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Summary: Tintin begins the search for le Tresor de Rackham le Rouge
Review: First off, be forewarned that "Le Secret de La Licorne" ("The Secret of Unicorn") is only the first half of a two-part Tintin adventure, so do not get all bent of shape when you get to the end of this 1943 adventure and Tintin looks out and you and tells you to find out what happens next in "Le Tresor de Rackham le Rouge" ("Red Rackham's Treasure"). As our story opens, Dupont & Dumond are trying to solve a rash of pockets being picked and Tintin decides to buy on impulse a model of an old galliard ship. But suddenly two other gentleman want to buy the model from Tintin, who refuses because he intends the model to be a gift to his friend, Captain Haddock. Then Tintin finds a small piece of parchment that was hidden in one of the masts talking about a treasure and a ship called the Unicorn. The mystery deepens when it turns out that Sir Francis Haddock, an ancestor of Tintin's good friend, was the captain of the Unicorn. After the captain tells the exciting story of Sir Francis and his glorious victory over the dreaded Barbary buccaneers, Tintin races off to track down the final pieces of the puzzle that will tell where the treasure of the Unicorn can be found.This is only Captain Haddock's third Tintin adventure but he is already as important to the story as Milou. Nestor and Marlinspike Hall make their first appearance in "The Secret of the Unicorn" with Professor Tournesol making his unforgettable first appearance in the second half of the tale. Hergé is obviously staying as far away as he can from what is happening in Europe during World War II, but that does not take away from the fact this is a first rate tale of detective work by our intrepid hero and the second half is an equally fun adventure as Tintin and company race for "Le Tresor de Rackham le Rouge."
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Summary: Great Book
Review: I love this book, as always, it shows more of Tintin's adventrous soul. This will always remain a fantastic book for all ages.
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Summary: A nautical treasure hunt
Review: Tintin purchases a model ship at an antiques market. Just after he purchases it two strangers arrive who want to buy the ship. Tintin won't sell it to them even though they offer him ten times what he paid for it. It is a gift for his friend Captain Haddock. The captain is amazed to get the model ship. He shows Tintin a painting of his ancestor, a captain. The captain's ship is visible in the background, and is identical to the model Tintin purchased. The secret to buried treasure is somehow hidden in the model ship, but other parties are also after it...
This particular Tintin book was my favorite when I was a child, mostly because of Captain Haddock. The Captain is continually hollering fake profanities, such as, "Billions of blue blistering barnacles!" I guess that could be a little disturbing now, since the captain acts funny because he is a raging alcoholic (trying to quit though which is a plot point, and I don't think that that is a reason to keep the book from children). This story cuts back and forth in time as bits and pieces of Captain Haddock's family history are shown and trigger new events in the search for treasure.
If you are reading this to help learn French, Tintin comics are good for reading at a French 2 level. There are a lot of words that aren't basic vocabulary but it is still easy to follow the story because the writing and pictures tend to reinforce each other.
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