When a wickedly playful teen hijacks her family’s holiday plans from the snowy northeast to the beaches of Belize, she must gain the trust of her younger brother, a teen orphan, and an elderly naturalist to trap dangerous con men and rescue stolen Mayan treasures.

SYNOPSIS:

When school reconvenes after the Christmas Break, ANGELA SANCHEZ (13), a confident but routinely poor-prepared student, presents her oral book report on “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” to her uninterested classmates and strict teacher, MR. ROBINS (40s). Mr. Robins offers only half-credit for banned books, but Angela is not deterred and intertwines Mark Twain’s book with her family’s holiday adventures. She first cons her DAD (35), MOM (35), and brother, BUZZ (9), to vacation in Belize, convinced that a tourist map found in the library book is a treasure map. Dad and Mom reluctantly agree to the trip to teach their kids humility, given that Dad’s sister, MARIAM (40), runs an orphanage in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. Buzz hates the outdoors and fears open water and wildlife, but secretly agrees to help Angela find the treasure. The airlines misplace the Sanchez’s luggage, and only a small room is available for them at the fancy resort, so the kids must stay with their aunt at the orphanage.

Angela is smitten with TANIGI (ta-nee-gee; 13), an ever-smiling self-reliant orphan who works in the kitchen for Mariam, and who reminds Angela of a cross between Huck Finn and Jim. When she discovers Tanigi has read the book, she exploits his knowledge for her book report. On an excursion to Secret Beach, Angela and Buzz meet MR. ZARGUS (75), a naturalist and adventurer. Mr. Zargus is hounded by two dangerous GOONS (40s) who are con men and antiquity thieves.

That night, while Angela and Buzz sleep at the orphanage, Tanigi is assaulted by the Goons while sleeping on the beach. Following snorkeling and Christmas Eve festivities in San Pedro, Angela, Tanigi, Buzz, and Tanigi’s friend, Naomi (12), see Mr. Zargus abducted by the Goons. The teens vow to help him. They “borrow” a golf cart and follow the Goons to Mr. Zargus’s cabin in the swamp. The Goons rough up Mr. Zargus and steal his notebooks divulging the location of an ancient Mayan trading post.

Mr. Zargus offers to show Tanigi and Naomi where he found them in the jungle as toddlers before taking them to the orphanage. Angela and Buzz ask to tag along. However, the real plan is to beat the Goons to the jungle location and catch them red-handed in antiquities theft. In an exciting conclusion, Tanigi and Naomi find their place of birth, and Mr. Zargus and the kids capture the Goons, which leads to the recovery of thousands of stolen Mayan artifacts. The kids are heroes and give their reward to the orphanage. Angela, who has perfectly intertwined the adventures of Huck Finn and her gang in Belize, finds love with Tanigi, and receives full credit, an A+, and a standing ovation for her oral book report.

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DO YOU BELIZE IN CHRISTMAS?