The Rankin Street Raiders

Welcome to the world of the Rankin Street Raiders, or Tom Sawyer times five. Their exploits and misadventures took place in a time when guys driving flashy candy-coloured muscle cars ruled the roads, girls wore frilly polka-dotted party dresses to school, dogs ran free and drug store soda fountains sold root beer floats stacked with ice cream, and yes, there was always a cherry on top.

The Raiders practiced their artful piracy in Detroit, Windsor and their home town of Amherstburg, or A'burg. It was where and when CKLW brought a brand-new beat to the airwaves with hit after hit from the Motown song factory. Newly minted Great Lakes Freighters parted the waters like 747s preparing for takeoff. Boblo, an island amusement park, drew merrymakers from around North America. Fort Malden stood strong, still a bastion of the War of 1812. Point Pelee, the southernmost tip of Canada, became a migratory bird sanctuary and the guardian of countless plant species.

Embracing this rich environment, the Raiders pulled off escapade after escapade that were created in a combined spirit of friendship and glee.

So climb aboard their good ship, unfurl the Rankin Street Raider flag and sail into a past that contains unbridled fun with some lessons for the future.

"The Rankin Street Raiders is an absolute pleasure to read. The book is a warm, inspiring story, rife with the kind of adventure, mischief, and even melancholy that only a pack of young teenagers could manifest and share with us. The author has chosen to pull the Raiders closer and closer to our hearts with each sentence. By the end, we feel like closing the book is like saying goodbye to friends."

-Jessica Kirby, Editor