16-HO-HUM ISLAND

HO-HUM ISLAND Trap stared at my little nephew as if Benjamin had just stolen his last Cheesy Chew. "Little Mousey, who cares? They are cats!" "I have an idea," Thea said. "Maybe there is an island nearby. When the cats jump ship, they can swim to the island. Let's go check out Tomcat Jack's maps." I quickly leafed through my diary, searching for the plan of the ship. "There it is! Tomcat Jack's control room! Let's go!" We RACED down the ship's silver hallways to the control room. In the center of the room stood a long silver

table covered with strange seafaring gadgets, maps, and tools. I peered at a map of the ocean. "It looks like the nearest island is something called Ho-hum Island." "There's nothing around that island. It's all by itself," Thea noted. "Great!" cried Trap. "Those no-good cats will never be able to leave!" "There's just one little problem," Thea said. "The Silver claw is headed away from the island. If the pirates jump overboard tomorrow, they'll never be

able to swim there. We have to figure out a way to change the ship's course." Suddenly, my sister pointed to a big compass in the middle of the room. "Do you know how a compass works?" she asked. "The magnetic needle points to the north. But if you put a magnet near the compass, you can shift the needle." I looked around. Nothing. "I'm afraid finding a magnet on this ship will be like searching for a whisker in a haystack!" I groaned.