The latest in the series The Adventures
of Summer McPhee of Ocracoke Island: The Pink Lady finds Summer happily
enjoying what she calls “The Big Break.” It is the summer time and with no
school she can sleep late or get up early and go fishing on and around the
outer banks. In fact, she can do about anything including spending some time
feeding the ducks out at Silver Lake Harbor.
That was her plan for this
day until, as she rode her bike past him, she was flagged down by Sheriff
Caswell. He seems to be a nice enough guy though he is dating her widowed mom
and Summer isn't sure just yet what she thinks about that. It is a little weird
though he does seem to make her mom happy. It is also a bit weird what Sheriff
Caswell wants her to do instead of feeding the ducks. He wants her to watch a
certain boat at one of the docks. He wants her to watch it for the next three
hours and keep track of who is on board and what they are doing. If she agrees
to help him out Sheriff Caswell will pay her 21 bucks and call her mom to let
her know what is going on. Summer has
something in mind for the money so she is quite eager to do the job.
Watching a boat where absolutely
nothing is going on is boring---even if the boat is painted a very bright pink.
Everything seems boringly normal and then Ellie Antonelli shows up. She lives
on the boat as the girls get to talking it doesn't take long for Summer to
realize Ellie is in some kind of trouble and needs help. Not just because
Hurricane Angela is headed toward Ocracoke Island as Ellie's mom and step-dad
are not the best parents in the world by a long shot.
As in earlier books in this
very well done series, interspersed with the mystery are lessons about caring
about others and doing the right thing. The nuances with both are subtle and the
characters involved don't preach--- they show by action what it means to be a
responsible caring person. The mystery is also well done as Summer works to
help Ellie while the adults in her life work to not only protect Summer and
Ellie, but to make things safer for all. It’s another good read from the
talented author Douglas Quinn and, like the others from this author, a good book
you can allow your child to read without worrying about the content or language
issues.
The Adventures of Summer McPhee of
Ocracoke Island: The Pink Lady
Douglas Quinn
AAS White Heron Press
June 2014
ISBN# 13-978-1499746235
Paperback
132 Pages
Material supplied by the
author in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014
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