We chat with author Jewell Parker Rhodes about her latest release Treasure Island: Runaway Gold, which is a thrilling adventure set in modern-day Manhattan, in which three children must navigate the city’s hidden history, dodge a threatening crew of skater kids, and decide who they can really trust in order to hunt down a long-buried treasure.
Hi, Jewell! Welcome back! How have the past three years been since we last spoke?
During the pandemic, I recommitted myself to finding beauty in each day and to write more books to entertain, inspire, and uplift the human spirit. Treasure Island: Runaway Gold is my first, joyous response!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I wrote and illustrated my first “book,” The Last Scream, in the third grade. I always loved to read and write. it wasn’t until I was a junior in college that I discovered black women wrote books! I immediately switched my major to English. I focused on exploring my heritage and providing diverse, “windows and mirrors” for all! I wrote adult, historical novels for thirty years, as a means of becoming good enough to write for the world’s best audience—children!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Comics Illustrated tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable. I was too poor to buy books so I collected pop bottles for coins and bought comics. I loved the knight, Prince Valiant, and for most of my life thinking about being “valiant” – courageous and determined, inspired me.
- The one that made you want to become an author: I was always writing. I identified most with animal stories like Black Beauty and The Velveteen Rabbit. Stories of love, becoming real, and overcoming adversity touched my heart.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Virginia Hamilton’s The People Could Fly. Though I was an adult, this book reconfirmed my commitment to write stories in the African American oral tradition and to honor Black (as well as other) ethnic heritages.
Your latest novel, Treasure Island: Runaway Gold, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Skateboards, pirates, treasure, underground railroad, loyalty.
What can readers expect?
My novel is a page-turning adventure filled with modern day pirates using skateboards as sailboats, racing down streets and through abandoned underground subways to uncover buried treasure. Zane and his friends, Jack and Kiko, dodge a threatening skateboard crew and debate whether Captain John (a pirate, or is he?) can be trusted. Ultimately, they overcome treachery with allegiance, dishonesty with honesty, and betrayal with morality. Zane’s dog, Hip-Hop, provides protection and love.
Where did the inspiration for Treasure Island: Runaway Gold come from?
My novel is a reimagining Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island. As a professor, I’ve taught Stevenson often and have been impressed with his complex, multi-faceted characters. I also particularly admired the Treasure Island edition with N.C. Wyeth’s illustrations. In my book, Raymond Sebastien’s illustrations are likewise incredible! Readers will LOVE his marvellously detailed settings and characterizations.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I love Zane. Like the young protagonist, Jim, in the original Treasure Island, he lost his father and his mother takes in boarders (including the mysterious Captain Maddie) to make ends meet. Zane searches for treasure and finds both material and spiritual mysteries. Significantly, he becomes an heroic figure—sadder yet wiser and more aware of human dynamics, both psychological and emotional.
What’s next for you?
So much! Soul Step, a picture book co-authored with my daughter, Kelly McWilliams; Ghost Boys (the graphic novel); and a new novel, titled, Will: A Western.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Root Magic by Eden Royce is a magical adventure about the Gullah people. Also, I love Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri. It’s a coming-of-age tale set in the urban horse-riding culture of Philadelphia.
