By Dianna Cleveland
For 2 - 6 Readers
Advantage (Multi-Level) Format includes Stages 2-5
A story about “owl pellets” ideal for Science class.
It’s time for Outdoor Education camp and Sarah is anxious about being away from home for an entire week. So, her mother gives her a diary to write down her thoughts each day and she locks it with a tiny key each night. To make matters worse, a couple of icky boys from school end up in her hiking group. Luckily, Emily, a girl who’d much rather be in the mall, is also in the group and she and Sarah become friends over the mutual disgust for the troublesome boys. During one of the nature hikes, the students inadvertently discover some owl pellets, and Mr. Acorn, their guide, gives them a complete lesson on what they are and how they can determine what an owl ate by studying the skeletal remains inside the pellet. When the key to Sarah’s diary goes missing, the students solve the mystery by determining that a mouse ate it, and then an owl ate the mouse. As they learn about the food chain, they become friends and Sarah discovers that going away to camp can be fun and isn’t so scary after all.
| 
