Mr. Wolf’s class have a few mysteries they’d like solved. #1 Where did their teacher (Mr. Green) from last year go, #2 what happens to all the playground balls that go over the fence at recess, #3 why don’t they have lockers like they did last year, # 4 why do things keep disappearing from the students’ cubbies, #5 who is and isn’t going to Randy’s birthday party, and #6 one student is always running a new survey question?

The students form a club to solve their school mysteries. As the students work on one mystery, they usually discover at least part of an answer to one of the other mysteries.

By the end of this graphic novel, they discovered Mr. Green is now occasionally working for his daughter in her pizza parlor since he retired. Mr. Green is working the night of Randy’s birthday party at the pizza parlor. While at the birthday party, one of the students returns most of the missing playground equipment he found when he jumped the fence after school, and the biggest mystery might be the rats who are taking the students things at school and then using the items for their own birthday party under the floorboards.

Even though the characters in the book are animals, wearing clothes walking on their two hind legs, readers will be able to identify with the problems, dilemmas, and solutions these students are facing in their school. Well, hopefully not the rats. 🙁

Goslings Ruby and Rufus love the water in their cute little red and white bathing caps. They love diving and swimming- through rain, wind, and sun everyday. They discover they enjoy the pond when it is frozen , too, with their red and white striped inner tube.

This book glows with the innocence of youth. The simple fun of learning about their immediate world with their own youthful skills of observation.

The minimal background art is perfect for very young listeners to observe the goslings’ antics without being distracted by too much scenery.

This Robert Quackenbush story, with the 1983 copyright, is being republished in the QUIX – FAST *FUN* READS series.

World famous ducktective Miss Mallard is in Venice, Italy, when a famous painting is stolen. The local police ask for her help. After seeing the crime scene, a museum guard hails a gondola for Miss Mallard to use. As Miss Mallard follows the clues around Venice, her gondola is very slow. Often Miss Mallard sees a masked duck El Ducko, the suspected thief, along the gondola’s route. Slowly, but not as slow as the gondola, Miss Mallard reasons the gondola’s slow speed is part of the art thief’s plan to convict El Ducko and escape with the painting. She leaves the gondola behind with the help of the masked duck and catches the thief – the museum guard- in the nick of time.

The story unfolds in five large font chapters with black. white, and gray illustrations of Miss Mallard’s journey through the waterways of Venice on almost every other page.

Comes with a glossary and five discussion questions at the end of the book.

There are nine chapters in this book in the Science Fact or Science Fiction? series. They cover the topic of UFOs or Unidentified Flying Objects very well for this age group.The topics include: crop circles, Roswell, Area 51, abductions, Project Blue Book, the Condon Report, conspiracy theories, popular television shows and movies, and numerous sightings. The sightings are especially of interest because one is from Washington State and another is from Oregon.

The book states facts, such as, Kenneth “Arnold thought the objects might have been new military aircraft. But the US War Department thought Arnold had imagined the aircraft.” (5) The book mentions a few famous people ( Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, and NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin ) who have reported seeing UFOs and that artwork and literature from ancient people have referenced seeing flying celestial objects.

“The United States, Canada, and other countries have kept records of UFO sightings over many years.” (9) 90% of them can be explained as human-made objects or common atmospheric events.

The reader is asked to decide : to believe or not to believe.

The book includes an index and free online nonfiction resources.

Author Mac Barnett states in the preface this book is true. He states he was a kid spy before becoming an author. You be the judge of this as you read his book.

After almost breaking a video game record, all for the lack of one more quarter, Mac goes outside, were he answers a pay phone. It is the Queen of England phoning him. “That is how it happens.

One minute you are waiting for your mom to pick you up from a mini-golf course in California. The next minute you are flying to England on a secret mission to protect the Crown Jewels.

I know. It does not make much sense.” (25)

The Queen retells the history of 1671, when a Colonel Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels, but failed. Now, it is the 318th anniversary of the event and she has received a message, ” TOMORROW NIGHT I WILL GET WHAT MY GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT- GREAT GRANDFATHER DID NOT. I WILL NOT BE STOPPED. WE HAVE BEEN WAITING 318 YEARS!” (39) The Queen is asking Mac to prevent this crime. The Queen has Mac and Beefeater Holcombe locked in the Tower of London with the jewels to keep watch and to sleep in shifts. Mac takes to the first watch. He does his best to stay awake, but falls asleep. Shortly thereafter, Holcombe wakes Mac. The Jewels are gone and the two of them are still locked in the Tower.

Mac and the Queen retell various jokes and riddles with similar plots, but cannot figure out how the real crime happened. Then, the Queen has Mac and Holcombe flown off to a castle next to Colonel Blood’s descendants castle in Ireland. Surely that is where the Jewels will resurface.

Jokes abound between the Queen and Mac over the differences in meanings between the British and American understanding of the word pants ( underwear and trousers). The Queen also enjoys people who act with panache, “Style and verve.” (51) Even when they are a thief. And Mac will state facts followed by, “That’s true. You can look it up.”

Eventually, Mac figures out the whodunit and howdunit. The Queen has the criminal arrest himself simply by using her regal commanding voice and he does it.

So, was author Mac Barnett telling the truth about being a kid spy?

Illustrated by Mike Lowery.

What first comes to mind when you hear the name George Washington? First president of the United States of America? General in the Revolutionary War? Mount Vernon? Slave owner? That last one caught me off guard, but in retrospect, it should not have. George Washington was a wealthy land owner in what is now the state of Virginia, which would be a slave state. Why wouldn’t George Washington own slaves.

This book was a wake up call for me in this regard. Oney Judge was the daughter of a slave and a white indentured servant. Any child born to a slave was automatically a slave. Oney’s father left the Washington’s service once his debt was paid.

Oney was Martha Washington’s personal maid. Oney went where ever Martha went: shopping, visiting friends, and parties included. “Trips with the Washingtons helped open Oney’s eyes to a whole new world.” (25) During these outings Oney was introduced to the free black community of Philadelphia. They would eventually help her escape when the time came.

Oney made her decision to escape when she found out Martha was gifting Oney to her granddaughter as a wedding present. Oney , whom the Washington’s considered family, was in fact property.

This book gives background on how slavery and slave laws evolved in the colonies/United States. One such law stated “that enslaved people who lived in Philadelphia for more than six months would be considered residents. They would become free. This law was meant to eventually end slavery.” (27) The Washingtons lived in Philadelphia, as the first United States Capitol. They moved their slaves back and forth between Mount Vernon and Philadelphia to avoid loosing their slaves due to this law.

After Oney ran away, the Washingtons placed a newspaper advertisement offering a reward for her return.

Oney made her way to New Hampshire, a free state, and lived her life in poverty rather than return to a life of slavery.

The book includes: Fast Facts, Stop and Think, Online Resources, Learn More, and an index.

The Global Refugee Crisis: Fleeing Conflict and Violence is a timely account of the worldwide refugee crisis that is so much in the news, not only in the United States but throughout Europe. According to a 2015 United Nations report, more than 1 million people fled violence and persecution, and the numbers have continued to increase since then. Of these millions of refugees, more than half are children. Thousands of refugees have died along the way, and thousands are being held in detention centers or housed in refugee camps around the world. The effects of wars, such as the Syrian civil war and the conflicts in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and the Central African Republic are an obvious catalyst for the exodus of people into Europe and North America. Other often overlooked circumstances are discussed, as such as climate change, drought and famine, political persecution, and overcrowding.

This book examines how nations are addressing the crises, how refugees contribute to and strain communities, and what kinds of solutions could help resolve this crisis. Additionally, there is historical perspective, going back the waves of refugees during World Wars I and II. Included are interviews with refugees and relief organizations, color photos, inserts, source notes, a glossary, index, and resource lists of books, films, and websites.

Books on technology become outdated so quickly, but I immediately thought highly of this book because there was not a single photo of the old “Hollywood” robot from the 1960s television show LOST IN SPACE. This book comes with a QR code for each chapter or the website popbooksonline.com/robots for more information. The four chapters are: What are Robots?, How Robots Work, Ways to Use Robots, and The Future of Robots.

“Robots are machines that perform tasks for people. Some robots are simple…Other robots are very complex.” (4) Robots are run by computers programmed by people.

The graphic on page 17 shows “TYPES OF ROBOTS” simple and complex. The simple robots include a robot vacuum, robot toy dog, and a robot lawn mower. The complex ones include a factory robot, military robot, space robot, and a robot that goes to school. None of these robots look like humans, which might be one of the best selling features of this book!

Large font type, three or four sentences per page turn, and up-to-date photos of robots being used to do work make this book a great introduction for young reader on the subject of robots.

This story is like a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. How will you ever be able to get all of the pieces together, especially when the mean character is trying to do the exact same thing.

The ‘boy’ wakes up on an island beach not knowing or remembering anything. Amnesia? He has an inner bully of a subconscious always ready to let him know how dumb and cowardly he is in his choices of action. Let’s put some more pieces of the puzzle together. Let’s try a different color scheme. Let’s go from the gray of the beach to the green of the forest. The bully thinks this is a bad choice. There are monsters in the forest. The boy escapes the monster by climbing a tree. There he saves a baby owl in a torrential rain storm, only to find a tree house. The colors of the puzzle pieces now change from the brown of the tree house to a strong beam of light. The boy decides to find the source of the light. The colors change yet again as the boy leaves the forest and comes to a lighthouse. “He stepped back, starring out of the window at the trees of the Green Wall [forest] lined up outside the lighthouse. What kind of place made refrigerators appear out of thin air? Showed his brother in a puddle? Made a pathway from an owl of leaves? And lured him with a light that had no bulb?” (115) Will these puzzle pieces ever come together to make a whole picture?

The boy tries to make a boat, but it floats away without him. Then three boys come to the island in two real boats. The boy wants to leave the island with them, but they cannot see him. Is he a ghost? More pieces to the puzzle. Is he dead? Finally, someone is here to help him get off of this island. The puzzle is coming together at last. The boy must choose between the easy way of slipping into the afterlife or the hard way of fighting his way back into consciousness to the life and family he is sure is waiting for his return. The bully does not think the boy could or should face the blues of the sea to get to the other distant island where his family waits for him. The boy conquers his fears and “made his own courage.”(240) The boy – Ethan- wakes up in the hospital room to the joy of his father, younger brother, and mother. The boy- Ethan- has faced his demons and survived.

Intermediate elementary readers will enjoy finding out some of the secret “tricks used by filmmakers.” (8) Some are done while the movie is being filmed, while others are added after the filming. “Most film studios had special effects teams by the 1920s.” (15) Some of the effects mentioned are: animatronics, claymation, substitution shots, stop-motion animation, CGI, and use of models.

There are usually six to eight sentences in a combination of two paragraphs per page turn along side photos from twenty big Hollywood movies. Movies like Star Wars, Titanic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Mary Poppins, and Jurassic Park III. Lovers of action movies will enjoy this book.

The book closes with the publisher’s web site- Factsurfer.com. Its link to the AMC site is outstanding!

This book will give young readers information about collared lizards, such as: biome, habitat, coloring-camouflage, and diet. The collared lizards appearance is not described, but gained through colored photographs on almost every page.

There are usually three factual sentences for every page turn, in a large font, with glossary words in bold. Pages 14-15 state, “Collared lizards need heat to break down their food. Food that does not break down rots. They stop eating before they hibernate so they do not get sick.”

The book closes with the publisher’s web site – Factsurfer.com, which gives a recap of the book and additional information.

Sid, Axl and Ivan make a midnight run for the theater group, but on the way come upon some creepy events and a strange Taco Bear drive-thru that transports them to another dimension. Their taco order turns into tentacled creatures and the world around them turns soft and goopy. They must team up with grad student, Wendy, to save the world from these creatures. This is a science fiction graphic novel that would appeal to students who like horror. The pictures change from gray to an orange to coincide with events in the story.

Richard’s third grade class at Carver Elementary School has been working on earning a pizza party for perfect line behavior for 16 days now. If they can keep it up for just four more days, Ms. Shelby-Ortiz will provide the class with a pizza party. Then, Ms. Shelby-Ortiz gets sick. Her substitute teacher is the meanest substitute the class can remember ever having. The last time the class had him, he took points away if they did not address him as “Sir”. They are all trying hard to earn the pizza party. But when answering the substitute honestly and truthfully in their writing journals, as opposed to writing what they think the substitute wants to hear, problems develop. The class cut-up tones it down, but not enough in the opinion of the rest of the class. Then Richard forgets his homework at school, he goes back to get it, but the room is already locked, and he cannot find the custodian to unlock the door for him. Will the mean substitute ruin their chance to earn the pizza party by the time Ms. Shelby-Ortiz gets back in three days?

Realistic third grade dilemmas will resonate with young readers.

When ‘inventors’ come to mind I abstractly picture a man, of man of Thomas Edison’s generation. Here is a book with not one, but 15 women inventors stories and more women inventors listed on the front and back end papers! Six of these women are from 2000 to the present, four are from the 1970s to 1999, and the other five are from the earlier 1900s. Three have been on the television show “SHARK TANK“.

These women saw a need and worked to solve it, whether at home or in the workplace from the first wind shield wipers for cars, to Kevlor, to anti-bullying apps, to paper bag folding machines, to lasers for removing cataracts, to hands free baby carriers, to debugging computers, and combating drought.

Here is a book for the equity of women inventors. It is awe inspiring, while at the same time, “I can see myself doing something like that to solve a problem.”

There are eight “contests and organizations that encourage young people to innovate” (94) listed on pages 94-95. Some of these are the ones the young women in this book entered to get their ideas out in front of the world.

I go down to Las Vegas, Nevada, not to gamble, but to go out into the desert hiking. I have lived where dust storms occur, but have never been in one myself. I have been on a week long bicycle tour in the Rocky Mountains. And I have gone hiking with my sons’ boy scout troop when survival gear is always inspected before leaving the parking lot. All of these play a part in this story. Now every time I think about this book, my eyes get scratchy and itchy.

This book is set in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico. It is the retelling of what should have been a great time at a club geocaching competition by sixth graders on bicycles. It turns out to be a story of survival , as the title suggests, but it is also the tale of how two young people rediscover their lost friendship and why.

When the club’s van gets stuck, Mr. Lee goes for help, while the 6th grade geocaching team stays with Mrs. Sloan and the van. Martin’s need to win this competition has Martin sneaking through Mr. Lee’s brief case to find the coordinates. Jen sees this and follows Martin out into the desert, when no one is looking. Shortly, the dust storm engulfs them. At times, they have no idea where the other one is the dust is so blindingly thick and loud. The dust stings their eyes and skin, fills their ears and noses. The dust is choking. They survive the storm, but will they survive the desert! They are lost. Their bicycles are ruined. They are in an arroyo which will be the path of the flash flood, that follows a dust storm.

Jen has book knowledge and Martin has math on his side. If they work together these two who were once good friends might get out of this alive. They will face coyotes and the coldness of the desert by night, extreme heat without shade and thirst without water by day.

What Jen and Martin did not do is stay put, so searchers could easily find them. They can hear the rescue helicopter, but it can not see or hear them.

What Jen and Martin did do correctly and how they were finally rescued could have all been avoided, but they are back to being friends due to being put to this test. They, also, are doing volunteer hours of community service to help pay back for the hours put into their rescue effort.

I am looking forward to reading the other three books in this series.

After the story there are ‘Survival tips from the New Mexico Search and Rescue Council’, plus a list of the ten bare essentials of wilderness travel.

In this day and age of computers and photo shop here is an amazing true story of how innovative young people can be when they want “to get back at the adults for scolding…” one of them. (29)

Elsie (16 yrs. old) and Frances (9 yrs. old) only wanted to play a prank on their parents. Cameras for the general public were still rare in 1920. Elsie’s artwork was very good. Put the two together and the girls took a photo of Frances with fairies out in the woods of Northern England. It was never intended for anyone else to ever see the photo(s).

Just like today, some people yelled, “Fake,” while others believed. I will compare it to Big Foot photos. You decide which side of the fence you are on.

The book makes me smile and chuckle because it has similar applications to today’s photos of Big Foot and UFOs.

from author’s note: The difference now is that we are trained not to accept automatically but rather to question, and when possible, to investigate on our own to determine the truth. Though the internet is a powerful tool in trying to confirm or deny a suspicious story or photo, it can also spread misinformation just as easily. Having the internet doesn’t mean you can kick back and think less. On the contrary, it forces you to think more.”

2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles just makes you want to smile every time you see her smile, which seems to be all of the time! This book concentrates on Simone Biles’ enjoying what she does, being good at jumping and then striving through hard work to get even better at it. There is not much ‘meat’ to the text (only two short sentences per page turn) but this is a ‘feel good’ book all the same. The nine photos just make the reader want to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahhh’ at Simone Biles’ form, concentration, and the happiness she is experiencing.

A wonderful tale of misunderstanding, culture shock, and opposites all rolled up in one!

Miranda, the princess, is going to her first day of public school. She has always had a private tutor before today.

Maude, the absolutely not a princess, wants to work for social justice.

Miranda is quiet and a girly, girl. Maude is a talkative, chicken loving, very casual dressing, knowledge seeking, loner – though not by choice.

On the first day of school, Miranda and Maude must sit next to each other in the back of the classroom because of alphabetical order. The princess assumes all the students will know all her likes and dislikes just like the servants do in the palace. Wrong. The other students just stare at her.

Day after day the class spends their time on practicing the Mandatory National Reading and Writing and Math Exam. Miranda does not understand the questions on the test. Miranda does not own a pencil. She is asked to borrow a pencil, which is sticky, from Maude. Miranda does not like the noisy lunch room or its food, noisy PE or noisy recess, or the music room’s recorders. Miranda keeps to herself. Maude is by herself, too. Maude is after knowledge and social justice. She has no friends, either.

Miranda’s parents inform her they are inviting her entire class to her birthday party in two weeks. Miranda says, “No.” Miranda thinks the class does not like her. When Miranda places a gold invitation on each student’s desk, before school, she purposely does not give one to Maude. Of course, Maude notices this immediately. Maude, in her quest for social justice, talks to each student individually about boycotting the party. They all agree.

The day of Miranda’s party no one shows up. Back at Maude’s house, Maude is upset, too. Then, Maude discovers the bandana she had tried to lend to Miranda is stinky. “No wonder Miranda hadn’t wanted to use it on her sneezy nose.” (103) Off Maude goes to talk to Miranda. Silence between Miranda and Maude. “And then Maude yelled, ‘ARE THOSE RAINBOW SWEETIES?’ “(107) The silence is broken and like falling dominoes the two girls discover a few things they have in common. Maude invites Miranda over to her house. Over the course of a few weeks, they become good friends. The only friend each of them has ever had.

Opposites attract. Miranda and Maude are opposites and they are now good friends.

Just six weeks after little Shylo left his mother and family out in the country warren, he is being called upon by the Royal Rabbits of London to help save the Queen’s reputation. If the reader has not read the first book in this series, never fear, the highlights are recapped in chapter one. (The Royal Rabbits are true rabbits that protect the royal humans in England and have been doing so undetected for centuries.)

In this story, the nasty, foul Ratzis (no ordinary rats, but rats just the same) are out to humiliate the the President of the United States (POTUS) and the King and Queen of England at their state dinner in London. The head Ratzi – Papa Ratzi- has numerous TV stations and Internet web sites. He will destroy both of these world leaders and their countries’ alliance to each other in one embarrassing event on live TV. BAD NEWS SELLS!!

Papa Ratsi wants small, meek- mannered, brainy Shylo caught for ruining their last attempt to humiliate the Queen. Papa Ratsi wants Shylo interrogated to get all the information he knows about their nemicus the Royal Rabbits of London.

Meanwhile, the Royal Rabbits do not want to work with the Rabbits of the United States (ROTUS) in their mission to protect these two leaders on their home soil. And the ROTUS do not want to work with the Royal Rabbits to protect their president. Thank goodness the two leaders of these two groups insist both sides work together.

In a diversion, the Ratzis grab Shylo. Once this is known, the Royal Rabbits and ROTUS decide that their mission to protect their leaders comes before trying to rescue Shylo. Shylo, being the smart bunny that he is, figures this out for himself. He is on his own to escape. Shylo outwits his guard, escapes his prison, and succeeds in stopping the Ratzis plot.

Shylo, the small, smart, unassuming ‘bunkin’, saves the day, once again! Time to celebrate with the finest carrot juice and dancing down in The Grand Burrow beneath Buckingham Palace!

Meanwhile, Papa Ratzi , AKA Nibbles, is off in America “with his plans to cause havoc in the world, and neither was he finished with his plans for a weak but troublesome little bunny called Shylo.” (201)

After the story ends, the readers will have the chance to test their knowledge on 1) London Landmarks, 2) make a recipe from the story, 3) take a personality quiz, and 4) read ‘Top Ten Facts about the US President and the White House’.

Illustrator Kate Hindley’s illustrations (one per chapter) add to a rabbit’s point-of-view, how the reader will relate to the rabbits’ point-of-view, how stylish the Royal Rabbits are, and how foul the Ratzis are with great charm.

“The text of this book was set in Aged Book” which adds to the allure of British charm this book strives to present to the reader.

With three national parks in our own state’s backyard, it is fitting we should expose our children to other national parks, as well.

This book tells the what, where, and when of the Grand Teton National Park dating from February 26, 1929, in the state of Wyoming. The what will enthuse the reader to go see this park in person some day.

The what includes: mountains and valleys, lakes, and plants like white bark and lodgepole pine, flowering yellow balsamroot,and scarlet gilia. The animals will include cutthroat trout, calliope hummingbirds, elk, moose, red squirrels and black bear. And then where is the horseback riding, hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, along with the scenic drives.

This is presented in large font type, in two or three sentences on the left page opposite the full color photo on the right page. The book includes a glossary, index, table of contents, and the abdokids.com website where the entire book is presented, plus much, much more through links to the national park’s links for Grand Teton National Park.

I grew up watching the television specials by Jacques Cousteau in the 1960s. In this graphic novel formatted story, we read about Jacques Cousteau’s grandson, Fabien Cousteau carrying on his grandfather’s love of the ocean and research. This is a work of fiction, but I am finding myself wanting to display this book in my nonfiction shark section so all the shark lovers will find it. This is a story about shark conservation and research with Fabien Cousteau as the lead on the research team. The author’s note states, ” Great White Shark Adventure is a work of fiction based on actual expeditions and accepted ideas about the ocean and its inhabitants.”

Illustrator Joe St. Pierre makes this adventure come to life! I liked it better than a live action show because the action is obviously freeze framed. Nothing advanced until I was ready to turn the page.

Fabien and his crew, along with two junior expeditioners- Bella and Marcus, are off to research local South African tuna fishermen’s claims of seeing a massive great white shark off the coast of Gansbaai. Twelve and thirteen yr. old Bella and Marcus taking part in the research ship’s mission gives author James O. Fraioli reason to explain shark behavior, ecosystems, habitats, boat equipment, local area history, and much more to the reader as part of the story, whereas the rest of the ship’s crew already know this information. It is all masterfully woven into the story.

The crew find sharks right away. The massive one they are searching for is very elusive. It takes several tries and several different types of equipment over the course of several days before the crew successfully locates THE one shark they are after. The shark is tagged with “A PSAT TAG, WHICH STANDS FOR ‘POP-UP SATELLITE ARCHIVAL TAG’…WILL ALLOW US TO ANSWER MIGRATORY PATTERNS, FEEDING MOVEMENTS, DAILY HABITS, AND EVEN SURVIVAL, SHOULD THIS SHARK BE CAUGHT…” (43)

Shark fans will love this book!

This Disney Junior book based on The Disney The Lion Guard television show retells the story of Bunga giving poor advice, not well-thought out advice, to many of the African animals. It all begins with the stopping of a seasonal flood. At first this was a wonderful thing, but when the dam breaks later on, the solution proves short sighted. Bunga can live with the fact his future solutions need more thought.

The artwork is fun, but the story line needs more development like Bunga’s own solutions.

The physical dimensions of this book will give the reader the appearance of reading an average intermediate grade book. The story itself appears to be for a hi-lo reader, short and sweet, with more illustrations and less text than an average intermediate grade book. Four quick chapters that will satisfy the need for a World War II adventure story.

One or two key words per page have each been printed in different texts adding to the reader’s comprehension and enjoyment.

Young Samuel , his father, and uncle have been dropped off onto a damaged ship that needs repairing below the water line. All of the crew are gone.

Samuel falls into the flooded cargo compartment when he goes looking for a ship’s map. There Samuel discovers the ship has been torpedoed by the Germans.”The Germans planned to S I N K the Maiden before Samuel’s father could repair the ship and return it to service.” (35)

Samuel must go tell his father and uncle. The Germans are back aboard the ship. The Germans have captured his father and uncle.

The suspense mounts as Samuel swims to place the Germans’ own scuttling charge on their own submarine and save his father and uncle.