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HIA |
Scat
(age 9-12) by Carl Hiaasen mystery ... adventure ... nature ... humor Publisher comments: Bunny Starch, the most feared biology teacher ever, is missing. She disappeared after a school field trip to Black Vine Swamp. And, to be honest, the kids in her class are relieved. But when the principal tries to tell the students that Mrs. Starch has been called away on a "family emergency," Nick and Marta just don't buy it. No, they figure the class delinquent, Smoke, has something to do with her disappearance. And he does! But not in the way they think. There's a lot more going on in Black Vine Swamp than any one player in this twisted tale can see. And Nick and Marta will have to reckon with an eccentric eco-avenger, a stuffed rat named Chelsea, a wannabe Texas oilman, a singing substitute teacher, and a ticked-off Florida panther before they really begin to see the big picture. That's life in the swamp, kids. |
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KEL |
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
(age 9-12) by Jacqueline Kelly family ... nature ... historical Publisher comments: Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones. With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century. |
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BUR |
The Incredible Journey
(age 9-12) by Sheila Every Burnford nature ... animals ... adventure ... survival Publisher comments: Instinct told them that the way home lay to the west. And so the doughty young Labrador retriever, the roguish bull terrier and the indomitable Siamese set out through the Canadian wilderness. Separately, they would soon have died. But, together, the three house pets faced starvation, exposure, and wild forest animals to make their way home to the family they love. |
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SAL |
Bambi: a Life in the Woods
(age 9-12) by Felix Salten nature ... animals ... growing up Describes the life of a deer in the forest as he grows into a beautiful stag. Bambi's life in the woods begins happily. But winter comes, and Bambi learns that the woods hold danger ... and things he doesn't understand. The first snowfall makes food hard to find. Bambi's father, a handsome stag, roams the forest, but leaves Bambi and his mother alone. Then there is Man. He comes to the forest with weapons that can wound an animal. He does terrible things to Gobo, to Bambi's mother, and even to Bambi. But He can't keep Bambi from growing into a handsome stag himself and becoming...the Prince of the Forest. |
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MOR |
Gentle Ben
(age 9-12) by Walt Morey friendship ... nature ... animals The Alaskan wilderness is a lonely place for Mark Andersen, especially after the death of his older brother, Jamie. But in time Mark finds someone else to love--Ben, an Alaskan brown bear so huge that no one else dares come near him. |
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HOL |
Seabird
(age 9-12) by Holling C. Holling historical ... adventure ... nature An ivory gull carved by Ezra Brown in 1832 when he was a boy on a whaling ship brings luck to him and his descendants as they journey the seven seas. |
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HOL |
Tree in the Trail
(age 9-12) by Holling C. Holling historical ... nature A struggling cottonwood sapling becomes a landmark to travelers, a peace-medicine tree, and after its death in 1834, a yoke which is used on the trail to Santa Fe. |
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WAL |
Coyote Autumn
(age 9-12) by Bill Wallace family ... nature ... animals You Can't Keep A Coyote! They're Wild! Brad has always wanted a dog, so when he catches the little coyote, he decides to keep it. He couldn't have a dog when his family lived in a Chicago apartment, but now that they've moved to rural Oklahoma anything seems possible. Even rescuing an orphaned coyote pup...and keeping it a secret from his parents. With his friend Nolan's help, Brad is determined to tame Scooter, train him, play with him, and hide him in an old dog pen behind the barn. It almost works...until Mom and Dad discover his secret, and Scooter steals their hearts and gives them all a coyote's-eye view of what it's like to live in the dangerous world of men. |
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GEO |
My Side of the Mountain
(age 9-12) by Jean Craighead George survival ... animals ... nature ... adventure Runaway Sam Gribley is surviving in the Catskill Mountains with only a penknife, a ball of cord, 40 dollars, and some flint and steel. Along the way, he learns about courage, danger, and independence during his year in the wilderness, a year that will change his life forever. sequel: On the Far Side of the Mountain sequel: Frightful's Mountain |