Taffy of Torpedo Junction

By Nell Wise Wechter

New foreword by Bland Simpson

154 pp., 5 x 7.5, 4 halftones, 1 maps

  • Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-4619-3
    Published: August 1996
  • E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-1-4696-0136-6
    Published: May 2012
  • E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-6752-0
    Published: May 2012

Chapel Hill Books

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Awards & distinctions

1957 Award in Juvenile Literature, North Carolina Division of the American Association of University Women

Back in print

A longtime favorite of several generations of Tar Heels, Taffy of Torpedo Junction is the thrilling adventure story of thirteen-year-old Taffy Willis, who, with the help of her pony and dog, exposes a ring of Nazi spies operating from a secluded house on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, during World War II. For readers of all ages, the book brings to life the dramatic wartime events on the Outer Banks, where German U-boats turned an area around Cape Hatteras into 'Torpedo Junction' by sinking more than sixty American vessels in just a six-month period in 1942. Taffy has been enjoyed by young and old alike since it was first published in 1957.

About the Author

The late Nell Wise Wechter, an Outer Banks native, was a widely admired author, storyteller, historian, and journalist. As a schoolteacher near Cape Hatteras during World War II, she could look out her classroom window to see ships being sunk by the Germans. Her story of Taffy was inspired by these real events and the courage of the people who lived through them. Her other books include Swamp Girl, Betsy Dowdy's Ride, and Teach's Light.


For more information about Nell Wise Wechter, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

"Wechter's tale of Taffy and her American heroism pays tribute and honor to the people who lived at 'Torpedo Junction.'"--Carolina Country

"For more than 50 years, Tar Heels of all ages have enjoyed reading Nell Wise Wechter's Taffy of Torpedo Junction. . . . [A] thrilling adventure."--Coastwatch

"Brings . . . dramatic events to life."--Carolina Country

"The history and the sense of place that Nell Wise Wechter conveys in the novel makes it not only an exciting story for youngsters but an interesting one for adults also."--Island Breeze

"The best piece of children's literature ever produced in this state."--Dennis Rogers, Raleigh News & Observer