1 The Kite in the Wind

WIND RIDERS SHIPWRECK IN SEAL BAY WRITTEN BY JEN MARLIN ILLUSTRATED BY MARTA KiSSi

Chapter 1 The Kite in the Wind The wind tugged at the cherry-red box kite in Sofia's hands. It almost flew out of her grip. "Whoops!" she exclaimed. "Max, are you ready? It wants to fly!" Max was hurriedly winding up the kite string. "Almost!" he called back. He finished winding, then unraveled a little bit of line from the spool. "Okay," he

said. "One, two... three!" As Sofia let go, the kite strained at the line and floated straight up above them. "It's working!" Sofia cried. Max grinned. He lived with his grandpa, who was a retired fisher here in Starry Bay, and they had planned to go out in the boat this morning. But the wind was coming from the east, and Grandpa had told Max there was no point fishing when an easterly wind was blowing: Wind from the west, fish bite the best. Wind from the east, fish bite the least. Wind from the north, do not go forth. Wind from the south blows bait in their mouth. It was an old proverb, and Grandpa believed in it. But the east wind was perfect for flying kites! The kite swooped low as the wind stopped gusting for a moment. Max jogged across the sand, trying to keep tension in the string, and almost tripped over a towel and a plastic shovel. He passed a trio of kids licking ice cream, then ran around a propped-up umbrella and toward the marina, where tourists watched from wrought-iron tables. "Wait for me!" Sofia tightened her shoelaces and

then raced after him. She was a strong runner, and she caught up with him on the boardwalk, near the edge of the mangrove forest. As Max leaned over to catch his breath, the kite rippled in the wind. The sight of it reminded Sofia of something. "A scarlet macaw!" she said. "Doesn't it look like one?"

Max shot her another smile as he handed her the spool. He had known Sofia for only a short while, since her family had come to Starry Bay for the summer. But already, they shared a secret. They had discovered Wind Rider, a magical old boat that sailed to faraway places—like the Amazon rain forest, where scarlet macaws flew free. Just a few yards away, within the mangrove forest, that magical old sailboat waited for them. "Fly free, little kite," Sofia cheered as she held the string, but then she gasped as the kite dove toward the boardwalk, bounced twice, and landed on the dirt trail that led into the forest. "Max, look!" She pointed. There, beside the downed kite, stood a bird. It shook sand from its gray feathers and cocked its smooth white head. Then it fixed its wise, dark eyes on Max.

"It's our seagull!" Max whispered. This was the mysterious bird that arrived whenever it was time for another adventure on Wind Rider. "Are you sure?" asked Sofia. "Yes!" Max started chuckling. "It's got a splotch of ice cream on its beak! It's an even messier eater than I am." Sofia laughed, too. Their seagull friend was a notorious ice cream thief! They'd first met the bird when it had stolen hers. As if in response, the gull bobbed its head. Then it flapped its wings and led them toward the mangrove forest.