Lynn Plourde - Children's Book Author

THE FIRE BUG CONNECTION: AN ECOLOGICAL MYSTERY

AUTHOR: Jean Craighead George
AGE LEVEL / LENGTH: 8-12 years / 160 pages
PUBLISHER / COPYRIGHT DATE: HarperCollins / 1993
FORMAT / ISBN: Hardcover / 0060214902; Library Binding /
0060214910; Large Type Hardcover / 0614095557

Maggie Mercer has an unusual twelfth birthday. As her day begins at the Biological Research Center in the Maine woods, a raven flies at Maggie. Maggie is concerned because she remembers her grandmother warning that when a raven flies at you, there will be a murder. And her grandmother's saying seems to be coming true, as the fire bugs she receives as a birthday present from a European graduate student begin to die mysteriously. But what is killing them? Is it acid rain, global warming, the raven's curse?

Maggie, who is a young naturalist and the daughter of two science professors from the University of Maine in Orono, tries to solve the mystery of the dying fire bugs. She gets help from Mitch Waterford, another professor's ten-year-old son who has a reputation for being a computer wizard as well as a prankster. Maggie and Mitch set up experiments, gather information on the Internet, and research the paper-making process at the Rumford Paper Mill. As they try to solve the mystery, they also explore and learn more about ravens, bats, spiders, and wasps. In the end, Maggie not only discovers what has been killing her fire bugs, but she helps to further the scientific research of insecticides.

Author Jean Craighead George has created an unusual Maine mystery with The Fire Bug Connection. Her characters are well-rounded, and young readers will become caught up in solving the fire bug mystery without realizing how much scientific information they are learning. This book is a must read for young naturalists and future scientists.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

1. As you read The Fire Bug Connection, keep a log of all the information you learn about the fire bugs, chapter by chapter. Then at the end of each chapter, make a guess as to what is stopping the development of the fire bugs and killing them. Does your guess change as you learn more information? Why or why not? When did you learn what was actually killing the fire bugs? How did you know?

2. Learn more about one of the animals in The Fire Bug Connection—ravens, bats, spiders, wasps, or another wild animal of your choice. Read and gather research from nonfiction books, interview biologists or animal experts, and if possible observe your selected animal in its natural setting. Then write a picture book including the information you have learned.

3. In The Fire Bug Connection, Maggie and Mitch needed to learn more about the papermaking process, so they visited the Rumford Paper Mill. Learn how paper is made today. If possible, visit a Maine paper mill. What steps are involved? What materials are used? Does paper-making have an effect on the environment? If so, how? Is the effect harmful? Create a brochure on paper-making, summarizing what you have learned.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jean Craighead George is the author of more than sixty children's books, including the 1973 Newbery Medal-winner, Julie of the Wolves, and the 1960 Newbery Honor book, My Side of the Mountain. Her books celebrate nature and are set in varied locations throughout the world. Two other current books are sequels to Julie of the Wo/ves: Julie (1994) and Julie's Wolf Pack (1997).

George was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in a family of naturalists. She claims that she has been writing since third grade and professionally since graduating from Pennsylvania State University, where she received dual degrees in English and in science. In the 1940s, George worked as a member of the White House Press Corps and a reporter for The Washington Post. George currently lives in Chappaqua, New York, where she enjoys hiking, canoeing, making sourdough pancakes, and reading to her grandchildren. George is the mother of three grown children; and she describes how she raised her children and 173 pets in her 1996 autobiography, The Tarantula in My Purse.

Jean Craighead George explains that "her deep love for Maine" began when she worked as a counselor at a camp on Lake Sebago at the age of eighteen. Since then, George has returned frequently to Maine to canoe and hike. She has spent summers in Cape Elizabeth and Hancock. Her ecological mystery book. The Fire Bug Connection, is based upon her experiences visiting Dr. Bernard Heinrich's camp and "Raven Haven" in western Maine, near the White Mountain National Forest.

THE FIRE BUG CONNECTION: AN ECOLOGICAL MYSTERY AUTHOR: Jean Craighead George AGE LEVEL / LENGTH: 8-12 years / 160 pages PUBLISHER / COPYRIGHT DATE: HarperCollins / 1993 FORMAT / ISBN: Hardcover / 0060214902; Library Binding / 0060214910; Large Type Hardcover / 0614095557 Maggie Mercer has an unusual twelfth birthday. As her day begins at the Biological Research Center in the Maine woods, a raven flies at Maggie. Maggie is concerned because she remembers her grandmother warning that when a raven flies at you, there will be a murder. And her grandmother's saying seems to be coming true, as the fire bugs she receives as a birthday present from a European graduate student begin to die mysteriously. But what is killing them? Is it acid rain, global warming, the raven's curse? Maggie, who is a young naturalist and the daughter of two science professors from the University of Maine in Orono, tries to solve the mystery of the dying fire bugs. She gets help from Mitch Waterford, another professor's ten-year-old son who has a reputation for being a computer wizard as well as a prankster. Maggie and Mitch set up experiments, gather information on the Internet, and research the paper-making process at the Rumford Paper Mill. As they try to solve the mystery, they also explore and learn more about ravens, bats, spiders, and wasps. In the end, Maggie not only discovers what has been killing her fire bugs, but she helps to further the scientific research of insecticides. Author Jean Craighead George has created an unusual Maine mystery with The Fire Bug Connection. Her characters are well-rounded, and young readers will become caught up in solving the fire bug mystery without realizing how much scientific information they are learning. This book is a must read for young naturalists and future scientists. LEARNING ACTIVITIES 1. As you read The Fire Bug Connection, keep a log of all the information you learn about the fire bugs, chapter by chapter. Then at the end of each chapter, make a guess as to what is stopping the development of the fire bugs and killing them. Does your guess change as you learn more information? Why or why not? When did you learn what was actually killing the fire bugs? How did you know? 2. Learn more about one of the animals in The Fire Bug Connection—ravens, bats, spiders, wasps, or another wild animal of your choice. Read and gather research from nonfiction books, interview biologists or animal experts, and if possible observe your selected animal in its natural setting. Then write a picture book including the information you have learned. 3. In The Fire Bug Connection, Maggie and Mitch needed to learn more about the papermaking process, so they visited the Rumford Paper Mill. Learn how paper is made today. If possible, visit a Maine paper mill. What steps are involved? What materials are used? Does paper-making have an effect on the environment? If so, how? Is the effect harmful? Create a brochure on paper-making, summarizing what you have learned. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jean Craighead George is the author of more than sixty children's books, including the 1973 Newbery Medal-winner, Julie of the Wolves, and the 1960 Newbery Honor book, My Side of the Mountain. Her books celebrate nature and are set in varied locations throughout the world. Two other current books are sequels to Julie of the Wo/ves: Julie (1994) and Julie's Wolf Pack (1997). George was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in a family of naturalists. She claims that she has been writing since third grade and professionally since graduating from Pennsylvania State University, where she received dual degrees in English and in science. In the 1940s, George worked as a member of the White House Press Corps and a reporter for The Washington Post. George currently lives in Chappaqua, New York, where she enjoys hiking, canoeing, making sourdough pancakes, and reading to her grandchildren. George is the mother of three grown children; and she describes how she raised her children and 173 pets in her 1996 autobiography, The Tarantula in My Purse. Jean Craighead George explains that "her deep love for Maine" began when she worked as a counselor at a camp on Lake Sebago at the age of eighteen. Since then, George has returned frequently to Maine to canoe and hike. She has spent summers in Cape Elizabeth and Hancock. Her ecological mystery book. The Fire Bug Connection, is based upon her experiences visiting Dr. Bernard Heinrich's camp and "Raven Haven" in western Maine, near the White Mountain National Forest.
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