Cecily's Island — Frances Dean Hancock

Although Cecily Miner had read hair, she had inherited her French mother's large dark eyes. The island on which she lived was so small that it was known simply as "The Island." It was as close to Canada as it was to Maine, but it belonged to Maine, and so far, no Canadian had shown the slightest desire to dispute possession.

There were three families on the island--the Miners, the Duponts, and the Barbiers. Most of the sons and daughters had left the island as soon as they were grown, and now, Cecily, her brother, Pete, and Michel--Mike--Barbier were the only young people left there. Cecily worked in the bank on the Mainland and commuted by boat with Pete, who was finishing his last year of high school. Mike lived and worked on the Mainland in the wintertime, but returned to the island in the summer. Mike was ambitious. Already he had built several cabins for fishermen and hunters--and eventually he hoped to attract other vacationers. Sometimes Cecily thought Mike's ambition was stronger than his love for her--and she and Mike had been engaged since childhood.

The island was changing even before Jerome Patton, the ornithologist, and his sister came there to study the habits of the gulls. Jerome's profession might seem a staid one to many, but Jerome himself was anything but staid. And Millicent Patton was glamorous and reported to be wealthy.

Hero: Jerome Patton
Heroine: Cecily Miner