The Everglades Poacher Who Pretended

by Steve Brezenoff

  Sam clapped me on the shoulder. “Good job, Gum Shoo,” she said.

  Anton stood there, shaking his head. “You can be the deputy next time,” he said. “I’m done with the crime-fighting business.”

  Literary News

  MYSTERIOUS WRITER REVEALED!

  Steve Brezenoff lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife, Beth, their son, Sam, and their small, smelly dog, Harry. Besides writing books, he enjoys playing video games, riding his bicycle, and helping middle-school students work on their writing skills. Steve’s ideas almost always come to him in his dreams, so he does his best writing in his pajamas.

  Arts & Entertainment

  ARTIST IS KEY TO SOLVING MYSTERY, SAY POLICE

  Marcos Calo lives happily in A Coruña, Spain, with his wife, Patricia (who is also an illustrator), and their daughter, Claudia. When Marcos and Patricia aren’t drawing, they like to go on long walks by the sea. They also watch a lot of films and eat Nutella sandwiches. Yum!

  A DETECTIVE’S DICTIONARY

  chaperone (SHAP-ur-ohn)—a person who looks after a group of people

  deputy (DEP-yuh-tee)—a person who helps or acts for someone else

  endangered (en-DAYN-jurd)—a species that is in danger of becoming extinct

  evidence (EV-uh-duhnss)—information and facts that help prove something or make you believe that something is true

  illegal (i-LEE-guhl)—against the law

  poacher (POHCH-ur)—a person who hunts or fishes illegally on someone else’s land

  prime (PRIME)—main, number-one

  ranger (RAYN-jur)—someone in charge of a park or forest

  sabotage (SAB-uh-tahzh)—the deliberate damage or destruction of property

  temporary (TEM-puh-rer-ee)—lasting only for a short time

  theory (THEER-ee)—an idea or opinion based on facts but not proven

  tread (TRED)—the ridges on the bottom of a shoe

  Gum Shoo

  Sixth Grade

  The Everglades

  The Florida Everglades are located in South Florida. They have been considered a national park since 1947, but the actual Everglades themselves have existed for thousands of years! Unfortunately, they are in trouble. When people wanted to build their homes in South Florida, they had to dry out the land first. That has endangered the Everglades ecosystem.

  The Everglades are a large area of swamp, river, prairie, marsh, and hardwood hammocks in Florida. Some of the many animals that live in the Everglades are raccoons, turtles, alligators, manatees, vultures, and egrets. There are also many mosquitoes and butterflies and other insects.

  Before the Everglades became a national park, many people thought that the land was just a worthless swamp. However, in 1947, a book called EVERGLADES: RIVER OF GRASS was published by a woman named Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a Florida journalist. Ms. Douglas worked to help restore the Everglades, and her book helped convince people that the Everglades were an amazing place. Today, people are still working to restore the Everglades. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2040.

  Gum - Great essay. I hope we can go back in 2040 to see how things have changed! - Mr. N

  A

  FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS

  CASE #FTM14GSENP

  1.In this book, my class went on a field trip. What field trips have you gone on? Which one was your favorite, and why?

  2.If you went on a field trip to the Everglades, what would you be most excited to see? Talk about your answer.

  3.Who else could have been a suspect in this mystery?

  IN YOUR OWN DETECTIVE’S NOTEBOOK . . .

  1.Write about a time you couldn’t trust an adult. What happened?

  2.Sam, Cat, Gum, and Egg are best friends. Write about your best friend.

  3.This book is a mystery story. Write your own mystery story!

  FIND MORE:

  games

  puzzles

  heroes

  villains

  authors

  illustrators at...

  www.capstonekids.com

  Still want more?

  Find cool websites and more books like this one at www.facthound.com.

  Just type in the Book ID: 9781434237903 and you’re ready to go!

  Field Trip Mysteries are published by Stone Arch Books,

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Copyright © 2013 by Stone Arch Books. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Brezenoff, Steven.

  The Everglades poacher who pretended / by Steve Brezenoff ; illustrated by Marcos Calo.

  p. cm. -- (Field trip mysteries)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-3790-3 (library binding)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-4197-9 (pbk.)

  ISBN 978-1-4342-9889-8 (ebook)

  1. School field trips--Juvenile fiction. 2. Poaching--Juvenile fiction. 3. Everglades National Park (Fla.)--Juvenile fiction. [1. School field trips--Fiction. 2. Poaching--Fiction. 3. Mystery and detective stories. 4. Everglades National Park (Fla.)--Fiction.] I. Calo, Marcos, ill. II. Title. III. Series: Brezenoff, Steven. Field trip mysteries.

  PZ7.B7576Eve 2012

  813.6--dc23 2011053514

  Graphic Designer: Kay Fraser

  Summary: While their sixth-grade class is on a field trip to Everglades National Park, James “Gum” Shoo and his friends find a suspicious park ranger and a gang of poachers.