Madge Morton, Captain of the Merry Maid

Summer has a way of stretching infinite when you're fourteen and determined. Madge Morton refuses to let vacation separate her from her closest friends, so she proposes something audacious: they'll rent a houseboat and make the Chesapeake Bay their home for the summer. The girls transform an old canal boat into the Merry Maid, launching her on the very waters their ancestors navigated. But adventure finds them quickly - they stumble upon a woman suffering from amnesia, her past a blank they feel compelled to fill in. As they search for clues to her identity, the girls also grapple with their chaperone's mysterious burden, learning that every person carries secrets and sorrows. Written in 1911, this is vintage adventure fiction at its most spirited: girls solving problems with courage rather than waiting to be rescued, finding family in friendship, and discovering that the open water offers freedom unlike anything else. Perfect for readers who crave nostalgic adventure with real heart.