I truly disliked the change in Penny Parker starting with Hoofbeats on the Turnpike when I first read books 1-14 (given to me in 1969). I still do. When I last reread the series I didn't even bother with Guilt of the Brass Thieves and Saboteurs on the River. This time I did reread it. I see that the freckles that were added haven't been mentioned, but Penny's skill with sailing has been downgraded from that in the first chapter of Saboteurs on the River. I'll quote three sentences: 'For many years Penny and Louise had been chums. Students at Riverview High School, they enjoyed the same sports, particularly swimming and sailing.' 'Nevertheless, Penny was an excellent sailor and rather gloried in the record that her boat had overturned only once during the past season.'

In this book she's not so expert, but her excellence as a swimmer is admitted. She needs that skill, too, once to save a child's life and once to save her own.

Penny and her dad have been invited to spend two weeks at Shadow Island, owned by a rich factory owner, Mr. Gandiss. He and his wife have a spoiled, cocky, and inconsiderate son. Jack is late picking the Parkers up, runs out of gas, and his motorboat lacks a couple of other things that would save the situation. Even worse for his overblown ego is to have to endure rescue by his rival, Sally Barker, whose father owns a local ferryboat.

Mr. Gandiss thinks a lot of Sally and is not pleased that Jack looks down on her because she hasn't been to finishing school. The two kids have known and competed against each other since grade school. Sally has beaten Jack once, in last year's annual Hat Island sailboat race.

There's a handsome brass lantern, which came from a whaling boat in the 19th century, that Jack won the first year and Sally the second. This year's winner gets to keep the trophy. Both kids are determined to win. Jack has a special-order expensive new motorboat, the Spindrift. Sally will have to make do with her old boat, the Cat's Paw.

The race is a subplot. The main plot is the theft of brass and copper from Mr. Gandiss' factory. The pieces stolen are small, but they're adding up. Mr. Gandiss is likely to lose sixty thousand dollars in a year, if not more. That's $750,000.00 in 2011 money, according to this site, http://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/ . Youch!

The black market subplot is penny ante by comparison, but it does almost get Penny killed.

The most exciting scene involves an excursion boat full of passengers that catches fire. If Sally's father, his crew, and his River Queen can't save the day, not only will a lot of lives be lost, but a bunch of warehouses full of war materials will be destroyed. Naturally, Penny and Sally are in on the rescue. Even Jack gets a chance to show that he's not a total jerk. (Frankly, I sympathized with Penny when she wanted to slug him in chapter five.)

In chapter two Sally instructs the counter man on the River Queen to serve the Parkers some hot java and asks them if they want hamburgers or hot dogs to go with it -- it's on the house. Ms. Wirt remarks that Penny enjoys Sally's 'breezy slang'.

Had to chuckle at this line from chapter 16: 'A guest of the Gandiss' family, she [Penny] could not permit herself to distrust Jack.' I don't think being a guest would stop a girl sleuth from distrusting anyone these days.

The frontispiece is not signed, unfortunately.

If not for the downplaying of Penny's sailing skills, I'd have given this book a four. ( )