The Great And Glorious Coastal city of MacOongafoondsen (population twenty-one) lies sheltered from the world. Some citizens, like Fierfl the Tailor and Miss Darkniss the Candle Maker, have never even seen the sea. Then a ship washes up with a lone survivor -- a small, odd, hairy figure the townspeople take for a Frenchman and call Monsieur Eek.<P>While thirteen-year-old Emmaline and her best friend, Philip, welcome "Monsieur Eek, devious Shmink the Bailiff has other plans. In short order the newcomer is arrested as a foreign spy and put on trial for his life. Emmaline mounts a spirited defense. But as the town's fear of foreigners (and Frenchmen) grows, it seems that nothing will save her new friend.<P>In his first book for young readers, noted playwright and humorist David Ives makes a memorable debut, creating a sparkling fable, moving and funny, about two young people who risk everything to change the minds -- and the history -- of an entire town.