Escape From The Everglades

Escape from the Everglades is the first book in the High Water series and blends contemporary mystery and suspense, dramatic situations, and high adventure that both boys and girls will love. A park ranger’s son hates the Everglades, and he thinks he’ll just die if he doesn't escape Southern Florida soon . . . and he’s right. After Parker Buckman is mauled and nearly killed by an alligator, he sees the glades as a place of death. All he wants to do is get out of the area, and he’s convinced he won’t truly be okay until he does. But he can’t leave until he finds a friend who goes missing. Escaping a bad situation isn’t a matter of a geographical change. Sometimes the best way to a brighter future is to face the darkness of your past.

Running Boy of the Snake Clan of the Seminoles has lived with his uncle in the Everglades since his mother, a Seminole, and his father, a white man, were taken by the Breath Maker. Now he is fourteen and has received his adult name, Will Cypress, at the annual Green Corn Dance. In the eyes of his tribe Will is now a man, and he is eager to prove his courage as a warrior against the U.S. Army in the Second Seminole War. Will's manhood is accepted by all the Seminoles except Tiger, a bully who has always hated Will because of his white blood and superior running and hunting skills. Hoping to convince Tiger of his loyalty to the Snake Clan, Will sets out to join Osceola's band of warriors who are fighting to remain in Florida. On his way to the war chief's camp, Will stumbles upon a family secret that makes the battle for his homeland a personal one. He never loses his will to overcome, even when the whites break their truce and capture the Seminoles and imprison them in the fort in St. Augustine. Will faces the daunting challenge of honoring his heritage while desperately struggling to hold on to his dream. Valuable lessons about friendship, perseverance, and the power of the truth. Next in series > > See all of the books in this series

"I don't realize I'm crying until he glances at me. For a moment, I see the look of anguish in his eyes, then he blinks it away and slips off into the water. I immediately think of the gator. It's still down there somewhere. . . ." A science-class field trip to the Everglades is supposed to be fun, but Sarah's new at Glades Academy, and her fellow freshmen aren’t exactly making her feel welcome. When an opportunity for an unauthorized side trip on an air boat presents itself, it seems like a perfect escape—an afternoon without feeling like a sore thumb. But one simple oversight turns a joyride into a race for survival across the river of grass. Sarah will have to count on her instincts—and a guy she barely knows—if they have any hope of making it back alive.

Includes activity ideas and worksheets to use in all areas of elementary study related to the juvenile novel Escape to the Everglades. Sunshine State standards for grades 3-5 are included for each area of study.

A riveting story of environmental disaster and political intrigue, Moving Water exposes how Florida's clean water is threatened by dirty power players and the sugar cane industry. Only a century ago, nearly all of South Florida was under water. The Everglades, one of the largest wetlands in the world, was a watery arc extending over 3 million acres. Today, that wetland ecosystem is half of its former self, supplanted by housing for the region's exploding population and over 700,000 acres of crops, including the nation's largest supply of sugar cane. Countless canals, dams, and pump stations keep the trickle flowing, but rarely address the cascade of environmental consequences, including dangerous threats to a crucial drinking water source for a full third of Florida's residents. In Moving Water, environmental journalist Amy Green explores the story of unlikely conservation heroes George and Mary Barley, wealthy real estate developers and champions of the Everglades, whose complicated legacy spans from fisheries in Florida Bay to the political worlds of Tallahassee and Washington. At the center of their surprising saga is the establishment and evolution of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a $17 billion taxpayer-funded initiative aimed at reclaiming this vital ecosystem. Green explains that, like the meandering River of Grass, the progress of CERP rarely runs straight, especially when it comes up against the fierce efforts of sugar-growing interests, or "Big Sugar," to obstruct the cleanup of fertilizer runoff wreaking havoc with restoration. This engrossing exposé tackles some of the most important issues of our time: Is it possible to save a complex ecosystem such as the Everglades—or, once degraded, are such ecological wonders gone forever? What kind of commitments—economic, scientific, and social—will it take to rescue our vulnerable natural resources? What influences do special interests wield in our everyday lives, and what does it take to push real reform through our democracy? A must-read for anyone fascinated by stories of political intrigue and the work of environmental crusaders like Erin Brockovich, as well as anyone who cares about the future of Florida, this book reveals why the Everglades serve as a model—and a warning—for environmental restoration efforts worldwide.

Four kids . . . Two weeks in the Florida Everglades . . . One top-secret science experiment that could change them and the world as they know it . . . Meet football-star Quentin, hockey-player Sarah, horse-lover Ben, and artistic bird-watcher Cat. The four have little in common-except the head injuries that landed them in an elite brainscience center in the wild swamps of Florida. The clinic promises to return their lives to normal, but as days pass, the kids notice strange side effects and unexplained changes. Something about this clinic isn't right, and if they can't overcome their injuries--and their differences--to escape, they could lose themselves forever. . . .

A young girl crosses the border illegally searching for a better life.