Jan H. Landsberg’s novel, The Curse of the Crystal Kuatzin, unfolds when Terry Hirley receives a notice from his solicitor, requesting him and his son Jason to come to his office in December 2004. His great-great-grandfather, James William Hirley, a travelling naturalist, has left a will. The letter is signed and dated December 20, 1879, and carries the provision that it can only be opened a hundred and twenty-five years after it was signed and sealed. Inside the letter are instructions on how to find a trunk that contains priceless possessions stolen from Rio Negro, Brazil. It also states that the young male Hirley descendant must return the crystal bird to where it belongs, or else an ancient curse shall hound him and his descendants in the years to come, as well as wipe out the human population. The adventures of young Jason Hirley, an amateur scientist, have just begun.

The Curse of the Crystal Kuatzin is a mixture of suspense, fantasy, mystery, and adventure. The story spans a hundred and fifty years, when James Hirley, on a scientific expedition in Brazil, stole a crystal bird from an Amazonian edifice mound. While his descendants try to do as his will instructed, to prevent a family curse that threatens to extinguish humankind, they also have to deal with solving a scientific puzzle, a thief, and some thugs paid by a pharmaceutical company. These twists are surely enough to heighten the reader’s interest. And then there is more - the curse is slowly manifesting itself on the young adventurers and Arara fever is threatening to reach epidemic proportions. It is a credit to the author’s vivid writing style that with all its twists and turns, she manages to make the story coherent, tension-filled, and simply enjoyable. Hold your breath as Jason Hirley travels from Exeter, England to the depths of the Amazon jungle to stop a family curse from wreaking havoc on humans.

For a modern family, the idea that there is curse affecting their lives is a difficult pill to swallow. For the Hirley family, however, it’s not quite as difficult as one might think. After all, they’ve always been interested in history of all kinds and curses are a part of that history. When a will turns up that was written by their great-great grandfather and directs them to return a priceless treasure to an unknown, destroyed village somewhere in Brazil, they begin searching as hard as they can for more information to do just that. Jason, Lexy, Alison, and Terry are going to have their work cut out for them, however, because they aren’t the only ones who know about the treasure. There are others who will stop at nothing to get it for themselves in The Curse of the Crystal Kuatzin by Jan H. Landsberg.

Jason and Lexy aren’t quite like other teenagers since they think of the treasure and the curse as an adventure, returning it to Brazil just like the instructions say rather than trying to pawn it off. Their parents are just what one would expect, however, intrigued by every aspect of the history of the box and the treasure they’ve found. I found myself drawn into The Curse of the Crystal Kuatzin and very interested in what was going to happen next. Roly and Xacha are just as interesting and their stories will definitely keep you captivated as well. There’s definitely more to each of them than meets the eye and yet at the same time, they are easily believable characters.

The Curse of the Crystal Kuatzin is a young adult action/adventure/science fantasy novel written by Jan H. Landsberg. Jason and Lexy Hirley are teens who live fairly normal lives in their ancestral family home on the moors in England until a registered letter arrives, informing them of an urgent mission which must be undertaken by Jason, on behalf of his explorer-ancestor James Hirley. Following the instructions in Hirley's letter, the two teens and their parents find a chest hidden in a small passage in their home. Within it are a crystal statue of a bird, a massive emerald, a map, and a letter from the explorer, detailing his adventures and misadventures on the Rio Negro in Brazil. Their failure to fulfill the task he imposes on them could have world-wide catastrophic consequences.

Jan H. Landsberg's young adult adventure story manages to be exciting, entertaining, and educational all at the same time, which is no mean feat. The Hirleys must decipher codes, help identify a new bird species and travel to Brazil to return the statue and emerald to their rightful places. Along the way, Lexy, Jason, and their parents discover for themselves the beauty of the Brazilian jungle and interact with the local tribes. The problem of wild animal smuggling from the jungles is also addressed at length and plays a major part in the plot. While I was aware that less than half of the animals imported from other countries survived the ordeal, I had no idea just how bad the conditions that these animals suffer are. The Curse of the Crystal Kuatzin is a great read, one that makes you want to keep turning the pages to see what will happen next. It doesn't disappoint either.