It’s always such a pleasure to settle down with one of the books in this series. There will be some adventurous and imaginative scheme afoot, but always within the time frame of school holidays. The children will each use their particular skills, and always get along wonderfully. And for the most part, the adults will stay out of the way. And of course, it will all wrap up very nicely but never quite as it was planned at the beginning. The settings are accurate to the area, mostly Lake Country and East Anglia, and there will be glorious maps.
But this time, we have a more limited cast – the “D’s”, as the rest of the lot call them. Dick and Dorothea are more recent additions, and do not have the sailing experience the rest do. So when they get a chance to spend time in Norwich, they are more than excited to pick up some experience in sailing the river network there. They are quickly inducted into the Coot Club, established by Tom Dodgeon, doctor’s son and leader of the group; Port and Starboard, twin girls and expert sailors; and a few young ruffians, AKA pirates. The purpose of the club is to protect the nesting coots, waterside birds.
But when the thoughtless and loathsome “Hullabaloos” deliberately park their rented party boat right alongside the side of the river where the birds are nesting, and refuse to stop their nightly loud parties, action must be taken. Tom slips the anchor off in the night, allowing the boat to drift away, and now the interlopers are trying to bring the law down on him. Chases up and down the waterways ensue, and the Ds will be far more proficient the next time they get together with the rest of the gang. Always a good time.
