The Sea Turtle Mystery (The Boxcar Children Mysteries, Band 151) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807507539 ISBN 13: 9780807507537

Verlag: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2019

Inhaltsangabe

The Aldens are spending spring break on a beach, but they aren't just soaking up the sun. They’re protecting an endangered species! Their job is to mark sea turtle nests so the eggs can be moved to a safe place to hatch, but someone is digging up the eggs without permission. Can the Boxcar Children figure out what’s going on and help save the sea turtles?

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Gertrude Chandler Warner grew up in Putnam, Connecticut. She wrote The Boxcar Children because she had always dreamed about what it would be like to live in a caboose or a freight car―just as the Aldens do. When readers asked for more adventures, Warner wrote more books―a total of nineteen in all. After her death, other authors have continued to write stories about Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, and today The Boxcar Children® series has more than one hundred books.

Anthony VanArsdale was born and raised near the beaches of south Alabama and to this day enjoys the warm southern temperatures of the Gulf Coast. He has worked as a professional illustrator since 2004, combining traditional and digital media to create illustrations with a "stylized realism." Among his favorite subjects to paint are animals, people, and illustrations that reflect the natural setting of his home.

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The Boxcar Children: The Sea Turtle Mystery

By Gertrude Chandler Warner

Albert Whitman & Company

Copyright © 2019 Albert Whitman & Company
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-8075-0753-7

Contents

1. What's in the Water?, 
2. Not a Bird's Nest, 
3. A Clue in the Night, 
4. Real Writing, Real Clue, 
5. Rangers on Patrol, 
6. Too Many Suspects, 
7. The Expert at the Restaurant, 
8. Turtles Everywhere, 
9. Seaweed Marks the Spot, 
10. They're Off!, 

CHAPTER 1

What's in the Water?

Six-year-old Benny Alden was confused. He tilted his head to the side and looked at the map in his sister Violet's hands. Violet was ten, and she was helping teach Benny how to read the map. The two were in the back seat of Grandfather's car on their way to a place called Padre Island. Benny pointed. "I know this word says island, but I thought islands were round. This one looks like a big line on the map."

"Padre Island is a barrier island," said Henry from the front seat. Henry was the oldest of the Alden children. At fourteen, he had learned about different land formations in school. "Most barrier islands are long and narrow and not very far from land. They're kind of like big sandbars."

Benny's twelve-year-old sister Jessie spoke up next. "Look out the window! We're about to cross the bridge to the island!"

Within just a few minutes, Grandfather pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car. It had been a long journey. But the view was worth it.

Behind them, seagrasses and flowering vines covered the sand dunes. The beach and the ocean were right in front of them. The four children jumped out and ran down to the water. Grandfather followed with Watch, the Aldens' wirehaired terrier.

Violet couldn't believe what she saw. "There are millions and millions of shells here!" she said, picking up a couple. "All different kinds too." She was so excited about the shells she didn't even notice when a big blue heron flew overhead.

"It's such a wide-open space. We can see for miles," said Jessie. "I'm going to take lots of pictures."

"Where are all the buildings?" asked Benny.

"There aren't any houses or shops on this part of the island," said Grandfather. "This is a national seashore, which is a lot like a national park. The land has been set aside so it can be protected."

Henry walked back toward the car to a sandy area in front of the dunes. "Jessie, don't you think this is a good place for the tent?" he asked. "It's close to the visitor center and the ranger station."

"Yes, it's perfect," said Jessie.

The children piled everything at the spot Henry had chosen. When they were finished and Grandfather was closing up the back of the car, a truck sped past them. It drove right off the road and onto the sand. Then it sped down the beach.

"I didn't know people could drive on the beach," said Henry. "That looks like fun."

"This seashore is very long," said Grandfather. "It would take a lot of time to travel all the way down it on foot. Vehicles help people get there faster. There are speed limits, but you'll have to watch out for cars on the beach."

"We will," said Jessie.

"Are you sure you don't want to camp with us, Grandfather?" Benny asked.

Grandfather smiled. "I'm sure. I'll be happy sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of the inn back on the mainland. But when I see you in the evenings, you'll have to tell me all about your adventures."

The children promised they would, then said good-bye. After Grandfather had gone, the Aldens got to work setting up the tent and organizing the supplies. When they were done, Jessie looked over everything. She liked to keep things organized. "It looks like we have everything we need," she said.

"It's a lot more than we had when we lived in the boxcar," said Henry.

"That seems like such a long time ago," Violet said. "I can't believe we didn't even want to meet Grandfather back then."

After the Aldens' parents had died, the children had run away. They hadn't wanted to live with their grandfather because they were afraid he would be mean. They found an old boxcar in the woods and had lived in it until their grandfather found them. He turned out not to be mean at all! Now they lived with Grandfather back in Greenfield, Connecticut, and the boxcar was their clubhouse.

Jessie picked up her camera and put the strap around her neck. "It was nice of Grandfather to arrange this vacation for us. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm ready to explore the beach."

"Yay!" Benny yelled, running down to the ocean. "The water is so warm!" he called to the others. He jumped up and down, splashing. Then all of a sudden he stopped and looked down. Then he looked back up at the others. Jessie could see that he was scared as he ran back to the beach.

"There's something in there!" he yelled. "It's after me!"

"Whoa, Benny, don't be scared," Henry said. "The water is too shallow for a big fish."

Jessie waded in and looked down at the water. "Sometimes the way the waves move over the sand makes it look like something is moving in the water. It's just a trick on your eyes."

"But I did see something," Benny said. He stretched his arms out as wide as he could. "Something this big."

Henry and Watch came to the edge of the water as a big wave came in and then rolled back. Watch barked and stepped back a few steps.

"There!" yelled Benny.

Where Benny pointed, a big clump of sand seemed to rise up from the sandy bottom. Watch barked again at the strange shape. Then another wave washed some of the sand away, revealing a strange-looking creature. Benny was right. There was something in the shallows. Something big!

CHAPTER 2

Not a Bird's Nest

"A giant sea turtle!" said Violet. The turtle was much bigger than any she had seen. It had a smooth, light gray shell and long flipper arms, which it was using to pull itself up onto the beach.

"It's moving so slow," said Benny. "Even for a turtle. Is it sick?"

"I think it's moving so slowly because it doesn't have legs like a land turtle," Jessie said. "I've seen these kinds of turtles on TV. It's amazing how they use their flippers to glide through the water and ride the currents."

"Should we help it?" Violet asked. "I think it's confused."

"Silly turtle. Go back to the water," Benny called.

"Even if it is confused, we can't pick it up," Henry said. "It's too big."

As they watched the turtle crawl up the sand, they heard a voice call, "Don't go any closer! Stay back! Stay back!"

Violet jumped. She hadn't noticed anyone nearby, but a man got out of a white van near the dunes and ran toward them waving his arms. "Stay away! Keep your dog away!"

The man sounded upset, and the Aldens stepped back.

"We weren't going to hurt it," Henry told him. "We were just wondering why it was out of the water."

The man glared at them. "This whole area is a sea turtle nesting ground. This particular species is endangered, so we have to protect them as best we can."

"What does endangered mean?" Benny asked.

"It means there aren't many of them still living in the wild," the man said.

"Are you a park ranger?" Violet asked him. The man wasn't wearing a uniform, but he wasn't wearing normal beach clothes either, except for a big straw hat. His tan pants and white shirt looked like the clothes Grandfather wore to his office in the summer.

"No, I'm not a ranger, but I am a turtle expert." The man motioned at the beach. "You should go play...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0807507539
• ISBN 13: 9780807507537
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Zeichner: VanArsdale Anthony
• Anzahl der Seiten: 128
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Purmerul LTD; https://strengholt.nl/en/; ; 22 Liuleburgaz Str., floor 4, app. 9; Plovdiv; Bulgarien