Great story, a bit scary! Rachel Howell, 12-years-old, has lived in New York with her grandparents ever since her mother died. Rachel hasn't seen her father in 7 years and then, finally, he sends for her to come live with him in Charles Town, South Carolina. Rachel loves and misses her father, and she badly wants to live with him, but she is anxious, too. In 1724, sailing to the Carolinas is dangerous because of pirates. Rachel's worst fears come true when her ship, the Betsy Jo, is run down and boarded by pirates. They steal the pearl necklace that belonged to Rachel's mother!
Things don't get better when she arrives safely in Charles Town. Her father tells her that in a few weeks she will meet Miranda, the woman he's going to marry. He is very happy about it, and Rachel tries to be happy, too, but she wonders what her stepmother will be like, and she's jealous of having to share her father when she has only just been reunited with him.
Rachel makes friends with Sally, the daughter of a tavern-keeper. Rachel's father doesn't mind it until Miranda tells him that tavern-keepers are not the right kind of people for the daughter of a wealthy merchant to befriend. Mr. Howell forbids Rachel to see Sally again. He enrolls her in school, because Miranda tells him to, and he says that she will make friends there.
Rachel likes Sally, and she doesn't like Miranda. She and Sally figure out a way to stay friends and meet on an island where nobody will know that they're friends. They name it Skull Island, and it's a pretty place, but spooky, too. The island has a sinkhole full of quicksand and the girls discover strange symbols carved into rocks. Could Skull Island be a pirates' hideout? Will Rachel and Sally figure out the mysteries on Skull Island? Will they survive to tell other people if they do? Will Rachel get her mother's pearl necklace back?
You will want to read this book in the History Mysteries series by American Girl. It has charming illustrations, and a section on the history of Charles Town in 1724. If you don't already know about the History Mysteries series, you will be glad you discovered them.
Things don't get better when she arrives safely in Charles Town. Her father tells her that in a few weeks she will meet Miranda, the woman he's going to marry. He is very happy about it, and Rachel tries to be happy, too, but she wonders what her stepmother will be like, and she's jealous of having to share her father when she has only just been reunited with him.
Rachel makes friends with Sally, the daughter of a tavern-keeper. Rachel's father doesn't mind it until Miranda tells him that tavern-keepers are not the right kind of people for the daughter of a wealthy merchant to befriend. Mr. Howell forbids Rachel to see Sally again. He enrolls her in school, because Miranda tells him to, and he says that she will make friends there.
Rachel likes Sally, and she doesn't like Miranda. She and Sally figure out a way to stay friends and meet on an island where nobody will know that they're friends. They name it Skull Island, and it's a pretty place, but spooky, too. The island has a sinkhole full of quicksand and the girls discover strange symbols carved into rocks. Could Skull Island be a pirates' hideout? Will Rachel and Sally figure out the mysteries on Skull Island? Will they survive to tell other people if they do? Will Rachel get her mother's pearl necklace back?
You will want to read this book in the History Mysteries series by American Girl. It has charming illustrations, and a section on the history of Charles Town in 1724. If you don't already know about the History Mysteries series, you will be glad you discovered them.
