THE MYSTERY OF EDISTO ISLAND

Written by Idella Bodie

Illustrations by Gay Haff Kovach

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Set on beautiful Edisto Island, this adventure begins when four youngsters try to help an old fisherman, a gullah speaking islander who is in danger because he has information that a couple of criminals want. Trouble is, nobody will believe him except the four kids reunited for a vacation on the sea island town of South Carolina. They find themselves in real danger__and having the time of their lives.

 Idella Bodie weaves an entertaining story and offers some island history and an introduction to the Gullah dialect.
 

A gullah glossary is included.
Ages 10 & up. 157 pages. Illustrations.
1994. Sandlapper.
ISBN 13: 978-0-87844-123-5/ISBN 10: 0-87844-123-9,

$ 12.95 (PB)

Review:

The Mystery of Edisto Island reunites two brother-sister pairs who made their debut in Bodie's The Secret of Telfair Inn, also set in South Carolina.  Phil and Marcy Dunlap from New York have come back down South for a summer vacation with their parents.  They're looking forward to frolicking on the beach with their friends, Jerry and Sara, whose grandmother lives on Edisto. 

But on the first day of their vacation, Jerry and Phil become suspicious about some trouble surrounding old Gabe, a local fisherman.  After some sleuthing around, the boys discover that Gabe knows an important secret that some mysterious strangers would do almost anything to get their hands on.  What starts out as some innocent investigating, complete with conjurors and kidnappers, that's more than Phil, Jerry, and their sisters bargained for. 

Bodie handles suspense especially well, and readers over the age of 9 will be turning pages frantically to find out what happens next.  In between the clues and cliffhangers, Bodie slips in a great deal of local lore and language that enriches the book. 

Gabe speaks in the Gullah dialect, which is confusing at first but is readily translated by Jerry__though young, he appears to be the expert on everything at Edisto__ and there is a handy glossary at the back of the book. Phil's dad researches history, at dinner he recounts stories of soldiers and slaves before and during the Civil War (or War Between the States, as is more often referred to in this volume).   Jerry's grandmother watches out for nesting sea turtles and tosses in a few environmental lessons along the way.  And Gay Haff Kovach's black and white illustrations flesh out the mysterious beauty of Edisto Island. 

The Mystery of Edisto Island is an educational story as well as an entertaining one for readers who relish thrilling mysteries set so close by that they can almost feel the Spanish moss tickling their backs.          Review by Laris Lomacky, The Georgia Guardian, 1999.

 

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