Customer Reviews

Deadly Waters (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (National Parks Mysteries (Prebound))

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This fourth book in the National Parks Mystery series is set in the Florida Everglades where Jack and Ashley's mother is investigating mysterious deaths in the manatee population. The story moves at a fast pace, balancing action with accurate information about the wildlife found in the Everglades. This book follows much the same formula set in the first three books in the series: Jack, Ashley and Bridger (the latest foster child the Landon family has taken in). explore the National Park and do some unofficial investigating while their parents aid the official investigation into the manatees' deaths. These books are well written and very well researched. Both mystery buffs and animal lovers should find plenty to keep their interest. The photographs in the middle of the book are a great bonus. Fans of Jean Craighead George's ecological mysteries are sure to enjoy this series as well.

I am a lower elementary teacher (first through third grades) and each week we have storytime twice a week. Last year, I read this book to my students representing the "mystery" genre. Not only is this a wonderful read-aloud book for any age group, but it is a perfect mystery as every single chapter ends with everyone wanting to know what happens next. I had every student on the "edge of their seats" so to speak, which is a very challenging thing to do when you have such a diverse group.

This year, when I started storytime, my students asked if I was going to read Deadly Waters again. I told them I'd get another in the series and read that to them. I just hope the others are even half as good. Just as a side-line: the characters are truly one of the best things about this book. Strong female and male characters that the students could really root for and understand.

These are the most exciting mystery books that you'll ever read. I personally like these books because it's not all mystery. It also has a lot to do with adventure. You definitely can't put this book down after you start reading it.

The Landon family has gone to Florida to the Everglades with their potential foster kid, Bridger. While Olivia, Jack and Ashley's mom, researches about the manatees, Jack, Ashley, and Bridger get to go fishing with their guide, Frankie - a girl! She drops them off at the Watson place, which is said to be cursed, to go drop off an injured pelican that they found on the way. Meanwhile, this guy in a boat shows up, acting all nice, and steal Jack's camera. Why did he do it? This little robbery could lead to a big exciting mystery that uncovers many essential problems.

This is the most cliff-hanging series that you'll ever read. I recommend this to anyone who's not into a lot of mystery. If you're like that, then this is for you. This series has 12 books. I've read #1- Wolf Stalker, #2- Cliff-Hanger, #4- Rage of Fire, #6- Ghost Horses, and now, #3- Deadly Waters. Guess what? This isn't a series that you have to read in order. You can see that I haven't been. So, you should try out #3- Deadly Waters, and all the other, Mysteries in our National Parks.

Deadly Waters

I thought this book is very suspenceful it makes you keep trying to guess what the outcome will be. Like every other book from Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson this is a great book.

Deadly Waters is a book about a boy named Jack his sister Ashley and their parents Olivia and Steven. Olivia is a veterinarianand often gets called to national parks to ivestigate on strange thigs happening with the animals. Steven is a photogropher and he goes with Olivia to take pictures of the animals. They are both take foster kids on trips with them somtimes. In this book They go to Florida everglades to investigate why the manitees are dying, and they bring a boy named Bridger. Then their parents best friend Frankie brings the kids to a place named Watsons Place and then the find a pelican in the water with a fishing line in its beak and the Frankie drops the kids off at Watsons Place and goes back to the info center to drop the pelican off.

Then Jack sees a guy in a boat, and then the guy drives over to where they are and says his name is Gordon and he talks to the kids and then steals Jack's camera and drives away. Then they find a manatee and its back was cut from the prpeller and it has a baby with it then a 7ft shark comes and they all get out of the water and Bridger jumps into the water to protect the manatee and hits the shark with the fishing rod.

I think this book would bee for a 8-13 year old or who ever likes a mystery book.

As a teacher, I would recommend this book only if you wanted to launch a unit on either the Everglades or manatees. The "story" provides a convenient context for introducing every conservation topics from poaching to toxic dumping to boat ettiquette to the ethics of fishing to the decimation of the local Native American tribes!

The author throws too much into the pot, and what suffers is character development. They are one-dimensional and static. One of the main characters, Bridger, is a boy who is a foster child. He has comes to reside with the family that has traveled to the Everglades and falls into this adventure/mystery. He is introduced as troubled and moody. But we learn hardly anything about why he is a foster child, or what has caused him to be so withdrawn. The predictable change that he undergoes by the end of the story feels contrived. The rest of the characters are all stereotypical cardboard cut-outs. There is not really even a clear physical description of any of them, much less any type of psycholigical profile. I am four times the age of my students, and some of the dialogue seems corny even to me!

Sadly, the "mystery" aspect of the story is the least developed of all. It involves a stolen camera and manatees that are dying of undetermined causes. Without giving away details, I have watched Scooby-Doo cases on TV that were harder to crack. Kids today are pretty sophisticated, and I predict they will solve this mystery pretty easily.

But to its credit, the text does create a vivid sense of place, and the main scene involving a theft and a boating "incident" with manatees is well-paced, exciting and suspenseful. I give the author kudos for her noble goals: to get kids interested in saving our wild, natural places and to raise awareness about our endangered species.

This is a great book.I really got into the book just by reading the first few chapters.My favorite character in the book is Briger,because he is the oldest and the strongest and the bravest.This is a good book for ages 11 and up to adult.I gave it 5 stars,becuase it is one of the best books I have read in my life.The family in the story is big,there names are Steven which is the dad,Olivia which is the mom,and then there is Ashly,Jack and Briger who are the sons and the daughter.It takes place in the Everglades.I liked it because it was a mystery because the manatees where dying and I wanted to find out why the were dying.

The book Deadly Waters by Gloria Skurzznski and Alane Ferguson. First there were manatees getting sick and dieing. So the Landon family got called to Florida. Than Gordon came and stole Jack's camera. After they went to a restaurant they saw Gordon's boat. Jack's parents left to go to other places so Jack and Bridger went to go check out the boat. When they got to the boat Jack found his camera and took it. Than Gordon came and pulled out a gun than held it to Jack's waist.
At the beginning of the book I thought I wouldn't like it but I did like it. There was a bit of action in the book. My favorite character in the book is Bridger because he wouldn't really give up. At the ending they solved why the manatees were getting sick.