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Taffy of Torpedo Junction
Finally 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.
134 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 31, 2026
For most readers, this would be about a three star reading experience.
For me, it’s just shy of a five star read.
This little gem, TAFFY OF TORPEDO JUNCTION, was originally published in 1957. It’s a work of historical fiction, written by a school teacher, Nell Wise Wechter, who was born and raised in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
I never knew this before, but in 1942 German U-boats sank more than 60 American ships off the coast of Cape Hatteras, within a span of 6 months.
Naturally, the Outer Banks saw a sharp increase that year in both a military and a Coast Guard presence.
Enter Taffy Willis, an orphaned 13-year-old who is being raised by a grandfather who goes by the name of “Gramp” to everyone. For some reason, he’s a 71-year-old grandfather of a 13-year-old, in 1942, and he seems to have no other identity other than “Gramp Morgan.” He has a terribly stereotypical dialect, quite over the top, but let’s get back to Taffy.
So, Taffy is a redheaded girl, and she’s a cross between Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, two of my favorite characters in all of juvenile lit.
Because Taffy has red hair, you always hear about it. A fictional character with red hair never just brushes their hair; they brush their fiery red locks. (The rest of us just brush our hair).
Taffy is living my freaking dream—she lives in a little house, a modest ocean front property right off of Cape Hatteras, and she rides a pony, Sailor, to school and all over the island. She rarely wears shoes, and she knows all of the neighbors. But, wait, it gets better: a full-bred Boxer puppy washes up on shore, so then she starts riding her horse to school, while the dog, who loves her more than life itself, follows along and waits for her to be done with her classes.
The kids frolic on some of the best beaches in the world, just because they had the dumb luck to be born there, and then, before you know it, Taffy’s helping out the Coast Guard, catching German spies!
The Outer Banks is where I want to be. It’s where I go every Christmas, and I cry when I am forced to leave at the end of the week. I feel more alive there than any other place on earth, so when I found this old classic in an independent bookstore there, last year, I couldn’t resist it. I finally read it to my 15-year-old this week.
The narrative isn’t totally fabulous; Ms. Wechter was a teacher, after all, so some of the adventurous parts of the story are a bit slowed down by some didactic history lessons she slips in there.
But, I loved Taffy and Sailor and Brandy and Gramp. I loved their neighbors, too, even the crotchety old postmistress, Mrs. Oden.
Young, modern readers might be a little put-off that the kids in the novel get a spanking if they disobey their parents, but their parents loved them, and they understood the rules. It wasn’t abuse; it was cause and effect. When I was growing up, I was spanked every time I misbehaved, and, of all the things I dislike about my mother, that isn’t one of them.
This is a story that couldn’t even exist anymore—kids who ride their horses to school, fisherman who can afford beachside property, people whose lives are as wrapped up in nature as the local wildlife.
I want to jump in this book and take permanent residence there forever.
For me, it’s just shy of a five star read.
This little gem, TAFFY OF TORPEDO JUNCTION, was originally published in 1957. It’s a work of historical fiction, written by a school teacher, Nell Wise Wechter, who was born and raised in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
I never knew this before, but in 1942 German U-boats sank more than 60 American ships off the coast of Cape Hatteras, within a span of 6 months.
Naturally, the Outer Banks saw a sharp increase that year in both a military and a Coast Guard presence.
Enter Taffy Willis, an orphaned 13-year-old who is being raised by a grandfather who goes by the name of “Gramp” to everyone. For some reason, he’s a 71-year-old grandfather of a 13-year-old, in 1942, and he seems to have no other identity other than “Gramp Morgan.” He has a terribly stereotypical dialect, quite over the top, but let’s get back to Taffy.
So, Taffy is a redheaded girl, and she’s a cross between Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, two of my favorite characters in all of juvenile lit.
Because Taffy has red hair, you always hear about it. A fictional character with red hair never just brushes their hair; they brush their fiery red locks. (The rest of us just brush our hair).
Taffy is living my freaking dream—she lives in a little house, a modest ocean front property right off of Cape Hatteras, and she rides a pony, Sailor, to school and all over the island. She rarely wears shoes, and she knows all of the neighbors. But, wait, it gets better: a full-bred Boxer puppy washes up on shore, so then she starts riding her horse to school, while the dog, who loves her more than life itself, follows along and waits for her to be done with her classes.
The kids frolic on some of the best beaches in the world, just because they had the dumb luck to be born there, and then, before you know it, Taffy’s helping out the Coast Guard, catching German spies!
The Outer Banks is where I want to be. It’s where I go every Christmas, and I cry when I am forced to leave at the end of the week. I feel more alive there than any other place on earth, so when I found this old classic in an independent bookstore there, last year, I couldn’t resist it. I finally read it to my 15-year-old this week.
The narrative isn’t totally fabulous; Ms. Wechter was a teacher, after all, so some of the adventurous parts of the story are a bit slowed down by some didactic history lessons she slips in there.
But, I loved Taffy and Sailor and Brandy and Gramp. I loved their neighbors, too, even the crotchety old postmistress, Mrs. Oden.
Young, modern readers might be a little put-off that the kids in the novel get a spanking if they disobey their parents, but their parents loved them, and they understood the rules. It wasn’t abuse; it was cause and effect. When I was growing up, I was spanked every time I misbehaved, and, of all the things I dislike about my mother, that isn’t one of them.
This is a story that couldn’t even exist anymore—kids who ride their horses to school, fisherman who can afford beachside property, people whose lives are as wrapped up in nature as the local wildlife.
I want to jump in this book and take permanent residence there forever.
February 16, 2020
I first encountered this book in the sixth grade. My teacher read aloud to us after lunch every day. I lived in northeastern North Carolina and only an hour from the Outset Banks. It still lingers as a favorite even now at age 70.
August 1, 2026
I don’t remember where I found this book. I think it was a lucky find in a used book store. The cover immediately grabbed my attention; a beautiful watercolor of a beach with a lighthouse, a girl on a horse, and a dog. When I read on the flap that the time setting was during WW2, I snatched it up!
However, it got shelved with many other book purchases to be read in the future.
Today, a Goodreads friend of mine wrote a great review about it, and how she and her daughter read it together. I went upstairs, retrieved my copy, and read it all in one sitting! If I’d known about this one as a kid, I would have read and re-read it until it wore out!
There were beautiful descriptions of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, an intriguing plot involving Americans vs. Germans and U-boat attacks, a young orphaned girl living with a grumpy but loving grandpa, and of course, a heroic horse and a dog; all elements of wonderful historical fiction for readers of any age! I highly recommend it!
However, it got shelved with many other book purchases to be read in the future.
Today, a Goodreads friend of mine wrote a great review about it, and how she and her daughter read it together. I went upstairs, retrieved my copy, and read it all in one sitting! If I’d known about this one as a kid, I would have read and re-read it until it wore out!
There were beautiful descriptions of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, an intriguing plot involving Americans vs. Germans and U-boat attacks, a young orphaned girl living with a grumpy but loving grandpa, and of course, a heroic horse and a dog; all elements of wonderful historical fiction for readers of any age! I highly recommend it!
Read
February 16, 2026Read this little children’s book a few years ago at the beach - it was on the shelves of our rental cottage. Don’t remember much but I think I enjoyed it.
August 21, 2026
What a delightful little discovery. I picked up Taffy of Torpedo Junction after becoming fascinated by the German U-boats that operated surprisingly close to the North Carolina coast during World War II. At only 154 pages and written for children, this turned out to be a wonderful way to experience that history.
Taffy reminded me a little of Pippi Longstocking—independent, fearless, resourceful, surrounded by friends and animals, and allowed a degree of freedom that would make many modern parents apoplectic. She also reminded me of my own childhood, when children simply went outside and roamed, as long as we were home in time for supper and minded any adult who spoke to us.
What particularly worked for me was the sense that WWII had actually reached American shores. We associate blackout curtains with wartime London, not North Carolina. Seeing the war through a young girl living on Hatteras, while German U-boats threatened ships just offshore, made that history much more tangible than a collection of facts and dates ever could.
The spy adventure itself is fictional and sometimes fanciful, and the writing reflects its age and intended audience. But the setting has an authenticity that makes sense knowing that Nell Wise Wechter lived on the Outer Banks and taught there during the war.
I think this could still be a terrific book for an older child, particularly read with a parent or grandparent who could provide some WWII context and talk about how differently children lived then. Historical fiction has always helped history come alive for me, and this little book did exactly that.
4 stars for what it is: a charming children's adventure that opened a window onto a remarkable piece of North Carolina WWII history.
Taffy reminded me a little of Pippi Longstocking—independent, fearless, resourceful, surrounded by friends and animals, and allowed a degree of freedom that would make many modern parents apoplectic. She also reminded me of my own childhood, when children simply went outside and roamed, as long as we were home in time for supper and minded any adult who spoke to us.
What particularly worked for me was the sense that WWII had actually reached American shores. We associate blackout curtains with wartime London, not North Carolina. Seeing the war through a young girl living on Hatteras, while German U-boats threatened ships just offshore, made that history much more tangible than a collection of facts and dates ever could.
The spy adventure itself is fictional and sometimes fanciful, and the writing reflects its age and intended audience. But the setting has an authenticity that makes sense knowing that Nell Wise Wechter lived on the Outer Banks and taught there during the war.
I think this could still be a terrific book for an older child, particularly read with a parent or grandparent who could provide some WWII context and talk about how differently children lived then. Historical fiction has always helped history come alive for me, and this little book did exactly that.
4 stars for what it is: a charming children's adventure that opened a window onto a remarkable piece of North Carolina WWII history.
August 5, 2024
What a darling book about a very serious subject. Taffy and Gramps are such wholesome characters. The story was very interesting and relatable for a story written in the 1950’s. The tales of war and the suspense were great. Also a dog and a horse 💖💖💖
October 10, 2018
I read this because of my interest in WWII books. Written for preteens, I found the dialect of the grandfather overdone for young readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2018
it was interesting! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 21, 2018
TAFFY WILIS??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Read
February 5, 2020Read it ever year. Special meaning for me.
July 25, 2021
A wonderful, thrilling example of life on the North Carolina coast during World War Two.
December 28, 2023
i really didn’t like this book. mostly because it didn’t really have a plot line. i feel like it just want going anywhere and it was really hard to get through
February 27, 2020
Plucky and likable thirteen-year old Taffy, with the help of her Banker pony Sailor and her boxer Brandy, foil a plot by Germans during World War II in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The author has created a suspense-filled, adventure story that speaks to the rugged independence and the bravery of local residents while defending their land. That being said, there are parts of the way it is written that are distracting such as the overuse of the word “reckon” (49 times by my count) and the over dependence on adverbs to tell rather than to show (“rapturously,” “dejectedly,” “unconcernedly,” “scornfully,” “stealthily,” “exultantly” to name just a few.) It’s difficult as a writer to know how to handle accents and dialect. To establish Gramp’s Elizabethan brogue was important, but I found it annoying after awhile. Middle grade students will get a flavor of the history of the time period and the geography of a maritime forest and beach. It serves as an example of historical fiction as a genre.
December 22, 2015
Taffy of Torpedo Junction is a children's book originally published in 1957 that tells of the time German U-boats preyed on the shipping routes off the North Carolina coast in 1942, sinking tankers, and other vessels bound for England. Taffy was based on the real life Carol White Dillon (1928- ), who is now the owner of the Outer Banks Motel in Buxton, NC, when she was a girl of 13. In 1942 the author Nell Wechter was a school teacher living in a boarding house run by Carol's mother.
At that time Hatteras Island was served by a ferry rather than a bridge and had no tourist industry. Mainlanders on the island were rare. In 1942 the Coast Guard and Nazi submarines brought the war to this tranquil setting with the sinking of more than 60 ships in a six month period. Taffy and her friends experience the war right off their shore as tankers explode in the night, bodies are washed ashore, and talk turns to saboteurs and spies.
Although this is a children's book, it can be of interest to adults interested in this unique part of the war. Dennis Rogers of Raleigh's News and Observer called this book "The best piece of children's literature ever produced in this state."
Readers can see a picture of the current day Carol telling of the war here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blairpu...
And hear her talk about about it online:
http://monitor.noaa.gov/obxtrail/caro....
At that time Hatteras Island was served by a ferry rather than a bridge and had no tourist industry. Mainlanders on the island were rare. In 1942 the Coast Guard and Nazi submarines brought the war to this tranquil setting with the sinking of more than 60 ships in a six month period. Taffy and her friends experience the war right off their shore as tankers explode in the night, bodies are washed ashore, and talk turns to saboteurs and spies.
Although this is a children's book, it can be of interest to adults interested in this unique part of the war. Dennis Rogers of Raleigh's News and Observer called this book "The best piece of children's literature ever produced in this state."
Readers can see a picture of the current day Carol telling of the war here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/blairpu...
And hear her talk about about it online:
http://monitor.noaa.gov/obxtrail/caro....
December 25, 2014
Historical fiction set in North Carolina! World War II seems like it happened hundreds of miles away, but for coastal Carolina, the war was up close and personal. My father remembers traveling to the coast without headlights on the car at night, black-out curtains, and Nazi submarines being captured off of Morehead City, NC. There is a U-boat just off the coast which is a popular dive destination. This book brings those days to life with a 13-year-old heroine thwarting a Nazi attack on US soil.
March 21, 2013
This book was recommended to me by a friend and is considered juvenile fiction. While it is fiction, there is a lot of history about the effects of WWII on the Outer Banks as seen through the eyes of a thirteen year old girl.
There is also the underlying theme of how much simpler things were back then. Wonderful portrayal of the eastern shores of NC.
There is also the underlying theme of how much simpler things were back then. Wonderful portrayal of the eastern shores of NC.
April 29, 2013
Bought this book last time we stayed at the Outerbanks Motel in Buxton, NC, at Cape Hatteras. Supposedly the protagonist of this young-adult novel, Taffy, was based on the woman who started our motel when she was a young girl on Hatteras Island. A pleasant read, about the Outer Banks before the arrivals of highways, and Nazi spies and submarines off the Cape during WWII.
January 15, 2016
Quick read on how people on the Outer Banks survived WWII and the torpedoes of German UBoats. Pretty brief, and Taffy is the usual female up to no good nosy person who saves the day. I could do without the grandfather's speech written as he talked.
May 1, 2016
I can't believe I haven't written the review yet.
I liked this as it showed a different time and place which is huge for me. I enjoyed the mystery itself. I had more to say and have sadly forgotten. How pathetic I am!
4 (a keeper)
I liked this as it showed a different time and place which is huge for me. I enjoyed the mystery itself. I had more to say and have sadly forgotten. How pathetic I am!
4 (a keeper)
January 30, 2009
It was a good historical account, but I did not find the story line very interesting.
April 6, 2012
pretty good. not good for 9years and down
September 1, 2014
Geared for children, but something every collector of boxer books should have.
November 20, 2015
Reminiscent of old TV programs in the 1950s, I thoroughly enjoyed this historical telling of Taffy and her adventure during WWII.
December 25, 2011
Oi don't roightly know...... Lol
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews