Baby Island

[3][4] The book begins with the Wallace sisters, twelve-year-old Mary and ten-year-old Jean, traveling alone on a ship to meet their father in Australia.

Their ship is disabled in a storm, and the two girls are set adrift in a lifeboat with four babies, the children of fellow passengers.

The craft eventually drifts to a tropical island, and in a Robinson Crusoe-like scenario, they must learn to build shelter and survive on wild foodstuffs.

In the latter part of the book the girls also encounter a character like Friday: Mr. Peterkin -- a mysterious, gruff man who lives alone on the island and dislikes children.

Their parents were able to find them through the letters Jean had set adrift in tin cans, a form of a message in a bottle.