The Marino Mission: One Girl, One Mission, One Thousand Words; 1,000 Need-to-Know *SAT Vocabulary Words

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up -Alexa is not happy about having to go to Central America for the summer with her marine biologist mother, who will be working there. The teen meets a local boy and makes friends with the lab's dolphin. When the animal's baby is taken by members of a rival lab, the teens set out to find out why and what they plan to do with it. The author incorporates 1000 SAT vocabulary words into the novel. Each one is footnoted at the bottom of the page with its definition. This is a great idea. Not only can students read a fast-paced and fun story, but they can also learn potentially unfamiliar words without a great deal of effort. The writing and character development are actually good and the DNA-lab setting is believable, as is the story line. The Marino Mission may not be a literary standout, but as a study tool it is unbeatable.-Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park High School, MD
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Review
"The Marino Mission...a better read than prior attempts at this concept, which tried too hard to cram in large words." (Miami Herald, February 26, 2005)