The Missing Manatee

DeFelice, C. (2005). The Missing Manatee. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Plot summary: Skeet has just started spring break, but it isn’t going so well. He has just heard some of the worst news of his life when he overheard his mother’s telephone conversation with his father, Mac: "I don't ever want you back here." This is too much for him to handle, so he races to the water and goes out on his skiff. While out sailing, he notices a large lump in the distance. As he gets closer he realizes that it is a manatee, which is a protected species in this area, and it has a bullet hole in its head. Skeet can’t believe what he is seeing. He immediately races back to town and notifies police deputy Earl. When they get back to the spot, the manatee is gone, but they see tracks in the sand that someone has tried to cover up. Earl promises that he will file a report, but says that it is unlikely that anyone will follow up due to the lack of evidence.

That night, while at a karaoke contest, Dirty Dan asks Skeet is asked to go on a tarpon fly fishing trip with him. This is one of Skeet’s biggest dreams, and he is so excited at the opportunity to go. During the fishing trip, Skeet he isn’t doing so well, and after being in the heat all day is starting to feel light headed and thirsty. While looking for a drink, he sees a gun and a bunch of blue rope. Most everyone in town owns a gun, so Skeet isn’t worried and puts it to the back of his mind. Later that day, he catches his first tarpon and is ecstatic.

He doesn’t have anything planned for the rest of spring break, so he decides to try to find the manatee. He takes his skiff up and down the back-country channels without any success, until the third day when he spots the manatee. After looking over the body, he starts getting a bad feeling because he sees that it has the blue rope from Dirty Dan’s boat tied around its neck. Skeet makes the connection between Dirty Dan and the manatee and is devastated; he doesn’t know how he will ever be able to look at Dan again. After discussing the situation with his Memaw, he decides to confront Dirty Dan. After a heated discussion, Skeet finds out that the shooting was an accident and that Blink is the one responsible. Skeet understands because mistakes happen, and he learns that doing the right thing can have different meanings in different situations.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 13

Annotation: This book would be great for animal lovers. It is a quick read that combines compassion with mystery.

Subjects/themes: Manatees, Fishing, Divorce, Family.

Awards:

• Edgar Allen Poe Award Nominee
• Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List
• Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Master List
• Kansas William Allen White Award Master List
• Maine Student Book Award Master List
• South Carolina Children's Book Award Master List

Reviews:

• Booklist (March 1, 2005)
• School Library Journal (June 1, 2005)
• Voice of Youth Advocates (June 1, 2005)

Character list:

• Russel Waters Jr. (aka Skeet) - A boy of about 12; his parents have recently separated, and he is the first to find the dead manatee.
• Deputy Sheriff Earl Wells - The police officer who goes to the crime scene with Skeet; he is also a good friend of Skeet's father, Mac.
• Memaw - Skeet’s grandmother; she lives with Skeet and his mother.
• Mac - Skeet’s father; he is a fisherman and lives down the road from Skeet due to his recent separation from his wife.
• Dirty Dan - A famous Tarpon fly fisherman; he has had four wives, who have all left him, and he lives with his son Blink.
• Blink - Dirty Dan’s son, who looks like a child but is actually about 30 years old; he has a mental disability and needs someone to take care of him.

Similar books:

• The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
• The Blue Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer

High-interest annotation: A manatee has been shot, and Skeet is outraged. Manatees are protected in his area and are friendly, loving creatures. He decides to take matters into his own hands since the police have not started an investigation, but when he finds the answers, they aren’t what he expected!