I didn’t do anything alone—ever. I always had to have an adult with me in the field.
The first two weeks would be a trial run. If I got into trouble, poof! I’d be back behind the scenes faster than you can say “Wild Survival!”
I couldn’t wait to star in Wild Survival! with Feye and our parents. I knew they trusted me to be responsible because they let me do a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff, like give them ideas for segments to do on their show. I was proud that some of the video segments I had suggested were the ones with the highest views on our YouTube channel.
As Feye and I jogged up to our parents, Dad held out an iPad with pictures of a crocodile on it. “Mr. Savage sent over some info about an injured crocodile,” Dad said. He swiped through some more pictures and started a short video. The camerawork was shaky, but we could see a large crocodile limp out of the water and into some thick forest greenery.
“That’s the animal we are going to help out?” Feye asked, looking over Dad’s shoulder. Feye had just turned fourteen and had grown taller than both our parents this summer. He took the iPad out of Dad’s hands and swiped back to look at the photos.
Dad nodded, about to speak, when the lobby doors burst open and in walked a short man with piercing blue eyes.
“I can see it now. The debut episode of Wild Survival! filled with high action for two full hours. I can already picture the title: ‘The Hunt for Cuba’s Mega Croc.’ And it’s injured! Perfect! Full of dramatic boat shots through the mangroves as the clock ticks down to find this dangerous predator before it—” He paused at Dad’s sudden intimidating look. Rick Savage was the producer of my parent’s show. He had thinning red hair and a pale, freckled face. Mr. Savage wore the same look I’d always seen him in—aviator sunglasses, a blue button-up shirt, and white pants with crocodile-skin shoes (he swore they were fake). I wondered if he owned any other clothes.
Our parents had never done a network TV show before, let alone a production that was so flashy, but they’d put their trust in Mr. Savage to make a good series. Mr. Savage’s brainstorms for the show usually involved the words “mega,” “monster,” “dangerous,” or “man-eater” when describing animals. It made me roll my eyes, but I figured he knew what made TV shows sell.
“Where is this injured ‘Mega Croc’?” our mom asked, taking the iPad from Feye to watch the video once more.
“Cuba,” he said. “So we don’t have a moment to lose. Locals say it was recently injured, and as you can tell, it needs immediate medical care. It probably can’t move much, so it’ll be easier to track down. I’ll need you to pack up your things tonight so we can get out there quickly. We have a flight booked and ready!”
Tonight! I shivered with excitement. I couldn’t wait to start our search for the injured crocodile!
Author photo by Connor Watling
Known as the “Mother of Sharks,” Melissa Cristina Márquez is a Latina marine biologist who has a lot of labels: science communicator, conservationist, author, educator, podcaster, and television presenter. Born in Puerto Rico and raised all over the world, she now calls Australia home. She studies sharks, climbs up sand dunes, spies on birds in the rain forest, and tracks down kangaroos in the Outback … and then writes about her adventures! Find Melissa online at melissacristinamarquez.com.
Copyright © 2021 by Melissa Cristina Márquez
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, SCHOLASTIC PRESS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First printing 2021
Cover art © 2021 by Mike Heath | Magnus Creative
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll
e-ISBN 978-1-338-63509-6
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Swimming With Sharks Page 12