The Island and the Map

Noor and Adam were nine-year-old twins, alike in almost every way: the same brown eyes, the same laugh, the same love of adventure. But they were different in one important way: Noor liked to act quickly, and Adam liked to think before he acted.

"Noor is the wind and Adam is the compass," their mother used to say. "When they work together, they never get lost."

In the summer holidays, their uncle Hamdan invited them on an unforgettable trip. He was a marine scientist who studied fish and coral reefs, and he spent most of his time on a small white boat called The Wave.

"I'm taking you to Turtle Island," he told them on the phone. "It's a tiny island where nobody lives, with palm trees and a golden beach... and an old legend."

"What legend?" asked Noor at once.