The crew
These three are in every book. Every place adds a new local friend and a mentor, and you'll meet them on each book's page.
The hero
Eight years old. Fearless, fast, curious and loud-laughing. First in the water, first up the rock, and still learning to look before she leaps.
Red bandana, a backpack covered in patches, and Grandma Jo's brass compass on a cord around her neck.
The dog
A tiny scruffy terrier with a very big bark. Fearless, loyal, dramatic, and always the first to know when the map is about to glow. Afraid of exactly one thing: crabs.
Red collar with a tiny compass tag. Wears his own tiny life jacket anywhere near water.
The legend
About seventy. Surfed big waves, climbed granite walls and sailed oceans alone, and never tells her stories. Her old jacket has a patch from every place she went.
Long silver braid, a faded captain's cap, and a red bandana knotted at her neck. She knows about the magic. She never says so.
Patches on Mila's backpack
“Find anything good?” — Grandma Jo