The Big Fourth: A Novella by George F. Kohn
Synopsis "The Big Fourth: A Novella by George F. Kohn"
This seventh book in the Holiday Favorites series is about Independence Day. Ms. Smith, the boys' elementary school teacher, gives an assignment to the class to write a paper on Independence Day. The five boys give an oral report in front of the class and become celebrities almost overnight. The boys are back in the tree Fort when they intercept an ominous message being broadcast from an alien spacecraft hovering above the Earth. They devise a plan to do surveillance on the strange craft when it lands in the Meadows near the tree Fort. Butch is somehow captured by the craft's little people, and taken aboard. The boys decide to go into town for help to rescue Butch. Returning to the tree Fort, they discover that the bonfire signal to help guide them back has completely burned down to red embers. Somehow the boys have lost more than two hours of time they cannot account for! The next morning, they find Butch asleep in the tree Fort. Around his neck he has a strange necklace with a futuristic aircraft medallion hanging from it! THE SERIES: Holiday Favorites is a collection of nine novellas (short stories) written by George F. Kohn. Most of the stories coincide with the holiday months of the school calendar year, each of those stories being dedicated to its special holiday. October is Halloween - The Legend of "The Hal-lo-Ween and the Motorcycle Witch" November is Thanksgiving - The First Thanksgiving December is Christmas - The Magic Christmas Tree February is Valentine's Day - A Valentine Dream March is Easter - A Big Surprise for Easter April is a celebration in St. Petersburg, Florida - The Festival of States Parade July is Independence Day - The Big Fourth The last two stories, in addition to the holiday stories, are about exploring the unknown - what if? They involve using the reader's own imagination and creativity: The Experiment - an alien mission harvests ancient implants. Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon - different cultures and skills of two tribes are explored. INTRODUCTION to SERIES: A long time ago, before television, forests grew all around a neighborhood near the edge of the great forbidden Cypress Swamp. The people in the neighborhood all shared their lives, beliefs, and superstitions, creating an atmosphere of adventure throughout the neighborhood. In the neighborhood lived five young boys. There was an old mulberry tree that stood on the outskirts of town. Over the years, someone had built a tree house in the fork of two large limbs that spread out over the cemetery. The tree house, called the Fort, was built large enough for the boys to use as their clubhouse. Inside the tree Fort, the boys had a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Looking out the north window, the boys could see a large meadow stretching out into the distance. Through the east window, they could see far away the top of a bald cypress tree. Everyone knew that meant there was a dangerous swamp nearby. In this series of stories, some strange and incredible things happen in the area to challenge the boys' ingenuity. Utilizing their imagination and skills, the boys successfully solve one problem after another. What is real, and how much is in their imagination?
