It may have had water on it, like a picture of the lake or something, but I easily could just be assuming that since I know the setting was by the lake.
And yeah, I did get it from my library. I remember thinking the cover was a bit worn or dirty, which is why I don't think it was new. I'm thinking it might have been a book one of the librarians picked out for me to try, because she knew I liked mysteries.
I actually tried searching the online catalog of the library to see if they still had it, but no such luck, lol. I'm not too surprised though, because they used to have yearly book sales and cycle out all the old stuff to afford newer books.

Bump

One of these?

Mystery at Loon Lake by Michelle Biernot
Mystery at Loon Lake by Gilbert Cross
Mystery at Round Island Light

Amber (Daisymau) wrote: "One of these?

Mystery at Loon Lake by Michelle Biernot
Mystery at Loon Lake by Gilbert Cross
Mystery at Round Island Light"

Nope, but that's definitely the type of feel the book had. Thanks for the suggestions.

Could it be something from The Boxcar Children series? There's over a hundred books (when I read it, probably more now) with similar plots, so you could be conflating individual details from several books. I know there was one with a lighthouse and multiple with beaches, multiple with caves/caverns, multiple with treasure, etc.

Molly - That's a good suggestion, but I'm positive it wasn't one of the Boxcar Children. I loved those books as a kid and owned many of them, but the book I'm searching for wasn't connected to any series I knew of at the time - it was entirely new to me.
It is possible that I could be conflating some stories, though. The thing I'm completely confident on is that the story took place on an island in Lake Erie (that detail is the only reason I remember the book to this day). I'm also certain it was a mystery. I'm mostly confident the kids were searching for a treasure, and I'm much less confident that a lighthouse or a cave were involved.
I appreciate the help though 🙏🏻

Bump

It isn't something from Enid Blyton is it? Description sounds like The Island of Adventure except Blyton was English and the book isn't set at Lake Erie

Mackenzie - Nope. I actually did come across that author in my searches, but she doesn't appear to have written anything taking place on Lake Erie, and I'm positive about that setting.
Thank you for your suggestion, though.

The Legend of the Eels maybe?

Ayshe - That's a good suggestion - it fits a lot of the same themes - but I don't believe that's it. Goodreads has a preview, and it didn't sound familiar at all. It also seems to be primarily about some myth about eels in the lake, and I definitely don't remember anything about eels in the book I'm searching for. Thank you for your help, though.

There's always Nancy Drew, though the characters are older, potentially Danger on the Great Lakes?

Or the Hardy Boys The Secret of the Old Mill?

Or any of these books/authors/series:

The Mystery of the Dark Lighthouse

The Secrets of the Pirate Inn

The Seven Treasure Hunts

Ghosts and Legends of Northern Ohio

The Ghost in the Third Row

There's also Summer at Forsaken Lake though published 2012.

Mackenzie and Ayshe - Thank you both, but unfortunately it's not any of those.
Summer at Forsaken Lake sounds like an interesting read, though. I may have to give it a try :) And I'll definitely have to read Ghosts and Legends of Northern Ohio, because I grew up in Northern Ohio and that sounds like a fun book!

Another longshot: Phantom Victory? It appears to have lighthouse and cave mentioned but only two children, it seems.

Not that one either, I'm afraid. I don't think my book had any supernatural elements in it. Although I did wonder at one point if there wasn't a necklace or amulet of sort involved in relation to the treasure, but I didn't mention it earlier because I'm very iffy on that and I think that might've been another book I'm thinking of that I read around a similar time.

No worries! I believe it will be found some day.

Just for the sake of moral support - it's on my radar, too. ;) Someone will come across it, eventually!

Me three!

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled.

I'm keeping an eye out, too-- I have a personal interest in children's literature set in the Great Lakes region, and I'd love to read this one when it turns up!

https://www.ohioana.org/authors/autho...
Ohioana Library has an author's profile catalogue - and these are the middle school authors.

There are quite a few to get through.... ;)

EDIT: Have looked through A (Rachele Alpine) - H (Michelle Houts)
(Casey Daniels has at least 9 pseudonyms... I might have missed something there).
Stopping for today, if anyone wants to continue on. :)

Aw, thank you, guys! I appreciate the support! Since I'm pretty sure the author was from Ohio and I read it in a library in a small town in Ohio, I'm thinking it may just not have been a very well-known book or have had a lot of printings - which is probably why I'm having so much difficulty finding it.

Thanks for the link, Capn! (I haven't looked through it yet.)

I can't see if this has been covered, but have you contacted that specific library? Librarians can have surprisingly good memories.. :)

The librarians who worked there at the time are now retired and I'm not sure how to contact them. I did try searching that library's online catalogue to see if they still had the book, but no luck. Which isn't too surprising because they used to hold a book sale each year to cycle out the old books and raise money for newer ones.

One of these?

Mystery on Mackinac Island
Mystery at Round Island Light
Mystery of the Oak Island Treasure

Amber - It isn't the first two. The last one doesn't give a description on Goodreads, but looking into it I believe Oak Island is near Nova Scotia, so that doesn't seem to be it either. Thank you for trying.

Capn wrote: "https://www.ohioana.org/authors/autho...
Ohioana Library has an author's profile catalogue - and these are the middle school authors.

There are quite a few to get through......"

I've done A - Dandi Daley Mackall, and now I need a break.
https://www.ohioana.org/authors/autho... Allison and Wayne Marks and Jennifer Maschari are up next

The Secret of Bete Grise Bay - Sam and Becky are sure they can help their new friend Tom Adams--well, pretty sure. After all, Tom is a ghost who has been dead for about 100 years. Sam and Becky and their mom and dad are visiting Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula during summer vacation. While Mom and Dad work on their book about lighthouses, Becky and Sam help Tom solve riddles. A long time ago, an evil witch put a curse on Tom. If he can solve three riddles before the next full moon, Tom can break the curse. Sam and Becky helped him solve the first two riddles, but the full moon is tomorrow night and time is running out. With the help of friends--some old and some new--Sam and Becky work against the clock to find the secret of Bete Grise Bay. (2008)

I know you said no ghosts, but, you know, to rule it out in advance, then. ;)