The Hydrofoil Mystery

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“Dear Mom, I’m okay. So far I’ve almost been beaten up. I’ve run
into a burning building and was almost burned to a crisp. I’ve chased
away a spy and I’ve held enough explosive to blow a crater in the
ground as big as a house. I’m doing just fine and hope you and Sis are
too. I have to stop writing now because I’m watching a mysterious
signal that I think has something to do with the spy. All my love.
William.”

Fifteen-year-old William McCracken had planned a nice relaxing summer
of hanging around with his no-good friends in Halifax, perfecting his
cheating skills and maybe winning some money in crooked poker games down
by the waterfront. Unfortunately, his mother had other ideas. Thanks to
her, he is shoveling sheep manure and chasing spies on Cape Breton
Island.

U-boats, poker, and inventor Alexander Graham Bell are the background
mosaic for this fast-paced tale of World War I espionage. William is
sent to work on Bell’s isolated estate, the one place that his mother
thinks he will stay out of trouble. But Alexander Graham Bell is working
on a secret weapon for the Allies, the Imperial German Navy is out to
sink it, and anybody that gets in their way.

Packed with historical facts, humorous situations, and some rather
colorful characters, The Hydrofoil Mystery will appeal to a wide range
of readers. Highly recommended.