The Secret of the Deep Woods

Sylvia Pantaleo is an associate professor of education, specializing in
children’s literature, at the University of Victoria. She is the
co-author of Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary
Classroom.

The week between the ending of lacrosse season and the opening of the
arena in Tamarack finds the Screech Owls on a camping excursion in
Algonquin Park. Nish is unable to get to sleep, because he is feeling
very ill (due to the consumption of some poisonous berries). Suddenly,
he observes lights in the sky and hears a strange sputtering noise.
Hallucinating as a result of the berries, Nish reports that he viewed a
UFO and was abducted by aliens. However, the mysterious sighting is soon
solved, because Fahd reports that the infamous Toronto Maple Leafs
player Jake Tyson—a rookie Conn Smythe Trophy winner who scored the
winning goal of the seventh game of the Stanley Cup playoffs—has
disappeared while on a fishing trip in Algonquin Park. Nish’s UFO was
Jake Tyson’s plane crashing in the woods.

Although the Screech Owls help the authorities search for Jake, they
must move on to their next campsite. A group of Screech Owls becomes
separated from the main group, and they discover the downed plane and
ultimately Jake Tyson. However, in order to rescue the rookie
professional hockey player and themselves, Nish must overcome his fear
of heights.

Travis develops a romantic interest in the course of this novel, and
Nish’s behaviour is predictable, as is his continued rivalry with Sam.
The plot has several contrivances, including the lost group of Screech
Owls in the woods and the locating of the missing hockey player.
However, the novel is an enjoyable read. MacGregor always includes both
humour and serious issues in his Screech Owls books. Recommended.