When Syd’s dad picks her up from school early, she is surprised to find herself on a big boat just hours later, headed to Tangier Island. Dr. Gardner is filling in for a fellow scientist who has been injured and his work cannot be left unattended. He is working with a local fisherman who traps and sells blue crabs while investigating how solar powered pumps may help the fishermen, and the Gardners will have to pick up where he left off. Getting up before dawn to prove themselves by helping with the crab pots, Syd doesn’t know if they are going to be able to keep up with this hard work.
Even though the Gardners are there to help, it seems like they will have to prove themselves to some on the island. Syd and Goose discover that they have quite a bit to learn, not just about crabbing, but the challenges facing the island and the residents who live there. While on the island, they learn that the island is actually disappearing and eroding away. A trip to help collect trash on the is