By Lisa Cole, for The Children’s Book Review
Published: July 22, 2011
Searching for Chessie of the Chesapeake Bay
Story and Illustrations by Lisa Cole
(The Peppertree Press – June 2011)
109 pages
Ages 8-12 years
Retails for $9.95
From the first time Lisa Cole set sail in the Chesapeake Bay she knew there was more to the bay than a unique sailing experience. She spent the next three years researching, sailing, and kayaking in and along the bay’s waters. During that time she kept a journal of her encounters with marine life, storms, and the communities lining the shores. As a recently retired classroom teacher, Lisa Cole’s experience with encouraging children to read inspired her to write this high- interest story about the legendary sea monster, Chessie.
Searching for Chessie of the Chesapeake Bay – Young readers join Jim and Claire Meadows on an adventurous kayaking trip in search of the legendary sea monster, Chessie. The brother and sister team up to find the elusive sea monster however it is really Claire who is determined to follow her dream of finding Chessie. While searching for Chessie, a storm kicks up flipping Claire’s kayak sending her deep into the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and her brother Jim scrabbling to find her before tragedy strikes. As Claire struggles to survive underwater she encounters the sea monster and a ghost living in a shipwrecked schooner. Claire and Jim learnfrom their experience there is more to the Chesapeake Bay than they could ever imagine.
Available on Amazon.
For more information, visit: http://www.lisacolebooks.com
Contact
Lisa Cole
P.O. Box 266
7728 Main St.
Bethel, DE 19931
302-569-0960
3 Comments
Searching for Chessie of the Chesapeake Bay is a wonderfully written story sure to keep the young reader interested and even inspired to learn the sport of kayaking! It also provides the reader with an important life lesson children don’t always think about before they undergo an “adventure”. I am looking forward to reading the next book from Ms. Cole.
Searching for Chessie of the Chesapeake Bay captivates young readers as its Tidewater Maryland adventure unfolds. It will also engage them in questions of trust and responsibility, raised through the relationship between Claire and her older brother, Jim. This story avoids proposing a neat resolution to these themes, but instead offers them with an air of thought-provoking mystery.
Searching for Chessie of the Chesapeake Bay was a fantastic read. I could not put the book down until I finished and was already wanting more adventures from Claire, Jim, and Chessie. Aside from the adventure, Ms Cole communicates subtle life lessons between the family members that we can all learn from, adults as well as children.