The Missing 'Gator of Gumbo Limbo

The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo is about a little girl named Liza Poole which lives with her mother in one of the last balanced ecosystems in North America. She lives on a Hammock which is deep in the Florida Everglades. Liza is different because she does not like to live in a house instead she would rather live in the outdoors under an Oak Tree, in a small yellow tent. There's also an alligator who she calls Dajun. She loves this gator named Dajun because it protects her and her woods people from the public. Then one day an official went to the Hammock with orders to kill the gator because people around the area have said that Dajun has been scaring people near by. Liza gets real mad and springs into action. Now Liza has to find Dajun before the official does.

My story was about a missing gator. Travis is a gator hunter who is trying to shoot the gator. The gator is too big for the protection law. All the characters except Travis are trying to protect him. The main characters are Dujen, Travis, Liza K., and James James. Because he is a smart young man, James James is my favorite character. In my own life I try to be good and kind to others. James James is like this, he is always considerate and thoughtful. I liked my book. I don't have a single favorite part; My least favorite part is the authors choice of where the characters lived at the end of book. My favorite part was that Travis didn't find Dujen. I would recomend this book to a person who likes mysteries.

This fascinating novel is for anyone who has ever fallen in love with a wild place, with a wild animal, or who is concerned about our jeopardized natural world. Only Jean Craighead George could write such a comprehensible and informative children's book about nature. While they're not JULIE OF THE WOLVES or MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, Ms. George's Ecological Mysteries Series are sure to be enjoyable for any naturalist--inspiring and educational. In THE MISSING 'GATOR OF GUMBO LIMBO, Liza K. Poole lives with her mother and some eccentric neighbors in the heart of the Florida Everglades. (Anyone who was born to live in a tent and fish for food will be envious of this "wild" lifestyle.) When the woods peoples' "dragon", a regal alligator, disappears, they begin to try to track down the great beast, especially Liza K. A ranger is after the gator, for he has been frightening nearby home-dwellers, and should be shot. Liza K. and her unique friends--including a talkative African gray parrot-- go through a series of clues to find out where the gator has disappeared to. The ending, I admit, is slightly disappointing--the threat of the ranger seems to be forgotten after the gator is found, Liza K. and her neighbors must abandon their way of life--but all in all, it's a fine read. The other Eco-Mysteries should be kept in mind--WHO REALLY KILLED COCK ROBIN?, in which a boy tries to solve the mystery of his clean town's feathered mascot; THE CASE OF THE MISSING CUTTHROATS, quite a lot like THE MISSING 'GATOR; and THE FIRE BUG CONNECTION. No young naturalist or ecologist should overlook the wide, wonderful world of Jean Craighead George.

If you are a teacher in search of examples for descriptive writing, try this book. George uses adjectives in a way that makes the students' imagination work. Their pictures to illustrate scenes are clear. Their writing also improves as they try to model her writing style.

FOR THREE NIGHTS BEFORE I WENT TO BED MY MOM READ THE BOOK TO ME. AT THE END I WANTED TO HEAR MORE. DONNA