THE LAST WILD PLACE

In this absorbing sequel to Lost Goat Lane (2004) and The Goatnappers (2007), almost 13-year-old Chip Martin discovers a mother panther and her two cubs while exploring the “Old Place,” an abandoned farm near his home in rural south Florida, the back half of which is still in native vegetation. Chip, who is grappling with changes at home, knows “there was really only one person he could trust with a secret this precious”—his best friend, Luther, despite a puzzling falling-out between the boys. When a developer leases the property and starts to bulldoze it to build a meatpacking plant, the boys and their good friend Lily, an intrepid soccer player, ask their classmates to help stage a protest; only the community-center kids, displaced themselves due to a hurricane along the Gulf Coast, join in. Like the well-drawn science teacher, Mr. O’Dell, the author clearly loves sharing what she knows about nature. The issues of development and declining habitats, and the importance of protecting “these last wild places” are made both real and exciting for middle-grade readers. (Internet resources) (Fiction. 8-12)