In Search of Fog Zombie: A Mystery about Matter

by Lynda Beauregard, Der-shing Helmer (Illustrator)

Overview

When campers arrive at Camp Dakota, rumors start flying. The Fog Zombie is on the prowl, moaning and creeping through the thick fog that often settles on the lake. At first, the kids don't believe the rumors—until they find mysterious clues leading to the zombie! Can the campers track down the Fog Zombie with their science smarts? Or will it find them first?

Look in the back of the book for experiments and more to help you become a science detective too!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512451504
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Series:	Summer Camp Science Mysteries
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Der-shing Helmer is a high school biology teacher who originally went to college to learn about reptiles. After she graduated she decided to try teaching instead. In her spare time she likes to write and draw comics and read a variety of books!

Editorial Reviews

"Positioning science in real-life situations... is a strong point of this series." —Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

There’s a rumor at Camp Dakota about the fog zombie since when the thick fog comes from off the lake, people hear noises like footsteps and moaning. But there’s a scientific explanation, too, campers figure out when a hip counselor drops clues they can solve. Back matter includes experiments, definitions, and science facts. There are quite a few more books in the series. Tweens up.

(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal

Following cryptic clues left by a counselor, a quartet of young campers track down the source of mysterious noises in this science-laden series kickoff. The instruction begins before the story does, with a disquisition on the nature and states of matter, and continues after the denouement with a pair of experiments and a page of explanations. In between, 9-year-old twins Angie and Alex settle in at Camp Dakota, where they're treated to successive scientific demonstrations. These include: air pressure in action, with an overturned glass in a bowl of water; comparative density, with eggs in fresh and salt water; and heat-related expansion and contraction with a suspended weight. They're also treated to eerie nighttime moans ascribed to a local zombie that turn out to have a natural cause. Helmer places a multicultural cast with oversized, rolling-flashlight eyes in neatly drawn sequential panels--between which Beauregard occasionally shoehorns further science facts--and tries to crank up the suspense with lots of atmospheric fog and night scenes. The fictional plot is really just a vehicle, and if the science is largely extraneous and sometimes simplistic (gravity doesn't just pull objects "toward Earth's surface"), at least there's plenty of it. The load-out continues in #2, The Nighttime Cabin Thief: A Mystery About Light, and two more Summer Camp Science Mysteries. Alas, nary a zombie in sight--but budding "braaaiiinnns" may be tempted to repeat some of the experiments for themselves. (further experiments, glossary, scientific principles) (Graphic fiction/instructional blend. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews