The Billionaire’s Curse audiobook

Remember when you were a kid and The Adventurous Four, The Famous Five and The Secret Seven were just the ticket for an exciting read (okay so you have to be of "a certain age" for that to apply), but I still remember how satisfying those books were. An adventure, a puzzle that had to be solved - by a bunch of kids of a similar age to yourself, all done and dusted and home in time for tea. Many a person "of a certain age" will attest that these books were the ones that got them started on a life-long love of reading. Perhaps that's partly because they were so easy to identify with, or had scenarios that the average kid could aspire to, dream of. THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE could very well be the same sort of book for kids of a current age.Definitely set in a more current day world - the book blurb starts off with "What would you do if you suddenly became a billionaire?". It's the story of 13 year old Australian boy Gerald, who comes from a relatively staid, standard suburban life enlivened mostly by fantasies of great deeds and heroics. He could never have imagined the scenario that instead finds him home from school and bundled onto a luxury private jet, winging his way to London to become the richest thirteen-year-old in the world, as a hitherto unknown Great Aunt leaves the family fortune to him. Nor could he have dreamed up the theft of the world's most valuable diamond, and a murder that leads directly to Gerald's own life being in danger. Gerald's just the boy for the situation though - he's got his billionaire survival kit, he's got some new friends and they are off to solve the mystery!Despite a considerably more current day setting and plotline than those great old books of our own childhood, there is quite a feel of the The Famous Five about the style of THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE. The language used is simple, yet engaging, slightly formal and every so slightly stagey, but it works. This is the sort of book that a child could read for themselves, or an adult would have great fun reading to children - either way the book works as a great entertainment, with just enough scary bits for a spot of hiding under the doona to add to the excitement.The winner of the inaugural Text Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing, THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE made this adult reader very very happy. Whilst there is something nostalgic, old-fashioned, almost comfortable about reading a kids book about kids who save the day and solve the puzzle, there is something very satisfying about the idea that kids - of all ages - are still able to find a book like THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE that may, just may, lead to a life-long love of reading.

A delightful kids’ adventure with smart, capable heroes Australian author Richard Newsome’s debut novel is a delight! The Billionaire’s Curse is the first in a trilogy and I can’t wait to read the sequels. He is a fabulous story-teller whose murder mystery full of quirky characters, spunky kids, creativity and adventure. The story is every kids’ fantasy. Gerald Wilkins suddenly and unexpectedly inherits billions from an aunt he barely knew. He is also charged with solving her murder. Along the way, he meets Sam and Ruby and the new friends join Gerald to solve the mysteries. I loved the main characters. I thought the kids were great role models – they’re smart, brave, observant, and committed. They’re also good kids and the wealth and privilege does not change them. Ruby, in particular, I find refreshing as a female heroine for young girls. Ruby is clever and courageous, and she’s also the most physically fit and skillful of the group. The kids tease each other (particularly the twins, Sam and Ruby), but they are clearly devoted and thoughtful. They were real kids propelled into a fantastic adventure and I can’t wait to see them develop in Newsome’s next books.The adventure takes Australian Gerald to aristocratic England and Newsome manages to include some wonderful passages about the countryside, London, museums, works of art. I love that the book is educational as well as a page-turner. I’m hopeful that Newsome will take us to more far-flung places in the next two installments.Newsome’s ability to dream up quirky characters is a great gift. At first, some seem to fit a cliché, but read carefully… they are never that simple. Some characters’ true natures are revealed in the Billionaire’s Curse, but many more are left to further develop in the next 2 books. Newsome has wisely given us enough that we think we know who they will turn out to be, but has left plenty of room for surprises.Newsome is a gifted writer – clever and witty. To have won a literary prize with his first novel is no small feat. The narration and dialog are sharp and clever. He never indulges in lengthy digressions – those “sinkholes” that ensnare so many new and seasoned writers. There are some other good storytellers in kids’ books at the moment, but I can’t think of any who write as well as Newsome.This book is great for kids around 8 and older. (That includes adults!) This book is already being published in 8 countries after having won the Text Publishing prize in Australia. It has also been chosen as one of the Summer 2010 Kids’ Indie Next books, selected by independent booksellers as a great read for kids 9-12. I expect the series to take off and it will be ripe for a movie! Keep your eye out for Newsome - he is an author to watch!

AWESOME! I actually bought book #2 first but wisely decided to get this book, #1 of the Archer Legacy, first. If you like action-packed adventure, meet Indiana Jones Jr. Never mind that the book was meant for middle grade readers; you'll love it! My only complaints about the story is that if it's meant for middle grade readers, there is a bit too much violence and Gerald, the hero, swears. Gerald Wilkins is a 13 year-old boy living in Australia, dreaming of adventure in his mundane life. All he knows about his family is that they came from England when he was 6 months old. His parents aren't the warm and fuzzy kind- in fact, in my opinion, they don't deserve the title "parents". Then his mother gets a letter from England that her Aunt Geraldine (whom Gerald was named for) has died. She's crying- but the tears are tears of joy. It appears that Great Aunt Geraldine Archer was one of the richest women in Europe. All the family converges on England for the funeral and reading of the will and Gerald finds that he has some relatives with ugly dispositions- and everybody is fighting to inherit the fortune. Gerald could care less about the money from an old woman he had never heard of so he's stunned when the will is read and he is almost the sole heir of the billions! But Aunt Geraldine has left Gerald a letter from beyond the grave telling him that she was murdered and imploring him to find her murderer. The author conveniently puts Gerald on his own by sending his grasping parents off to the Caribbean on Gerald's yacht. Aunt Geraldine had cautioned Gerald to trust no one and she was right! Luckily, Gerald does make some loyal friends, cheeky British twins Sam and Ruby, and together they set out to solve a crime. When I got to the last few chapters I could not put the book down!

4 stars - English Ebook Gerald Wilkins never considered himself a particularly exceptional thirteen-year-old. But that was before he inherited twenty billion pounds, a Caribbean island, a yacht, and three estates from a mysterious relative he never knew.But that's not all, because, as we discover, Gerald's great aunt was murdered. And now it's up to Gerald to find out who did it.Loved this book. It had action adventure mystery and an unpredictable plot.The characters are well-developed. And I liked them. Plenty of humor too.Book for children between 8 and 13 years of age I think.

I literally made an account to review this book because I went on a one hour journey trying to remember its name.I used to love this book. When I was in primary school, like 10ish, I INHALED this thing in like a day. The story had me absolutely hooked. It's been over 10 years now and I still think about this book TO THIS DAY. Its only negative to me is that the stuff I found funny is a little crude but like of course it it, its marketed to kids like under 12.This book slaps. I wish I knew where my copy was and I'd reread it

The billionaires curse is a fun and joyful read it contains lots of comedy and mystery solving.

I haven't read a kids book in a long time (this one is about grades 5-8), and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. When I was done, I handed it to my 7th grade son and he read it as quickly as any book he's ever read. The Billionaire's Curse is about a 13-year-old British boy who has to give up his holiday with friends to go to England to the funeral of a great aunt he never met. While there he discovers that he is the sole heir to her twenty billion pound fortune. His great aunt left him a note saying that if he got this letter, then she was murdered and she wanted him to figure out who did it. His greedy parents take off to check out his other properties, and he is left with a butler who hates him. He meets Sam and Ruby, twin siblings, and the three of them go on great adventures together to figure out who killed his great aunt. It's a delightful book with an ending that makes you want more. The second book is already out, and the third is coming in the next few months, which is good since my son is already more than half done with the second.

When I first read this book, truth be told, I didn't hear about it or know much about it. All I knew was that it was a book for a young adult audience.I thought the premise of the book was very interesting. Every kid wants a ton of money to play around with but what made this book interesting was the mystery quality about it. The main character is asked to avenge his grandmother's murder. The mysterious circumstance surrounding the plot and the adventurous aspect of it, made The Billionaire's Curse a fun, can't-put-down kind of read. Since it was first published in Australia, some of the diction used was uncommon to the U.S. but overall, I found the main characters to be likable and I found the plot to be captivating.I would definitely recommend this book to 9-14 year olds everywhere!

What a page turner! This book infuses mystery, mythology and adventure into a thrilling tale of a teenage boy whose mundane life gets turned upside down in an instant. After Gerald's vacation is cut short by the death of an unknown family member, Gerald finds himself suddenly the inheritor of his late great-aunt Geraldine's multi-billion dollar estate. He is charged with investigating Geraldine's mysterious murder, which involves a diamond, a curse and another crooked billionaire. As Gerald and his friends, Ruby and Sam Valentine, travel around England looking for clues, they discover the power that money can have over one's character and learn that some of the most valuable things in life are priceless.Can't wait for the sequels!

When I was growing up, I spent many happy hours reading a lot of "Nancy Drew" and "The Hardy Boys" mysteries. This book brought back those happy memories. I enjoyed reading it. It is centered around a thirteen year old boy who comes into a large sum of money that includes a murder, a stolen diamond, some mysticism an adventure that rivals The "Indiana Jones" ventures. The book is a early teenager's delight. I just never out grew this kind of book. If you are like me, than you will enjoy the book.

Children's book? Even we adults who like a bit of Indian Jones-style adventure and a rapid read can enjoy this!It's witty, exciting and has a bunch of characters you would like to have as friends. That makes their adventures and perils all the more exciting as you share their fears.Can't wait for the next two instalments and their exotic locations.I'd not only thoroughly recommend this book for teens, but also mums, dads and the grandparents.

This is a fairly challenging murder mystery, where a 13 yr.old boy inherits twenty billion pounds from an unknown great-aunt that he was named after, and she leaves him a note telling him that she was murdered and she wants him to find out who did it. Involves gigantic priceless diamonds, the British Museum, mysterious secret passsages and frightening villains. Great fun!

I am totally hooked to this book I had to read it for readers cup, but now I want to read the rest of them! But now I'm really scared of the thin man,I will never be able to smell bleach again!

Good book I'm satisfied