Black Treasure Sandy Steele Adventures #1

At the Poplar City science fair, teenage tinkerer Sandy Steele and his pal Quiz Taylor watch the crowd flock to Pepper March’s glittering light‑show exhibit while their modest “reservoir behavior analyzer” earns only an honorable mention. Their cardboard‑and‑pin model, designed to mimic the hidden oil veins of the Four Corners region, feels like a quiet triumph of hard work over showmanship, even as Pepper’s circus‑like antics draw cheers.

Their quiet moment is interrupted when a sun‑tanned stranger in blue jeans inspects the gadget, probing what would happen if a well were drilled into a dry spot on the Navajo reservation. The boys demonstrate the model’s limits, sparking the man's grin and hinting that the device might hold more than just a school project’s pride. As curiosity rolls into the fair’s bustling hallway, Sandy can’t help but wonder if his invention could lead to something far bigger than a prize ribbon.