A young adult book with fast-paced adventure in a scenic setting, CELTIC RUN brings 14-year-old Jake from NYC to the Dingle peninsula, Ireland.

Jake is pleased to be accompanying his pal Julie on a school trip for summer, but less than happy that her boyfriend Zach, a football player who teases him, is also along. The three are separated on arrival to live with different sponsor families and Jake finds himself boarding with a family including lively Maggie who shows him around, lends him a bicycle and so on. Jake saves a little girl from drowning in the ocean and finds an old wooden box with a pendant and inscription. This Spanish lettering sends the youngsters on a treasure hunt for the remnants of the Spanish Armada.

Unfortunately the possibility of treasure sparks interest among unscrupulous locals and the four are chased around the town of Dingle and on Skellig Michael, an island monastic site, as they go from step to step of the hunt. Jake has personal issues - his father was injured in an accident and is now in a wheelchair, and their funds have diminished. But away from home he is more concerned with his crush on Julie and with employing his cherished Leatherman tool to good end, hotwiring old cars, prising up rock steps and making booby traps.

A couple of details caught my eye: Irishmen are described as wearing kilts - that's Scotsmen; the kids eat biscuits - in Ireland we call them scones; and a hastily saddled horse is apparently ridden across fields, over walls and into town without ever a mention of bridle and reins. The exploits also become ever more Indiana Jones-like. But young teenagers want action and puzzles, and this tale certainly provides those in plenty. This could be a good Christmas present for a young person, with the cheerful addition of colour photos at the start of every chapter and scenic glimpses of the south-west Irish coast.