Cabin 102 Book

Twelve-year-old Dusty has an overwheming fear of drowning, and his wild excuses to avoid water have given him a reputation as a habitual liar and troublemaker. But his lies and excuses can't get him out of a Caribbean cruise aboard the historic ocean liner the Historia.

While cruising with his father, stepmother, and stepsisters, Dusty hears sorrowful crying coming from the cabin next door, Cabin 102. Upon investigation, he discovers a mysterious girl dressen in a leaf skirt and wearing a crown of tropical flowers. Drowned when a hurricane capsized the Spanish galleon Estrella Vespertina in 1511, Tahni is the ghost of an Arawak Indian girl trying to return to her little island so her spirit can rest in peace.

Through his friendship with water-loving Tahni, Dusty gradually overcomes his terror of water as he put his concern for her before his own fears. In the climactic ending, dusty helps Tahni return to her beloved island, and with his newly found confidence and maturity he admits to his fears.

Sherry Garland deftly weaves a story of growth and courage with historical information about Arawak/Taino way of life and the Spanish conquest of the Caribbean Islands.

While on a cruise with his family, twelve-year-old Dusty encounters the ghost of an Arawak Indian girl through whom he comes to terms with his fears.