The Treasure with a Face
A catholic family book club
By Janeen Zaio
What you’ll get
- The Treasure with a Face book club
- Zoom visit from Janeen for your classroom or group!
In-Person Author Visit: Contact us for availability.
Individuals
$67
Groups
Co-ops and schools
$97
Come and Join the Story…
Join the brave hero Eli, a twelve-year-old treasure hunter, on his journey to ancient Jerusalem to meet Jesus as part of his plan to find the Ark of the Covenant! The Treasure with a Face is a Catholic adventure novel packed with action, intrigue, twists, and humor that will have readers laughing, wondering, and turning the page.
In each of the 24 engaging videos, author Janeen Zaio meets with Literary Guide Anna Schuett for behind-the-scenes insights, personal stories, and author secrets as you are walked through each chapter of the book. Ms. Schuett and Ms. Zaio also help you to analyze characters and themes, explain vocabulary, make historical connections, and share writing tips. They also share a lot of laughs!
What’s so Special about this Story for Catholic families…
The central theme of the story is that we don’t have to live halfway around the world, or two thousand years ago, to meet Jesus; He’s alive in the Blessed Sacrament. A secondary theme encourages readers to base their identity on being a child of God and not on others’ opinions of them. Finally, readers and Club members also learn lessons about having fortitude, patience, honesty, self-control, discernment, obedience, faith, and hope. It’s the perfect Book Club to enjoy together as a family!
What Makes this Club Special…
This club is both fun and educational—with engaging content perfect for an educational course covering reading, literature, history, art, religion, vocabulary, writing, and more! In addition to the twelve discussion videos, there are twelve bonus videos explaining vocabulary words, fourteen engaging activities, and eight lessons about literary techniques.
The activities appeal to a variety of students and include building a smaller replica of the Ark of the Covenant; walking through (or flying over) an interactive, 3D rendering of ancient Jerusalem; watching a video about the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem; and much more.
Readers are calling The Treasure with a Face entertaining, comical, captivating, exciting, and a page-turner—comparing the book to The Little Prince and The Alchemist.
Writers at Catholic Mom, Today’s Catholic Homeschooling, and Virtue Search gave the book rave reviews! So sign up now to experience the story with the author herself!
Who is this book club for?
- Children ages nine and up who like adventure, humor, suspense, and action-packed stories.
- Catholic homeschooling parents, homeschooling co-op leaders, and Catholic school teachers who are studying the Bible or ancient cultures—because, throughout this story, children experience the religion, culture, and geography of ancient Israel.
- Families who want to share literature, religion, and art lessons together while reading a fun-filled story—which makes it a perfect “unit study” over twelve to twenty-four weeks of learning!
- Parents who want to inspire a love for the Eucharist with a story and activities that entertain the whole family!
- Catholic schools, youth groups, and parishes who want an engaging activity that ties into the Eucharistic Revival.
- Anyone interested in being immersed in the culture of Jesus’s time.
- Children, families, and students who love hands-on projects—with activities that are perfect for aspiring engineers, architects, priests, bakers, and more!
- Aspiring authors and those who want to be better writers can enjoy writing tips and author secrets!
Your Author
Janeen Zaio is the author of The Treasure with a Face—an engaging, adventurous story for young readers following the journey of a young treasure hunter who sets out to meet Jesus as part of his plan to find the Ark of the Covenant.
Ms. Zaio has been a writer, homeschooling parent, and leader of an educational co-op for young children! After graduating Summa Cum Laude with a marketing degree at Bradley University, Ms. Zaio combined her passion for cars and writing to develop print ads, training materials, and business plans for an automobile manufacturer. Her most exciting moment in the position was hearing the CEO of the company present a speech that she wrote to a large audience. Then Ms. Zaio answered the call to new adventures — raising two sons. She homeschooled her sons for thirteen years and co-founded and managed a homeschooling co-op for eight (8) years.
Today, Ms. Zaio travels the United States bringing an ancient-Israel-themed Escape Room to schools, church groups, and homeschooling groups—immersing children in the setting of her book as they solve clues in search of the Ark of the Covenant. She also enjoys speaking at homeschooling conferences and churches.
Ms. Zaio is a member of the Catholic Writers’ Guild (CWG), and The Treasure with a Face was awarded the CWG’s Seal of Approval. In 2021, the book was also selected for the Catholic News Service Christmas Roundup—and the websites Virtue Search and Catholic Mom have also given the book rave reviews! Ms. Zaio lives in Charleston, South Carolina, where she loves strolling the historic streets, going to the beach, and being a donut connoisseur. You can find out more and reach Ms. Zaio at her website, https://janeenzaio.com/.
About the Book
- ISBN 978-1735664385
- Buy from Bookshop.org
“What would you do for the ultimate treasure?”
Twelve-year-old Eli lives in ancient Israel and dreams of being a treasure hunter instead of his uncle’s metalsmithing apprentice. Uncle Shem is the kind of man who would tell Jesus that He walked on water the wrong way.
When Uncle Shem reluctantly sends Eli on a 120-mile journey to Jerusalem to deliver a fragile mirror, it seems like an impossible mission for a clumsy apprentice, but Eli resolves to not only redeem himself in the eyes of his uncle, but also to begin his life as a treasure hunter. He aims to find nothing less than the Ark of the Covenant! Of course, flames reportedly shoot out the bottom of the Ark, and people who touch it tend to die, but that’s not going to deter him.
Fortunately, a mysterious stranger, who seems to share a secret past with Uncle Shem, gives Eli a worn Roman artifact. Eli could never imagine how much he’ll appreciate the object during the perilous search for treasure. Enemies are waiting along the way and within Jerusalem’s imposing walls. But Jesus just might be in Jerusalem too. Who other than the all-knowing Son of God might know where to find the ultimate treasure?
Age Range: 9–13
Parental Overview
This is a page-turning adventure book with a religious theme and Catholic worldview. All readers are welcome to participate, knowing that they’ll be immersed in ancient Jerusalem and learn about the traditions and views of first-century Jews and Catholics.
Scenes that may be emotionally challenging and need further at-home discussion for young readers:
- Eli deals with a challenging negative relationship: When Eli makes a big mistake, Eli’s uncle loses his temper, calls Eli clumsy and incapable, and tells him to leave the house.
- Illness: Eli’s mother falls ill; Eli encounters a girl with leprosy.
- Violence: Eli is captured by a villain and pushed into the Valley of Hinnom to die (he escapes); a villain attempts to burn down the Upper Room (where the Apostles gather).
- Racism: There are disputes between the Israelites and the Romans.
Weekly Schedule
All weeks contain video interviews with the author, discussion, vocabulary pages, and activities.
Class 1: Chapter 1 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Fill in a map of Israel
Class 2: Chapters 2 & 3 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activities: See inside Solomon’s Temple. Plus, bonus activities (build a scaled-down replica or color a picture of the Ark of the Covenant)
Class 3: Chapters 4-6 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activities: Watch two videos about the first Passover and complete a worksheet about Passover in Jesus’s day and today
Class 4: Chapters 7-10 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Complete a worksheet about the dangerous road to Jericho
Class 5: Chapters 11-13 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Learn how the Israelites told the
time in ancient times
Class 6: Chapters 14-17 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Complete a worksheet showing Eli’s route from Galilee to Jerusalem and the things he encounters along the way
Class 7: Chapters 18-21 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Watch a video showing innovative construction techniques used by the Israelites to build the second Temple
Class 8: Chapters 22 & 23 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Virtually explore a 3D rendering of ancient Jerusalem
Class 9: Chapters 24-26 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Make a cake using ingredients mentioned in the Bible
Class 10: Chapters 27-29 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Guess which of the characters’ words were inspired by Scripture or the saints
Class 11: Chapters 30-32 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Recognize which characters match the types of Christians on their faith journey
Class 12: Chapters 33-35 – Author Discussion, Vocabulary, and Activity: Guess what the important elements in the story symbolize
*Note! The 12-class schedule above can also be divided into separate sessions (for example, over two or more sessions per week or one session each week, over 24 weeks) to match your student, co-op, or religion class.
What others are saying about this book…
“The Treasure With a Face was a fun, middle-grade story with a fantastic main character. From the very first page, I knew Eli was someone I would enjoy going on an adventure with, and that is exactly what I did. Living in the Middle East during the time of Jesus’ ministry is not an easy time to be alive…
While the adventures he encounters along the way give him a taste of a life he longs for, he really hopes that Jesus will be able to give him the needed clue to find the treasure that the Jewish people have been searching for.”
– Leslea Wahl, CatholicMom.com
“This is an excellent title for middle grade readers (especially boys) to enjoy—a fun adventure that shows them how to exercise their free will to cooperate with grace and build the strength of virtue.”
– VirtueSearch.com
“Exploring a mysterious cave, running from bandits, racing across the roofs of Jerusalem, and meeting Mary—Janeen Zaio has created a wonderful faith-centered story that drops kids into an adventure set in the time of the Apostles. Middle schoolers will love this book.”
– Michelle Buckman, award-winning author
“It is a page turner—full of adventure, interesting characters, danger, disappointment, humor, suspense and unexpected twists and turns as young Eli perseveres in the face of unimaginable obstacles placed in his path. Whom he met and what he found far exceeded any treasure this young child could have ever imagined at the outset of his journey.”
– Michael Seagriff, author of Stirring Slumbering Souls: 250 Eucharistic Reflections and I Thirst for Your Love
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