Deadly Waters - Softcover

Grade 3-6-Ashley Landon and her brother, Jack, are out for a day of fishing in the Florida Everglades with Bridger Conley, the latest in a series of foster children taken in by their parents. The three youngsters catch more than fish when Jack decides to take some photos. His camera is stolen by a stranger in a powerboat, but it isn't until later that Jack realizes that the culprit was really after his film. In their quest to find the thief, the three sleuths also solve the mystery of why the manatees are dying. Vivid descriptions and cliff-hanger chapter endings with plenty of action in between hold readers' attention, and the authors skillfully weave in facts about the ecology and wildlife of the Everglades. The endpapers feature a map of Everglades National Park with brief data about it, and students are invited to send research questions or other messages to both authors through their e-mail addresses. Readers will delight in the close-up shots of some of the animals described in the story featured on four pages of National Geographic quality photos tipped in the center of the book. Pair this title, the fourth about this family, with another well-written ecological mystery set in the Everglades, Jean Craighead George's The Missing 'Gator of Gumbo Limbo (HarperCollins, 1992). A commendable and timely title.
Linda L. Plevak, Alamo Area Library System, San Antonio, TX
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.