Oh, lovely. I've read this a dozen times, though not for years; I remembered it fondly but had forgotten essentially all the details (except sailing ship, island, and the Lion's Paw shell). Reread it, and it lived up to my memory of it. I like Penny (though she gets a little soppy at times), Nick (who is appropriately silly for a 9-year-old boy), and Ben. Mildly sexist - but while Penny does collapse in tears a couple times, and does most of the cooking (where did she learn that?), she also achieves some major tasks through sheer endurance, and neither of the boys ever dismisses her just because she's a girl. The chase gets nasty at times. The descriptions of sailing are wonderful - if you like Swallows and Amazons, you'll love this too. Complete happy ending - very convenient, both in what happens and in _when_ it happens, but it's the kind of coincidence that really could come true. Plus the magic of the shell, of course (mild sarcasm). Great story; it was worth reading when I was a kid and it's still worth it. I'll be looking for more by this author. ( )

This is a wonderful book about orphans who steal away on a sailboat. I believe it's out of print but can be obtained through inter-library loan.Good for about grade 4 ( )

Penny and Nick are in an orphanage in Florida. She is 12 and he 9. They run away and go on a sailboat adventure. ( )

Def. worth reprinting. An exciting adventure, timeless in its appeal. For both boys and girls, ages 7 to 17. Good lessons about everything from sailing to courage to freedom and friendship and family. ( )

Mrs. Kantor read this book, chapter by chapter, to my fourth grade class. I couldn't wait to find out how it ended and before the first week was over I had it checked out of the local library. I loved it so much that 20 years later I had to run down a copy for myself.

Perhaps it is because I was born in Florida and have a deep love for the version of it I never saw -- pre-Disney, pre-theme parks, pre-space program, when it was a winter destination, an exotic land for citrus fruit and winter strawberries, cattle country, horse country, beautiful beaches and dangerous swamplands. That's the Florida we glimpse in this book, the Florida of the 1940s.

Perhaps it is those three children on a sailboat searching for family, pitting themselves against the adult world that doesn't understand them, and the elements which continue on regardless of them. The faith they have in each other and in the miracle that they believe will happen if they can find the elusive Lion's Paw seashell draws me back to the story time after time.

I'm not sure, exactly. I just know I like to go there, just like I did in fourth grade. ( )