Additional information
by Art Collins (Author)
The fifth book in The Adventures of Archibald and Jockabeb series picks up right where the fourth book left off. With many questions about what really happened in the Sonoran Desert still unanswered, Archibald and Jockabeb's family head to the island of Jamaica for spring vacation. What begins as an idyllic stay at a secluded beachfront inn soon takes a turn for the worse when the boys and the inn's proprietor, Salty, charter a fishing boat for the day. The captain of the boat is none other than Tommy Nat, Mr. Natonto's estranged son. The violent storm that follows turns out to be only the first of many unexpected events that quickly propel the two brothers toward an unexpected showdown on another Caribbean island. The elusive Tommy Nat, a mysterious island doctor, a giant Haitian named Maurice, and unseen zombies all combine to set the stage for another classic clash between the forces of good and evil. While the final confrontation that unfolds inside a deserted caf ultimately provides answers to the remaining mysteries of Lizard Flats, it also places the boys in untold danger. The book contains a number of interesting facts about the Caribbean, its culture and religion, and a bit of the occult. As in past books, the reader observes firsthand how Archibald and Jockabeb grow as brothers and young teens, all the while learning the true meaning of friendship.
Author Biography
When Art Collins retired as a highly successful chairman and CEO of a Fortune 500 company, he didn't write the book on leadership that many expected. Instead, he decided that penning children's stories would be far more interesting. Borrowing two characters, Archibald and Jockabeb, from tales told by his father many years before, and drawing up his own rich imagination, Art introduces the two young brothers to an incredible cast of characters - some human, some otherworldly - in locations that range from the mysterious forest behind the boys' house to the lush and exotic Amazon. Collins honed his stories by running them past his target audience; fourth-graders taught by his brother Geoffrey Collins, who allowed his classes to be used as a focus group over several years. Art currently divides his time between Chicago and the Vail Valley in Colorado.
