Hi. My name is Ana and I will be telling you about a book called “Manatee Blues” by Laurie Halse Anderson. It’s about the characters Brenna, Dr. Mac, Zoe, Maggie, and Gretchen. Brenna is a teenager who is studying manatees. Dr. Mac is a veterinarian and owner of Dr. Mac’s Place. Zoe and Maggie also are studying manatees. Gretchen rescues manatees and is the head of Gold Coast Rescue Center in Florida.

The story is set at the Gold Coast Rescue Center near the ocean. Brenna, Dr. Mac, Zoe, and Maggie learned about the Rescue Center and how they rescue manatees. Gretchen asked them if they would like to volunteer and help save the manatees. They got a call from Gretchen’s other volunteers that there was a baby manatee who got hurt from a boat’s spinning blades. The manatee was badly hurt and she needed surgery. Brenna, Gretchen, Zoe and Maggie named her Violet.

The Gold Coast Rescue Center lost their funding and they were going to have to close the Center and then they couldn’t help the manatees, until they met a baseball player named Ronnie Masters, who donated money to save the Center and save the manatees.

The Gold Coast Rescue Center was saved! Violet got better and became a mom. She was living free and in the wild.

People who like animals and manatees, and who also like a sad and happy story all mixed into one will like this book! This book would be good for all ages.