Trouble on Tarragon Island
Trouble on Tarragon Island is a children's novel by Nikki Tate, the third novel in the Tarragon Island series. Released in Canada in 2005 by Sono Nis Press, it was nominated for a Chocolate Lily Award, a Diamond Willow Award, and a Red Cedar Book Award.[1]
Like the earlier novels in the series,Tarragon Island (1999) and No Cafés in Narnia (2000), Trouble on Tarragon Island is set on a small fictional island in the Gulf of Georgia off Canada's West Coast in British Columbia. The main character is Heather Blake, a budding writer, who has moved there from Toronto with her family and has difficulty adjusting to life in a small community.[1]
Heather’s grandmother is the source of much controversy when she gets involved with a group of protesters called the Ladies of the Forest who oppose the logging of local old-growth trees. The conflict intensifies when arrests are made among the protesters and the situation escalates.[1]
The book confronts moral quandaries regarding the role of protesters, journalists, and government policies and explores the boundaries within these roles.[1]
In 2007, the book gained some notoriety due to a librarian withdrawing it from the shelves of a school in Kindersley, Saskatchewan.[2] The librarian was offended in particular by the bullying scene, when Heather’s grandmother poses for a nude calendar and is described by several boys as having generous "bazoongas." While the principal at the time defended the librarian’s choice, a new principal has since reversed the decision.[3]