Story summary
The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery summary
- 8 min read
- 8 parts
- Audio soon
Three men fly a silent electric plane to Molokai to find a hundred pounds of metal hidden in 1816.
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The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery at a glance
Summary: 8 min to read
- Reading time
- About 2 h 45 min2 h 10 min fast, 3 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 39,300 words15 chapters
- Pages
- 122 pages185 in large print
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery in short
At its core, this is a treasure hunt. A letter from 1816 and a map lead three friends from Maine to Molokai in an electric plane. They cross a continent, face a thunderstorm before crossing the Pacific and fog over the ocean, and meet theft, a falling rock, a kidnapping and a stranger with a sad tale.
What The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery is about
Picture a canoe on Lost Pond in Maine, a ten-pound trout fighting at the end of a five-ounce rod, and a phone ringing in the cabin onshore. That is how this book opens. Brothers Bill and Gordon Hunniwell land what Gordon calls the biggest squaretail caught there in their time, and then their mother calls.
Steve Rogers of the United States Secret Service is waiting at the house, with a brittle letter from 1816 and a map of Hawaii on its back. The boys fly home in the Albatross, a silent plane run by an electric motor. L. P. Wyman wrote this adventure for young readers, and you get a treasure hunt, a thief, a kidnapping, a rescue at sea and plenty of brotherly teasing.
Who it’s for. You will enjoy this book if you like treasure maps, homemade flying machines, quick banter between brothers, and mysteries solved by clear thinking.
The story in 8 parts
Key idea 1 · free to read
An Old Letter Sends Three Men West
The story begins with a surprise visit. On the porch after dinner, Steve Rogers tells the boys about a rainy morning in the attic of his parents' house in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Behind a pile of old things he finds a small trunk. Inside is an old pocketbook, and inside the pocketbook is a folded paper.
It was written on March 20, 1816, and signed Sol Rogers, his grandfather from about six generations back. The writer has buried a man named Jim and fears he is falling sick too. He has hidden about a hundred pounds of a metal that looks like silver. Jim tried it with aqua fortis, an old name for nitric acid, and it did not dissolve at all.
On the back is a map of the Hawaiian Islands, with Molokai drawn larger. Bill guesses the metal is platinum, and Rogers agrees it would be worth a small fortune. Their father says the trip will be worth it if they avoid unnecessary risks. Bill and Gordon insist that any find be split in two, half for Rogers and half for them.
A small old paper, taken seriously, is enough to launch a big adventure.
- 2Start free to read
A Silent Plane Crosses a Continent and an Ocean
Rogers brings a wooden box of chemicals, a small laboratory so that he can test whatever they find.
- 3Start free to read
Thieves and Falling Rocks on Molokai
The three fly on to Honolulu for supplies.
- 4Start free to read
Gordon Is Taken and a Stranger Tells His Story
The next morning Rogers and Bill walk the cliff tops looking for the hidden watcher, and Gordon guards camp.
- 5Start free to read
The Stone in the Cliff and a Plane in Trouble
Back on Molokai, the search resumes.
- 6Start free to read
Brothers and Friends Make the Adventure Work
One of the book's main themes is partnership.
- 7Start free to read
Science and Clear Thinking Solve the Puzzles
Another theme is how knowledge solves problems.
- 8Start free to read
A Light Voice, Quick Dialogue and Rising Suspense
Wyman tells the story almost entirely through talk.
Read all 8 key ideas now
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Check yourself
Why does Bill suspect the hidden metal is platinum?
Right. “The aqua fortis detail tells Rogers the metal resists acid, a clue that points to platinum.”Not quite. “The aqua fortis detail tells Rogers the metal resists acid, a clue that points to platinum.”
Why does Ito mistake Rogers for an enemy?
Right. “The man calls Rogers Doctor Horn and says Horn sent him to Molokai as a leper.”Not quite. “The man calls Rogers Doctor Horn and says Horn sent him to Molokai as a leper.”
What holds the friends together through danger?
Right. “What you keep is the picture of a team that trusts each other.”Not quite. “What you keep is the picture of a team that trusts each other.”
Characters, plot and themes
Main characters
- Bill Hunniwell The older Hunniwell brother, a skilled pilot and mechanic with sharp eyes, who keeps the Albatross flying and tries to keep his brother out of trouble.
- Gordon Hunniwell Bill's younger brother, quick, funny and always hungry, who acts boldly and has a knack for ideas that save the day.
- Steve Rogers A Secret Service man who finds a hundred-year-old map in his family attic and wants to follow it to Molokai.
- Ito Yoshihito A Japanese businessman wrongly sent to a leper colony, who hides on Molokai and believes Rogers is the man who ruined him.
- Doctor Horn A Honolulu doctor with a poor reputation, who looks much like Rogers and is blamed for sending Ito away.
- Laura Mann A young pilot from a wealthy Honolulu family, who flies her own plane and owes her life to the boys.
- Mr. Mann Laura's father, a kind merchant who welcomes the travelers and shows them island hospitality.
How it ends (spoiler)
Gordon's night idea proves right. Under the sand in the drilled hole lies a flat stone, and below it a wooden box full of heavy lumps. Rogers tests them with acids, and they are platinum. Thieves attack their camp that night, but the boys escape in the plane with the box. In San Francisco they sell it for one hundred and sixty-four thousand dollars, and fly home to Maine, with Rogers planning to visit next summer.
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Questions about The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery
What is The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery about?
Two brothers from Maine and a Secret Service friend fly an electric plane to Molokai to follow an 1816 map to hidden platinum. On the island they face thieves, a kidnapping, fog, tides and a rescue at sea.
Who are Bill and Gordon Hunniwell?
They are brothers from Skowhegan, Maine, who built and fly the Albatross. Bill is the steady pilot and mechanic, and Gordon is the quick, funny one who often comes up with the daring idea.
What is the Albatross in the book?
It is the brothers' light airplane, driven by electric motors and powered by copper cells invented by their friends. A second propeller lifts it straight up, so it can take off in tiny spaces and fly almost silently.
Is the Hunniwell platinum story based on true events?
It is fiction, written in the early twentieth century. Real places such as Molokai, Honolulu and Gloucester appear, but the letter, the map, the electric plane and the hidden platinum are inventions of the author.
Is this book easy to read?
Yes, in the sense that matters: it is built from short chapters, lively dialogue and clear action. Jokes between the brothers and quick cliffhangers at each chapter end make it easy to follow and enjoy.
Cite this edition
Wyman, L. P. The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hunniwell-boys-and-the-platinum-mystery.
Wyman, L. P. (2026). The Hunniwell boys and the platinum mystery. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hunniwell-boys-and-the-platinum-mystery
Wyman, L. P. The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hunniwell-boys-and-the-platinum-mystery.
@book{wyman2026hunniwell,
author = {Wyman, L. P.},
title = {The Hunniwell Boys and the Platinum Mystery},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hunniwell-boys-and-the-platinum-mystery}
}
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