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nancy@nancykeane.com
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Mikaelsen,
Ben.
STRANDED
New York : Hyperion, 1996.
IL 5-8, RL 4.4
ISBN 0786811099
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Twelve-year-old
Koby escapes the loneliness of being a friendless, handicapped teenager
by sailing the sparkling aquamarine waves of the Florida Keys. While
returning home one evening, she spooted an injured whale. Slipping
into the water, she let the whale echolate her with its sonar, then
ventured closer to find the whale entangled in fisherman's netting which
had scraped and cut the whale as she struggled to escape. Quickly,
Koby cut the netting away from the whate, gently talking and soothing her
as she worked, only to find the whale giving birth to a calf, which she
named Squirt for its darting, impulsive moves in the water. A few
days later, Koby searched for the whales again, onlyto find them stranded
on a sandbar, too weak to stay afloat, gasping weakly for air. Koby
resolutely stood by, bracing the mother whale upright to prevent her from
drowning, all night long until the U.S. Coast Guard came looking for her.
She still insisted that h!
er rescuers brace the whale
before she would leave its side, raising her to hero status in their eyes.
Marine biologists intervened to rescue the stranded whales, tend their
injuries, and feed them until they were strong enough to be released.
Still, only Koby could calm the whales enough to prevent them from ramming
the walls of the pool and receive some food. Will Koby risk her life
by swimming withthe whales? Will they survive captivity? An
impending hurricane? Will Koby find friends? Will her family
break up? Read Stranded to discover the fascinating end to this unique
saga. (Julia S. Fanning, Juliajsfnnng@aol.com,
Busbee Middle School, Cayce, S.C.) |
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SUBJECTS:
Whales -- Fiction.
Wildlife rescue -- Fiction.
People with disabilities -- Fiction.
Florida Keys (Fla.) -- Fiction.
Self-reliance -- Fiction. |
© 
Permission is granted for the
noncommercial duplication and use of this resource, provided it is substantially
unchanged from its present form and appropriate credit is given.
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