Lawler Books

Story 1, The Adventurer. Thomas, Aria, Caleb, and Mathew devise a plan to fix up an abandoned boat and make it seaworthy. Unfortunately, the boat belongs to Peter, who is mean and thoughtless. At first Peter gives the neglected boat to Thomas and his friends, but reneges on the deal once the repairs are completed. Without further discussion, Peter and his friend take The Adventurer out on the water where it quickly starts to sink. As Peter marches off in an angry huff, Aria confirms that Peter no longer wants the boat and the friends are now free to enjoy it.

Story 2, On A Roll. Aria feels bad that Peter lost his boat in such an embarrassing way. She remembers when she and Peter were friends in the past and knows that his father will purchase another boat for him if he gets A’s in his summer school courses. Although not easy, Aria prevails in convincing Peter to let her tutor him in math, but only if she tells no one. Later that summer, Aria, Thomas, and Mathew find themselves in The Adventurer in strong winds that threaten their return home. Peter and his new friend, Summer, come to the rescue in Peter’s new boat.

Story 3, Fishing with Ben Watson. Everyone in town knows Mr. Watson is the best fisherman around. He frequently wins the bluefish derby and Thomas is delighted to have a chance to go out with him. Thomas and Mr. Watson spend their day fishing for a prize catch on this, the last day of the Fishing Derby. When Thomas loses a big bluefish, he is despondent. Mr. Watson tells Thomas that you can’t lose if you’ve done your best and you keep trying. At the fish weigh-in, Thomas comes to appreciate the meaning of kindness and that there are more important things than winning.

Story 4, A Bad Day? Even though Carol is convinced that it’s going to be a bad day, she invites Thomas to visit a friend with a new puppy. On their way there, Thomas and Carol are invited to join their friends in a game of baseball. At bat, Thomas gets a hit that shatters a window in a neighbor’s shed. At first, all of the players, except Thomas, run and hide, but when they see Thomas walking to the house to take responsibility for the damage, they join him. The homeowner offers to repair the window if Thomas and his friends agree to clean out the shed full of lost treasures.

Story 5, While Building Forts. Aria and Thomas spend a cloudy morning at the historic governor’s estate building forts in the woods around it. Rumor has it that the estate grounds are watched over by an irascible caretaker and a fearsome guard dog. Later in the evening, Aria realizes she left her special watch in the woods and a storm is looming. She and Thomas summon all their courage to undertake a frightening trip into woods at night to retrieve it.

Story 6, Sailboat Racing. The fourteen foot long boats in the summer sailing program each has a skipper and one crew member. The experienced sailors are the skippers and the new students, like Thomas, Aria, and Caleb are the crew. Michelle Myers, like her older sister Lauren, is the best skipper for miles around. Whereas some people hoped Lauren would sail for the United States in the Olympics, she decided to join the Air Force after graduation from high school. During today’s race with Michelle, Thomas must work against rough seas and strong winds to repair the boat before it runs up on the fast-approaching beach.

Story 7, Beach Treasure. A summer day at the beach is perfect for sandcastle-building with friends. Moats, turrets, and draw bridges abound. Thomas finds a 300 year-old coin in the sand and the four friends are introduced to how different people in their town choose to treat ancient found-treasure. The subsequent search for more coins by many of the community members leaves the beautiful beach in chaos. About a month later, Thomas finds another silver coin. Remembering the turmoil of the last one, he quickly slips this one into his pocket before anyone else can see.

Story 8, The Rescuers. A bad storm is bearing down on Friendship Cove. Thomas and his friends head to the harbor to assist with the storm preparations. While helping with hauling Mr. Watson’s and Peter’s boats, they rescue a dog who falls in the water. When they learn young Mason White has gone missing on Rattlesnake Island, they devise a plan to participate in the search in spite of the police chief’s prohibition.