Margaret Goff Clark

Two words were scrawled on the door in blood-red paint: "GET OUT". When Jeff goes to the Algonquin wilderness to help his brother build an addition to the family cottage, he finds a frightening mystery. Someone is trying to force them out - and two cases of missing dynamite prove there is danger!--Goodreads Goodreads Member Review: Jul 22, 2014 C.really liked it / Margaret Goff Clark is new to me and I blew through her “Mystery At Star Lake” adventure with relentless intrigue. She has been a well-known writer in the United States for over fifty years. Her specialty is culture, like her mystery about Seneca Aboriginals. They were so pleased they invited Margaret into their tribe. What a reception for one’s first book! She demonstrates great dedication to animal welfare through her books about endangered life, such as manatees as well as black bears of Florida. Nature certainly goes along with her passions and any work she publishes: be it non-fiction, magazine articles, or youth mysteries; is very reflective of that. She has enjoyed a cottage in the massive Ontario expanse, Algonquin Park, since the 1970s. "Death At Their Heels", 1975 is a product of her visits and so is this. Star Lake, shaped as described and ensconced among other lakes, is a community of cottagers but as rugged as it gets. Mobility relies upon boating, a ride to the lake, and travel from the cities. You must be wise to the outdoors and to safety. A pre-teen, Jeff, looks forward to proving his mettle to a much older brother by helping him expand their parents’ new cottage. If rapport between them sounds old-fashioned, keep reading because a sense of apprehension and danger rev up and don’t relax until the book concludes. They find threats as bland as spray-painting “Get out”, a missing oar, and other attempts to tell the newcomers they ought to leave Star Lake. Discovering why this is and by whom, involves an interview with other cottagers, scouting the shore for fish-poaching nets, and allying with a family whose Father is unnerving. Daring but picturesque spying through the forest itself and Jeff’s film photography are memorable moments I savored especially.

For my kid

Rising flood waters and the disappearance of a valuable wampum belt mar the beginning of fifteen-year-old Susan's summer of volunteer work at the Fort Pitt Museum.

When James finds a talking tail while on his way to school, it causes nothing but trouble until he takes it to his Grandmother at the retirement home where he has a great idea.

A biography of the nineteenth-century naturalist, explorer, and writer who was influential in establishing our national park system.

Eleven-year-old Minda, one of several latchkey children in her neighborhood, forms a group to watch for a burglar who is breaking into empty houses.

Traces the lives of four black writers who wrote of the Negro experience in eighteenth-and nineteenth-century America.

Many tourists visit the Texas Gulf Coast, and Meg and Kathy are sure at least two of them look suspicious. But it is only a game until Kathy disappears.

A biography of the free-born black man who, as a self-taught mathematician and astronomer, helped survey the site of the Nation's Capitol and published several popular almanacs.

Discusses the history, physical characteristics, behavior, and habitat of the small deer that have lived for hundreds of years in the Florida Keys, as well as threats to their continued existence.

A good friend is accused of stealing valuable stamps and Mark is determined to prove his innocence.

Examines the physical characteristics, habits, and natural environment of the endangered Florida panther and what is being done to save it from extinction.

Although several of his friends try to prevent it, Barney is transported to the moon where Rokell, a dangerous Gark from the planet Ornam, awaits him.

Introduces the playful manatee and discusses its future and its relationship with humans.

When Barney's young friend's dog is taken to Mars, extraterrestrial acquaintance Tibbo helps them try to get it back.

A fifteen-year-old boy joins the army to help fight the War of 1812 and finds that the issues are not as clear-cut as he imagined.

Barney is afraid to tell his foster parents that he has seen a UFO behind the house even when a hasty promise to a space boy leads him into trouble.

Sally's beloved dog is old and ailing, but until she gets the chance to take care of a beautiful, wild Arabian horse, Sally cannot bear to say goodbye to her pet.