Cynthia DeFelice: The Missing Manatee

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Hardcover), ISBN 0374312575

Eleven-year-old Skeet Waters’ life in Florida seemed just about perfect. But in this wise coming-of-age story, ably disguised as a whodunit, Skeet’s problems and the choices he makes soon become complicated by family relationships and local laws.

During his spring break, Skeet looks forward to fishing, hanging out with his dad, and enjoying the water. When he motors his skiff into a refuge protected by law, he never expected to find a dead manatee, shot in the head. Unfortunately, without much evidence to go on, the local police won’t pursue the manatee’s killing. Skeet, determined to discover the person responsible for this crime, begins his own investigation and uncovers a truth he’d rather not face. But even as Skeet unravels the manatee mystery, he struggles to understand it.

Skeet’s fishing guide father has explored the waters of the Gulf of Mexico all his life. As his parents’ marriage dissolves, Skeet longs for his old life, the one where he aspired to be a commercial fisherman like his hero Dirty Dan the Tarpon Man and never dreamed his parents wouldn’t always live together. When Skeet’s father moves out of their house, the youngster can’t understand the break-up or where he fits in the new picture. Dad doesn’t make him wear sunscreen, lets him stay up late, and forgets lunch. His mom’s dream for him includes college and a good job, preferably as far away from Chassacoochie Springs, Florida, as he can travel. His parents’ differences make him wonder if parents come in pairs, “at least at the beginning, so one could cover the stuff the other didn’t.”

The author of numerous middle-grade novels for kids, Cynthia DeFelice writes with an ear tuned to adolescent concerns and fears. While young readers will enjoy the mystery of the manatee’s killing, the complicated situation that arises when Skeet finally figures out who’s to blame adds layers to the story. Fast-paced, wise, and funny, The Missing Manatee will help readers understand that things aren’t always what they seem and sometimes life tangles up worse than fishing line.

Augusta Scattergood

Augusta Scattergood, a librarian and member of SCBWI, reads and reviews books from her home in New Jersey.