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What do you think?
Did you like the story? Did you find it believable? Why, or why not?
What do you like about Skeet?
Along with trying to unravel the mystery of the manatee's murder, Skeet is trying to understand why his parents are breaking up. What does he learn in the end? Are things always what they seem to be?
What consequences does Skeet need to face? What about Dirty Dan? Skeet's dad?
Why does Skeet suspect Dirty Dan?
Describe Skeet's relationship with his grandmother. Does it remind you of another relationship in the book?
Describe the author's tone. Did you like it? Why, or why not?
Fun & Adventure Beyond the Book
As a child, author Cynthia DeFelice was nicknamed "DeDe," but when she married Ralph DeFelice she knew DeDe DeFelice just wasn't going to work! You can learn more about DeFelice—including her other childhood nickname—on her website.
DeFelice is in a writers' group—along with another author featured on Camel's Hump Radio: Vivian Vande Velde, author of Heir Apparent. Learn more about why they belong to a writers' group. Do you know any of the other authors in the group?
DeFelice loves boating and fishing. The character Dirty Dan was inspired by a guide she met on one of her flyfishing expeditions. Learn more about fly fishing, and then get some tips for making the most of a family fishing trip.
Learn all about manatees here. As a protected species, manatees are often tagged so scientists can follow their movements. What would you do if one of your manatees went missing? Find out how to track a missing manatee...
Want to figure out how manatees keep warm? Try this experiment!
So what are tarpons, and why was Skeet so excited about catching one? Here's a picture of a tarpon. Tarpons are considered one of the best big game fish, partly because of their size and their exclusive hangouts, but also because they put up a great fight with gigantic leaps. Florida has a catch and release policy so you have to take a photograph of them—you don't get to keep them. Outdoor Life's Jerry Gibbs gives a thrilling account of his tarpon-fishing trip.
If You Like This Book, Check Out...
Grace Greene, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, says if you liked The Missing Manatee, you’ll probably enjoy these books as well:
Other books by Cynthia DeFelice:
Death at Devil's Bridge (FSG, 2000)
Despite a great summer job as first mate on a fishing boat out of Martha's Vineyard, thirteen-year-old Ben gets caught up with illegal drugs and possible murder.
Devil's Bridge (Macmillan, 1992)
Twelve-year-old Ben must cope with the loss of his father, who died the year before, and his mother's overprotectiveness when he enters the annual Striped Bass Derby on Martha's Vineyard.
The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs (FSG, 2001)
Hindered by a fight with her friend Dub and a series of mysterious fires, eleven-year-old Allie investigates the fire seventeen years earlier which claimed the lives of the husband and infant son of a school cafeteria worker, as well as the handsome young man whose ghost asks Allie for help.
The Ghost of Cutler Creek (FSG, 2004)
When Allie is contacted by the ghost of a dog, she and Dub investigate the surly new boy at school and his father, who may be running a puppy mill, to see if they are involved.
The Ghost of Fossil Glen (FSG, 1998)
Allie knows it's not her imagination when she hears a voice and sees in her mind's eye the face of a girl who seems to be seeking Allie's help.
The Light on Hogback Hill (Macmillan, 1993)
When she investigates the mysterious light up on Hogback Hill, eleven-year-old Hadley finds and befriends a hunchbacked old woman with a tragic past.
Lostman's River (Macmillan, 1994)
In the early 1900s, thirteen-year-old Tyler encounters vicious hunters whose actions threaten to destroy the Everglades ecosystem, and as a result joins the battle to protect that fragile environment.
Weasel (Macmillan, 1990)
Alone in the frontier wilderness in the winter of 1839 while his father is recovering from an injury, eleven-year-old Nathan runs afoul of the renegade killer known as Weasel and makes a surprising discovery about the concept of revenge.
Companion Titles:
Trout Summer, by Jane Conly (Holt, 1995)
A sister and brother spend a largely unsupervised summer in a cabin near a river, where they befriend an elderly man with much to teach them and where they try to come to terms with their parents' failing marriage and make decisions about their own futures.
The Missing 'Gator of Gumbo Limbo, by Jean Craighead George (HarperCollins, 1992)
Sixth-grader Liza K., one of five homeless people living in an unspoiled forest in southern Florida, searches for a missing alligator destined for official extermination and studies the delicate ecological balance keeping her outdoor home beautiful.
Thunderwith, by Elizabeth Hathorn (Little, Brown, 1991)
After she moves to the Australian outback following her mother's death, fifteen-year-old Laura's friendship with a strange and beautiful dog helps her adjust to a new life with an unfamiliar father and unfriendly stepfamily.
Flush, by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf, 2005)
With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected water around their Florida Keys home.
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