Mystery of the Lost Lynx

For twenty-five years, Tamra Wight and her family owned and ran Poland Spring Campground, which provided her with plenty of inspiration for her spirited and exciting fiction. She weaves details from her daily life into her books, drawing on everything from campground chores to unexpected wildlife encounters to inform her writing. She now works as a teaching assistant and lives in Turner, Maine.

 When Tamra isn't writing, she enjoys wildlife watching, hiking, geo-caching, kayaking, power-walking, and snowshoeing. She can often be found (for those who know where to look) hiding under her “cloak of invisibility,” a huge poncho-shaped camouflage cloth that she uses to disguise herself from passing skunks, coyotes, and foxes.

Carl DiRocco is a graduate of the New England School of Art & Design and has illustrated Dear Big, Mean, Ugly Monster (a Minnesota Humanities Book Award Finalist) and Our Principal Promised to Kiss a Pig (a Children's Choice Selection). Carl lives in Reading, Massachusetts, and loves to camp with his wife and three sons.

"Fans of aspiring game warden Cooper Wilder and his friend Packrat—whose useful collection of miscellany resides in his jacket’s many pockets—will enjoy following the boys as their attention turns from setting up (with friends Roy and Summer) the premier winter festival at the Wilder family’s campground to learning about a probable fur poacher nearby. Part of the fun for readers is trying to outguess Cooper’s changing assessments as the clues pile up. Stylized, grayscale spot art is appropriately lighthearted and reassuring."—Kirkus Reviews

"An engaging mystery for wildlife lovers. Cooper and his best friends Packrat, Roy, and Summer are looking forward to a fun-filled week of outdoor adventures during the winter break in Maine. But after they spot a baby lynx in the woods and learn about reports of an illegal poacher in the area, the kids start investigating suspicious activities on their own. Facts about lynxes open each chapter, and animal-loving kids will appreciate all of the additional Maine wildlife details woven into this plot, not to mention the description of winter activities. A great choice for collections where mysteries are popular."—School Library Journal

"Wight not only creates engaging mysteries for young readers, she educates with background details of animals and nature, as well as woodcraft like camping, fishing and hiking"— Bill Bushnell, Kennebec Journal