Adam's Tropical Adventure

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Harvard,
Massachusetts.

Adam’s grandmother Zoe has been a reporter for Green Life Magazine for
30 years. The magazine is sending her on a vacation to Discovery Island
and she invites Adam to go with her. Adam decides to pretend that he is
a reporter on assignment, taking his camera and notebook along. On his
first day he meets the Doubles, a set of twins who promise to show him
around. As they begin to explore, Adam encounters the roocoocoo bird,
which was thought to be extinct on the island. Adam’s friends are
concerned that the island’s “Varmint” will attempt to catch the
bird, and when they spy on the suspect they discover that they are
right. They successfully execute a plan to rescue the roocoocoo and
capture the poachers. Adam then publishes his adventure in the magazine.

This title exemplifies the best qualities of the First Novels series.
The story has elements of a much more advanced chapter book, in that
interesting characters are involved in an exciting adventure that is
centred on a contemporary theme. Although the style and vocabulary are
original and unexpected at times, the language is completely accessible
to the youngest chapter-book readers. The book is written with
imagination and charm, and the attractive illustrations complement the
story very well. Highly recommended.