Five Picks for Best Tween Eco Mysteries
The environmental movement may not yet have changed the world, but it has created a niche for kids, tweens and young adult Eco Mysteries. Here are my favorite eco mystery writers:
1) Carl Hiaason has practically made a new career in writing child-heroes as environmental activists in his trio of young-adult novels: Hoot, about endangered owls, Flush, on the illegal dumping of raw sewage into the ocean and Scat.
2) Will Hobbs. The Maze tells the story of Rick Walker who takes refuge in the breathtaking Utah wilderness camp of an eccentric naturalist, Lon Peregrino. As Lon teaches the teen rebel how to care for the rare California condors, his confidence grows, but is it enough to confront the forces that want the condors dead? And who will help him sort out the maze of his life when the authorities catch up with him?
3) Gary Paulson's survival stories.
4) Jean Craighead George still ranks with the best of eco mystery writers.
5) Ben M. Baglio. The Dolphin Diaries series. Jody McGrath and her family are sailing around the world, researching dolphins, and Jody records all their exciting adventures in her Dolphin Diaries. In the series first book, the yacht begins its journey in the waters off Florida. A sudden storm puts Jody’s life in danger, but a dolphin rescues her from the water and brings her back to safety.
 
Camping with the President, a delightful and historically accurate book for children (ages 8-11), by Ginger Wadsworth. It's about two icons of the outdoor world: Theodore Roosevelt, our most outdoorsy president, and John Muir, the world famous naturalist. 
 
Did you know that there is a National Outdoor Book Award—for adults and young people? To see a listing of winners visit:
http://www.noba-web.org/books10.htm
For My Favorite African Memoirs visit:
Amazon.com: My Favorite African Memoirs