Kids in Paradise

Years ago, near Paradise Island, on the night of the Shooting Star, there was a great storm at sea. Next day, the islanders awoke to find three unusual events had taken place: a young shipwreck survivor had been washed up on the beach, the volcano became extinct and a strange and mysterious tree had grown up on the island. They named the young castaway BOMBA and the tree was called the ‘Bongo Tree’. BOMBA is convinced that he and the tree have some connection and that he has a special job to do. He decides to become the island witch-doctor and studies hard to learn the art of magic …

Our story takes place some years later. COCO, SNOOZE, PHANTOM, BOMBA and the rest of the islanders enjoy life in a place that is beautiful one day and perfect the next. The Bongo Tree is their great benefactor, providing them with magical fruit (which tastes, amazingly, like each person’s favourite food), precious pearls and foliage and bark which can be used for clothing and shelter.

But one day a yacht arrives with a greedy businessman, CD, and his entourage. He is looking over some islands in the area with real estate agent CRAWLEY and his secretary MS FAX. CD decides to buy the island. The Islanders, of course, are not interested either in money or moving. As it happens, it is the Festival of the Shooting Star and there will be a special luau that night. They invite CD and Co. to the feast, to show them why they love the island and could never sell it.

Meanwhile, MS FAX comes across BOMBA, practising his magic by the Bongo Tree. She tells him that it is not his chant that is the problem – it’s his moves. He needs to be more rhythmical. Since, as it happens, she is a part-time aerobics instructor, she helps him ‘get rhythm’. His spells finally work.

That night, all are at the luau and the islanders are explaining the magic powers of the tree when they are interrupted by the arrival of a scout troop (the Lost Patrol), led by Patrol Leader PENNY FARTHING and her Second, LESLIE. PENNY became separated from her family when she was young and joined the Scouts to see the world. This troop put out to sea during Bob-a-Job Week and have been searching for the 27th Jamboree ever since.

After an exchange of camp re songs, all sit down to eat. It is then (with the arrival of the ‘magic Bongo fruit’) that CD begins to see the worth of the tree. He decides to steal it.

While the others go off to perform a volcano ceremony, CD and CRAWLEY plot to lay dynamite in the volcano when the islanders are asleep and set it off the following morning – creating enough of a diversion to keep the islanders away while they remove the tree. But SNOOZE, who had fallen asleep after the meal, awakes to overhear the plot.

With the help of MS FAX, the islanders organise a counter-plan to thwart them– using BOMBA’s new-found magic powers.

Next day, when CD thinks his plan has worked and is about to take the tree he finds himself surrounded by cannibals (COCO, SNOOZE, PHANTOM, BOMBA, FAX in masks). Things go almost to plan for the islanders until PHANTOM accidentally gives the game away. The tables are turned and now it’s the islanders who are tied up. The tree looks like history … when suddenly … the Scouts enter to make their farewell.

But they, too, fail to save the situation. All looks lost – when …

Suddenly, BOMBA, PENNY and CD realise that they all have the same half-sixpence lucky charm. Then it all makes sense. They are siblings – the same siblings that became separated long ago during the great storm at sea (on the night of the shooting star).
What else is there to do but stay here, all together as a family again … in paradise …