Title: The adventures of Mickey, Taggy, Puppo and Cica, and how they discover Brockville, Kingston, and the Thousand Islands
Description: An invitation comes to M.T.P.C. from Christopher and his friends to celebrate Thanksgiving Weekend at Zavikon Island. He also suggests that each of them bring a plate of their national food. Since his classmates and friends come from all over the world, they are looking forward to some German kuchen, Czech dumplings, Hungarian cherry soup, Italian pasta, Spanish paella and, of course, Canadian turkey. Cica wants to be first to prepare dinner, but when it takes too long and everyone is famished, they crowd into the kitchen and find her crying beside her ruined French souffle. It seems she forgot to turn on the oven–no wonder the souffle failed to rise.Ariella quickly comes to the rescue, heating and serving the Polish borscht she has brought. Daniel, who is from the Czech Republic, prepares some magnificent plum-filled dumplings. Dinner is a success. Next morning, Mickey’s German breakfast is enjoyed by everyone, except for Cica who is missing from the table. They search the cottage, the boats, the whole island, but can’t find Cica anywhere. The following meals are eaten in silence, but the Chinese fortune cookies served with one meal suggest, in several languages, that Cica will be found safe.As they continue to search for her, they learn the history of the Thousand Islands, the Canadians and Americans who own them, and the famous castle which was built by a Germanborn American hotel owner for his wife. Boldt Castle is modeled after the castles along the Rhine River. The friends use boats to check the other islands, as well as Brockville, a nearby town where the oldest railway tunnel in North America was built 150 years ago. Although they keep returning to Zavikon (the name means “happy wigwam” in the Native Peoples’ language), hoping that Cica will show up, they must prepare and eat many interesting meals without her.As Puppo is busy in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving dinner, the others are swimming, fishing and playing on the dock. Christopher notices a sailboat approaching. In it is a guest he has invited from Madawaska and she is holding a little cat in her lap. They are so happy to have Cica back that they forget their anger that she has spoiled their weekend. Cica explains that she was so ashamed of her failed souffle that she decided to leave during the night. She was going to swim to shore but boards a passing saliboat, thinking it is headed for shore. Instead the sailboat moors on Madawaska Island, and she spends two days in the boat, feeding on small fish and listening to beautiful music until she hears that the owners have been invited to Zavikon Island for Thanksgiving Dinner. With great relief, she returns to her friends.
Subjects: Juvenile Nonfiction, Juvenile fiction, Nonfiction, Travel
Places: Brockville (Ont.), Kingston (Ont.), Thousand Islands Region (N.Y. and Ont.)