Spotting Dottie (Orca Currents)

by Gail Anderson-Dargatz (Author)

Spotting Dottie (Orca Currents)
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
Series: Orca Currents

Charlotte is going to prove her grandma is right--the lake monster is real!

When Charlotte gets a drone for her fourteenth birthday, she's determined to get footage of Dottie, the elusive lake monster of Dorothy Lake. Her grandma, who has dedicated her life to searching for the monster, is the joke of the town.

But when Charlotte manages to capture a video of the monster and posts it online, she's the sudden target of a media storm. Now everyone is making fun of her too. Worse, droves of monster hunters arrive in her town, crowding the lake. When their boat propellers threaten to hurt Dottie, Charlotte is faced with a difficult choice.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don't like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

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$10.95

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ALA/Booklist

In addition to being a fun story with a surprising and satisfying outcome, it tackles valuable interpersonal struggles like truth-telling, self-sacrifice, endangered animals, teasing and bullying, and intergenerational family communication, all in natural and surprisingly subtle ways.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-7Fourteen-year-old Charlotte is the granddaughter of Dottie Donna, who has dedicated her life to proving the existence of the mysterious water monster (Dottie) rumored to occupy Lake Dorothy. Charlotte's grandmother is the laughingstock of the town for her eccentric mission; then Charlotte uses her new drone to record a potential Dottie sighting! She posts it to social media in an attempt to show people the truth, and it changes everything. But Charlotte realizes being right isn't as important as protecting the fascinating creature she loves. Readers will relate to Charlotte's dogged enthusiasm to redeem her beloved grandmother's reputation, as well as the allure and volatility of internet fame. Part of the "Orca Currents" series, Anderson-Dargatz's novel tackles faith, family dynamics, and staying true to yourself in hi-lo format. Features include cream-colored paper, dyslexia-friendly font, and larger trim size. VERDICT A realistic fiction novel with a fun cryptid twist. A recommended addition to hi-lo collections.—Ashleigh Williams

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

 

 

Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Gail Anderson-Dargatz is the award-winning author of over a dozen books, including The Cure for Death by Lightning and A Recipe for Bees, which were finalists for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. She has also written a number of short novels for striving readers, including the Orca Currents titles Iggy's World and The Ride Home, which was shortlisted for a BC and Yukon Book Prize. Gail lives in the Shuswap region of British Columbia.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781459834828
Lexile Measure
540
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Orca Book Publishers
Publication date
April 16, 2024
Series
Orca Currents
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV002270 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
JUV049000 - Juvenile Fiction | Computers & Digital Media
JUV086000 - Juvenile Fiction | Readers | Hi-Lo
Library of Congress categories
Grandparent and child
Monsters
High interest-low vocabulary books
Novels

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