Alligator Crossing [Hardcover]

Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Author), Trudy Nicholson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Henry Bunks lives in crowded Miami in the 1950s. A nearby canal -- an entrance to what will become the Florida Everglades -- provides respite from his chaotic life in an uncaring family. Henry meets and befriends an alligator hunter and stows away on his boat. The hunter, an enigmatic character, is at once an outlaw and a father figure to Henry. In the watery wilderness, the man and boy meet a wildlife photographer, a botanist, and a park ranger, and Henry is thrust into a race to save a human life. First published in 1959, this story combines great adventure with a boy's first experience of adults who are neither totally bad nor totally noble. Alligator Crossing is a rediscovered classic by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, known as the "Savior of the Everglades."

Editorial Reviews

Review

The information about the Everglades and survival within that area is fascinating and educational. -- Childhood Education, Spring 2004

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157131640X
• ISBN-13: 978-1571316400
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,553,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A world of beauty and danger, May 23, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alligator Crossing (Hardcover)

Originally published in 1959, Alligator Crossing by Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) is an engaging novel about Henry Bunks, a thirteen-year-old boy who stows away in the boat of an outlaw alligator hunter in Florida. Henry's journey through the Everglades will take him into a world of beauty and danger, where he must rely on his own courage and resourcefulness to protect himself and the land alike. Also available in a paperback edition ... is highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to school and community library collections.