The Wolves of Slough Creek

In his third wilderness adventure, eleven-year-old Buck Bray, along with the rest of The Wild World of Buck Bray TV crew, including the cameraman's daughter, Toni Shoop, heads to Yellowstone National Park to film an episode about its famous geysers and hot springs. They are also there to learn more about the park's gray wolf restoration program. But soon after arriving, Buck narrowly escapes injury when a herd of bison stampedes. Buck is almost certain the animals were agitated by a drone. Flying drones in a national park is illegal. Who is behind it? What are they trying to do? And drones aren't the only problem. Someone is threatening the wildlife. Once Buck and Toni start to investigate, they find out that gray wolves are not the only top predator in Yellowstone.

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Interest Level Grade 3 - Grade 6
Reading Level Grade 4
Dewey FIC
Lexile 770L
ATOS Reading Level
Guided Reading Level T
Language English
Publisher Sleeping Bear Press
Available Formats Hardcover (9781534110205), Paperback (9781534110212), PDF (9781534138377), Hosted ebook (9781534138513)
Copyright 2019
Number of Pages 240
Dimensions 5.5 x 7.5
Graphics

Kirkus Reviews - The Wild World of Buck Bray: The Wolves of Slough Creek

Middle schooler and television star Buck Bray is back for a third outing, this time bringing his intrepid detecting skills to Yellowstone National Park. He’s accompanied by his partner in crime prevention, Toni, the daughter of the cameraman who films the national park-related documentaries. Shortly after the kids meet the twins Kale and Kayla Kolson, also middle schoolers, in the park, it becomes clear that someone is illegally flying drones there. Then coyotes and a wolf turn up dead from poison. Reviewing some of the show’s film, Kale and Buck realize the poisoner is using a large, expensive drone to deliver the lethal bait to the animals. Kale, who has Asperger’s, is a talented drone flyer. So is Jason, an older boy who’s also camping in the park. Finally, there’s Lyall, the president of the drone flying club, all of the fliers drawn to the area by a nearby drone competition. Young cleverly inserts ample red herrings, sustaining the suspense while including lots of information about both the park and the wolf packs that have been reintroduced there. None of the characters have physical descriptions (except for age), which combines with the cover depiction of light-skinned Buck and Toni to imply the white default. Information about drone flying adds additional appeal to this engaging tale. Substantially the best of the mystery/travelogue series to date, this one suffers from fewer credibility issues than the previous entries.

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Author: Judy Young

Judy Young remembers writing a poem for her grandmother when she was about ten. Her grandmother encouraged her to keep writing, and Judy did! Judy is the author of over two dozen children’s picture books and novels, including, Promise, The Wild World of Buck Bray series and the Digger and Daisy series. Judy’s books are used extensively in the public schools and have received numerous awards and honors. One of her most cherished is hearing LeVar Burton read A Pet for Miss Wright for Reading Rainbow Storytime Video to celebrate National Reading Month. Another, was watching as R is for Rhyme, A Poetry Alphabet was performed by the University of Utah’s Creative Dance Program.

Judy received her MA in Speech and Language Pathology from the University of Tulsa and formerly worked in the public schools for 20 years. Now, a frequent speaker at schools, children’s lit fests and professional educational conferences nationwide, Judy’s firsthand experience in the schools makes her programs not only entertaining, but directly related to school curriculum.

Judy resides in the mountains near Mink Creek, Idaho, with her husband, Ross, a professional artist, who illustrated two of Judy’s books. In her spare time, Judy enjoys hiking, fishing, snowshoeing, and gallivanting around the country in “Arlo,” the Young’s traveling studio. Read more about Judy, her books and author visits to schools at www.judyyoungpoetry.com.

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