Deadly Waters: A Mystery in Everglades National Park  •  Gloria Skurzynski  •  Alane Ferguson MYSTERY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 158 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) While visiting the Everglades National Park with their parents, the Landon children uncover the mystery of dying manatees and learn important lessons about the natural environment. (FLA69, $4.99)
The Everglades  •  Wayne Lynch NATURAL HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Lynch's first-person narratives and stunning photography focus on the interdependency of animals and plants within the Florida Everglades, and describe for young researchers how the environment is uniquely suited to different species. (EGL10, $8.95)
Here Is the Wetland  •  Wayne McLoughlin  •  Madeleine Dunphy NATURAL HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) A lyrical primer on wetland ecology for children 4-8 that celebrates the relationships between all the different flora and fauna. Part of Dunphy's award-winning Web of Life series. (FLA77, $9.95)
Hoot  •  Carl Hiaasen LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) The captivating tale for tweens about kids and eco-activism in southern Florida by the legendary Hiaasen, also made into a heart-warming movie. (USE383, $6.99)
Legends of the Seminoles  •  Betty Mae Jumper LITERATURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 96 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An enjoyable illustrated retelling of Seminole folk tales, intended for both children and adults. These tales are a central part of the oral tradition of the Seminoles. (FLA12, $18.95)
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird  •  Phillip Hoose NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 208 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An engaging and well-researched history of the ivory-billed woodpecker, and the struggles surrounding its survival. It's a suspenseful and entertaining book about modern conservation and environmental issues for middle-school readers, featuring John James Audubon and others. The bird, only recently rediscovered, once ranged across the southeastern United States. With black-and-white photographs throughout. (BRD30, $21.00)
The Seminole  •  Merwyn Garbarino CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1989 •  HARD COVER  • 144 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Intended for middle school libraries, this book is a comprehensive introduction to the Seminole Indians of southern Florida. Focused on their culture, history and changing fortunes, it includes a color section on their well known crafts. (FLA05, $22.95)
Stories from Where We Live, The Gulf Coast  •  Sara St. Antoine  •  Trudy Nicholson  •  Paul Mirocha LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An anthology of writings about coastal Texas, Florida and Louisiana -- wonderfully useful as a young person's guide to people, nature and place. It includes Native American myths, poems and songs, historical accounts and modern short stories, as well as black-and-white drawings and maps. Ages 9 to 14. (USS248, $10.95)
Supercroc and the Origin of Crocodiles  •  Christopher Sloan SCIENCE •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Sure to delight aspiring paleontologists as well as those with an interest in crocodiles, this colorful book looks back at the ancestors of today's swamp dwellers to find enormous reptiles (some as big as a bus!) that lived with, and somehow outlasted, the dinosaurs. For kids 9-12. (SCI61, $18.95)