The Case of the Missing Cutthroats

My students monitor the river that runs through our town. We have seen the water quality improve over the years and are always looking for things we can do to help the river. This book talks about the same tests that we perform on the river. The kids really enjoy how the characters collect information to solve the mystery and how they help the local ecology.

When Spinner and her dad go fishing for the weekend her dad promises her if she caught a whopper he would throw it back,but when she catches the family prize cutthroat trout her father keeps him. These kinds of fish are very rare in that part of the river so Spinner and her brave cousin Al set off to solve "The Case of the Missing Cutthroats"!

I teach a third grade classroom and wanted to introduce mysteries to my students. I chose this book thinking it would provide an appropriate challenge for my top readers. They staged a protest after making a list of tough vocabulary. "Crepuscular" pushed them over the edge. Out of 7 very good readers, 3 wanted to keep with the story. I recommend this title to teachers above the third grade level or for gifted students. One thing that I truly liked about this story, is the 13 year old, female, main character. She is a wonderful role model for other 13 year old girls.