Madge Morton, Captain of the Merry Maid

A spirited young girl organizes a summer houseboat adventure with her friends, sketches plans to convert a shabby canal boat, and enlists help to set sail. The group encounters a distressed girl living on a shanty boat and soon faces escalating dangers: storms, a race on the water, capture, and rescue attempts that strand them on unfamiliar shores. Through perilous nights and daring efforts, the protagonist and her companions display leadership, courage, and practical resourcefulness while aiding one another and confronting an antagonist whose schemes threaten their safety. The narrative moves episodically through boating episodes that blend imaginative planning, suspenseful action, and the testing of friendships.